South Africa volunteering tour, Durban to Johannesburg

Environment
Instead of the usual sole focus on the remote wild lands of Africa we intend to also focus on the urban environments and their immediate surroundings. Areas of successful tourism operation are for the most part already protected by their position in the spotlight. It is the lesser-known places of Africa that often need the greatest help. We believe that diversity should remain one of the most treasured characteristics of this beautiful continent and intend helping preserve the incredible diversity found everywhere.

Again, a huge of amount of focus is already placed on the select few animals that generate the most interest. Our objective is to assist some of the lesser well know animals in dire need of help.

We intend getting involved in the breeding and relocation of species to their natural habitats to restore the former glory of the various regions of the continent. In addition, we intend involving ourselves in anti-poaching and protection of those creatures that need it.

Community
The tour operator and all accommodation used on this tour is locally owned. All tour guides were trained and are registered with DEAT (Department of Environment, Agriculture and Tourism) and have First Aid certificates. Drivers also have their PDP’s (Professional Drivers Permits). Many of the tour guides also have more specialised qualifications. On foreign language tours a translator will be provided that speaks English and German/Spanish.

The projects were researched and selected by the Nomad Trust. A non-profit trust that was founded last year in order to not only “take” from Africa, but to also put something back into the country, the people and the nature. Nomad is the main contributor and supporter of this trust and is supporting these communities/projects with the trust money. All projects are accredited or approved by the local communities. We are currently searching for other companies to support the trust and we are hoping that we can make an even greater difference to these projects.

The trip is supposed to teach both the traveller and the people from the project. As travellers come from e.g. Europe and US they are usually much better aware of e.g. water usage and environmentally friendly living and we are striving to teach them these values. There is also a local payment that clients pay and that goes directly to the community/project and the work that is being done by the clients is a long lasting benefit for the community. Clients may also contribute additional donations to these projects

Shweula community based natural resources programme (NBNRP):
You will spend time with the Swazi women of Shewula at their craft and perma-culture projects. You will assist and learn about how these women are supporting the community through these endeavours. In the evening you will assist the ladies in preparing a traditional Swazi meal for everyone. The Shewula community lies on the edge of the Lebombo conservancy and the members of the community lead their lives in accordance to the natural rhythms of Africa. Our work with them revolves around adapting the ancient practises of agriculture and craft making to fit in with modern realities.

Jane Goodall Chimpanzee Project:
Your assistance will mainly consist of scientifically monitoring the behaviour patterns of the Chimpanzees living here and acting as a support team for the full time rehabilitation team. The Jane Goodall Foundation has branched out from its original roots on Lake Tanganyika to try and address issues such as the trans-location of chimpanzees. All of these chimps have been rescued from people who have removed them from their natural environment and as such they need close monitoring in order to be able to predict their futures and the futures of their brothers and sister across Africa.

Lejuma Environmental Research Project:
On this project we will be conducting field research in to the biodiversity of this unique part of South Africa. It helps to have your own digital camera as we will be taking pictures of specific species in order to produce a comprehensive record. While in this unique environmental region we will assist in compiling research data about the different species of flora and fauna. We will also be assisting with Global Warming research.

The Nomad African Trust - Our vision is that of a land where people live in harmony with the earth and the creatures that live upon it.

We seek to uplift the people of Africa through family planning, basic needs provision and job creation. To protect the magnificent places of this huge continent by finding better ways for man to interact and work with the land. And to safeguard its diverse and awe inspiring wildlife, great and small, through breeding, conservation and education. In deciding how to proceed with the Vision of the Trust we had to determine how we were going to approach the multitude of problems Africa faces every day. And so it was that we came up with some guiding principles. These include:

While a lot of work is being done all over the continent to ease the suffering of millions of people, until population control is a priority for all, the hope of ever eliminating the many problems our continent suffers from will be outstripped as more and more people are added to the problem. We believe family planning and education are critical to achieving this mind shift. At the same time, many organisations focus on upliftment through modernisation, education and the like. While these are noble efforts we believe that without jobs, these drives are bound to fail. And so it is that we intend focusing heavily on job creation and key skills development. We also intend focusing on basic needs. Food, shelter and healthcare are basic human rights and sadly, In Africa, are all too often found wanting. Another focus of our drive is to support and help uplift rural communities as we believe that the source of many of the problems facing Africa lie in the challenges facing rural communities.

In a general sense, the beneficiaries are the people, places and animals of Africa. As the trust is a relatively new entity, we have decided to include certain key established organisations as part of our beneficiaries. These include:

• People - Breadline Africa
• Places - The African Wildlife Foundation
• Animals - The Jane Goodall Institute – Chimp Eden

30% of all funds generated will be distributed to these three organisations in equal amounts. In addition, we have identified certain other organisations in need that have met our criteria and have brought them on board. These less well know and therefore, less well funded, organisations will receive 70% of the funds generated. These include:

• People - House of Judah community, Ngwavuma Mpontshini School & HIV/AIDS Orphan Care
• Places - Gwexintaba community, Sodwana Recycling Project
• Animals - The Machabeng Conservation and development project, The Green Revolution – Aerial Survey