Volunteer Programs in South Africa with African Impact

I was for 8 weeks in St.Lucia with African Impact. From 1-10-12 till 26-11-202. It is the best decision I have ever made im my life! It was great to work with the children and to meet the Zulu people. It is a wunderful culture. This place is in my heart and if I can have the chance, than I will come back and find a job overthere. It is a beautiful country and the people are amazing. I think everybody must be a volunteer, it really chance your life! And African Impact is great, they made this volunteer experience for me as a time in my life that I never forget!

I was on the community project in St.Lucia working in the surrounding communities. It was such an incredible experience and worth every penny. The people are incredible and the staff are so supportive. I would 100% recommend it to anybody interested in volunteering. It was a humbling experience I will never forget and I have made so many friends from all over the world. Sign up, jump right in and have the time of your life!

African Impact - Cape Town Pre-school teaching was an amazing opportunity to get a deeper look of the culture and livelihoods of many children. Interacting with children in the townships was unforgettable! Day to day consisted of waking up for breakfast, heading to your school in the mornings to work with the children. Helping with school work and playing with the children was how I spent my morning. The kids are so full of energy and had such a easy time putting a smile on my face! They needed lots of attention and hugs! Back to the house for lunch and then off to another program in the afternoon. HOKISA was a highlight for me. The family atmosphere at HOKISA is quite remarkable. The kids and staff are AMAZING and I loved each afternoon there. The Cape Town project also gives you the opportunity to see the beauty of the city! The views from Table Mountain are unlike any other. The city from above is so beautiful! The waterfront is full of shops and cafes and is a great way to spend any afternoon! Overall, it an unforgettable experience. You don't realize how much you can learn from a 6 year old, and how much they can change your life. I would recommend this experience to anyone and everyone! Don't miss out!

My time in St. Lucia was beyond anything I could have expected. While there, I was on the community project. Volunteers from both the community and medical project lived together, and had afternoon projects together.

My mornings consisted of teaching at creches (like a preschool or day care center). African Impact has organized a rotation to teach at creches at different times throughout the year, but ensuring all get an equal amount of our time. Their influence at creches is huge, but I think the children's influence on me was even greater. These kids are amazing, their desire to learn, their happiness, their sense of responsibility and positivity moved me. The more you put into teaching, the more you truly receive back.

The afternoons consisted of a variety of projects, from After School Club, to gardening, to bed making. The schedule worked on an equal rotational basis. Regardless of the project done, African Impact's goal is sustainability, and all projects aim for that.

During the weekends, there are plenty of opportunities to go on excursions, thanks to our great location. You can go on game drives, feed elephants, go swimming with dolphins in Mozambique, hold a baby croc, the list could go on and on.

I felt extremely welcomed, among our mini little volunteer community, and among the community in the villages we worked. I stayed for 4 weeks in St. Lucia and felt it wasn't long enough. My advice to you is to go, to try everything, and put all your effort into the project!

I did the Medical outreach/HIV awareness project in St Lucia South Africa last summer and I can't stop thinking about when I can go back. The project was really diverse; I would have been teaching school kids, playing with children in an crèche and planting vegetables all in one day. The project was sustainable, wasn't intrusive and the local people were lovely.

The small town of St Lucia is based in Isimangaliso Wetland Park (which national geographic magazine just did a big spread on) so there are opportunities at the weekends to go on safari. You can also take surfing lessons or go up to Mozambique for a spot of swimming with dolphins. The staff helped us choose and book up activities.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself and cannot think of a better project to get involved with.

For myself, the best part of volunteering with African Impact was that only once during my 6 week stay, did I feel like a tourist. The rest of the time I felt like I was fully submersed in all the amazing things that South Africa has to offer. I walked away with a very personal and true understanding of the plants, animals, people, communities, cultures and lifestyles which has all contributed to the most amazing memories of an unforgetable experience.

This trip to africa helped change my life. The African impact project made me realize how blessed I was and how great it was to make an impact in the lives of other people. I came home knowing that I truly made a difference in the lives of the children I was involved with. The group leaders did a great job of keeping us informed of what was going on and I didn't feel out of the loop as some people might feel when starting on a new project. I was very involved with everything and my group leaders were there every step of the way to help the volunteers out. They even took time out of their busy schedule to take us to the doctors office when a few of us got sick in the middle of the week. I could no ask for a better experience and I want to work with African Impact in the near future.