COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING IN SOUTH AFRICA
On community volunteering trips in South Africa, volunteers should be prepared for a pace of life that is much slower than they may be used to, so patience, respect and empathy are every bit as important as qualifications and relevant work experience. An open mind and a willingness to smile and be positive are essential for community volunteers, as well as the ability to be flexible and think on your feet when it comes to dealing with conditions that are very far removed from what you find back home. Healthcare, teaching and coaching positions require volunteers to have relevant qualifications, skills and/or work experience, whereas assistants are more likely to be given on the job training.
We recommend community volunteers sign up for a minimum of four weeks. It’s important that time is really invested when it comes to interacting with underprivileged communities in places like Port Elizabeth and Cape Town’s outer suburbs.
Our South Africa volunteering Holidays
Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa
Award-winning, Fair Trade certified wildlife conservation!
From
US $1544
14 days
ex flights
Family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
Hands-on family volunteering with monkeys in South Africa
From
£767
7 days
ex flights
Volunteer with monkeys in South Africa
Help re-habilitate orphaned monkeys in beautiful rural South Africa
From
£769
10 days
ex flights
Horse rehabilitation project in South Africa
Work hands on with horses on the South African coast
From
£895
7 days
ex flights
Game capture and relocation in South Africa
Learn about African wildlife conservation - very varied!
From
£1595
14 days
ex flights
The great white shark conservation project in South Africa
Encounter iconic Great White Sharks in South Africa!
From
£895 to £3995
15 days
ex flights
Shark conservation in South Africa
Conserve sharks, whales and penguins in South Africa
From
£829
7 days
ex flights
Wildlife photography and volunteering in South Africa
Enjoy amazing wildlife photography while giving back!
From
US $4195
4 weeks
ex flights
Volunteer with children & animals in South Africa
Volunteer with children and wild animals in South Africa.
From
€590 to €2900
7 days
ex flights
Volunteer with elephants in South Africa
Volunteer with elephants on the stunning Garden Route
From
£1365
21 days
ex flights
Mozambique marine conservation & Kruger safari
Moz Marine conservation & Kruger
From
US $3036 to US $4630
5 weeks
ex flights
Vervet monkey rehabilitation project in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Care for, Rehabilitate, Release Vervet Monkeys into the wild
From
£895
7 days
ex flights
Sports coaching volunteering in South Africa
Coach various sports and teach in stunning Knysna
From
£1695
4 weeks
ex flights
South Africa marine conservation diving holiday
Learn to dive and contribute to research in Sodwana Bay
From
£1345
14 days
ex flights
Family conservation project in South Africa
Exciting family volunteering with the Big 5
From
£599 to £899
6 days
ex flights
South Africa endangered wildlife conservation
Assist with protecting endangered species in South Africa
From
£1195
14 days
ex flights
Volunteer with elephants in South Africa, 1 week
Care for rescued elephants on the stunning Garden Route
From
£875
7 days
ex flights
Dog rescue volunteering in South Africa
Care for dogs in the coastal winelands of Cape Town
From
£995
14 days
ex flights
Big cat conservation safari, South Africa
Safari with purpose to support South Africa's lions
From
R41035 to R50115
7 days
ex flights
Social work experience in South Africa
Work with social workers who resolve family conflict
From
£1695
4 weeks
ex flights
South Africa game ranger course
Get your game ranger qualification working with wildlife
From
£3140
8 weeks
ex flights
Zululand conservation project
Preserve iconic wildlife in the breathtaking South Africa!
From
£1195 to £4945
14 days
ex flights
Southern Africa house building volunteering
Build a Future Swaziland
From
US $909 to US $2509
14 days
ex flights
Volunteer at a lion sanctuary in South Africa
Work with rescued big cats in Africa's largest sanctuary
From
£1495
4 weeks
ex flights
Veterinary internship in South Africa
Veterinary experience in South Africa
From
£1195
14 days
ex flights
Wildlife conservation safari in South Africa
Join wildlife conservation experts in the field
From
R9600 to R30000
5 days
ex flights
Game Reserve conservation in South Africa
Conserve Wildlife in 4 Game Reserves: Exciting and varied!
From
£1895
14 days
ex flights
Whale and Dolphin monitoring in South Africa
Monitor dolphins & whales in their natural habitat. Amazing.
From
£945
7 days
ex flights
Big five conservation in South Africa
Volunteer with the Big Five in South Africa.
From
£828 to £4967
15 days
ex flights
Wildlife conservation in South Africa
Protect wildlife in a stunning coastal reserve
From
£695
7 days
ex flights
SPORTS COACHES & TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Sports coach & teaching assistants
Anne Smellie from Oyster World:
“Physical education isn’t formally taught in many of the schools that support South African townships and, as such, volunteer sports coaches provide a much needed chance for kids to run about and enjoy themselves after sitting down in a classroom all day. Some children will never have played cricket or rugby before, and often a kick around with a flat football will be the closest they’ll get to emulating the Bafana Bafana.”
Township schools around Port Elizabeth and Cape Town are extremely underfunded with limited resources and large class sizes, and volunteering as a classroom assistant or a teacher, alongside, not in place of, local teachers, can make a real difference. Volunteers teaching assistants with experience of working with children, especially in education, are vitally important. Full training will also be given to assistants on arrival. Volunteer teachers must have an appropriate qualification, such as a TEFL certificate, a PGCE, or another relevant certification in youth work. Although weekends are free to have fun, this is not a holiday and the longer you can extend your stay past four weeks, the better.
Our top South Africa volunteering Holiday
Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa
Award-winning, Fair Trade certified wildlife conservation!
From
US $1544
14 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2020: 24 Feb, 9 Mar, 23 Mar, 6 Apr, 20 Apr, 4 May, 18 May, 1 Jun, 15 Jun, 29 Jun, 13 Jul, 27 Jul, 10 Aug, 24 Aug, 7 Sep, 21 Sep, 5 Oct, 19 Oct, 2 Nov, 16 Nov, 30 Nov, 14 Dec, 28 Dec
2021: 11 Jan, 25 Jan, 8 Feb, 22 Feb, 8 Mar, 22 Mar, 5 Apr, 19 Apr, 3 May, 17 May, 31 May, 14 Jun, 28 Jun, 12 Jul, 26 Jul, 9 Aug, 23 Aug, 6 Sep, 20 Sep, 4 Oct, 18 Oct, 1 Nov, 15 Nov, 29 Nov, 13 Dec, 27 Dec
2020: 24 Feb, 9 Mar, 23 Mar, 6 Apr, 20 Apr, 4 May, 18 May, 1 Jun, 15 Jun, 29 Jun, 13 Jul, 27 Jul, 10 Aug, 24 Aug, 7 Sep, 21 Sep, 5 Oct, 19 Oct, 2 Nov, 16 Nov, 30 Nov, 14 Dec, 28 Dec
2021: 11 Jan, 25 Jan, 8 Feb, 22 Feb, 8 Mar, 22 Mar, 5 Apr, 19 Apr, 3 May, 17 May, 31 May, 14 Jun, 28 Jun, 12 Jul, 26 Jul, 9 Aug, 23 Aug, 6 Sep, 20 Sep, 4 Oct, 18 Oct, 1 Nov, 15 Nov, 29 Nov, 13 Dec, 27 Dec
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about South Africa volunteering or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
VOLUNTEER WITH DEAF CHILDREN
Volunteer with deaf children
Volunteering with children with hearing difficulties in an underprivileged suburb of Cape Town is an incredibly valuable experience, not least of all for the kids. Skilled volunteers who know how to sign are always welcome to come and assist staff at the local school which caters for partially and fully deaf children aged from three to 13. Depending on your preference, and where help is most needed, daily duties will include assisting teachers and their permanent assistants in the classroom with standard Grade 1 – 7 lessons, including maths, English reading and writing. The preschool unit focuses on games, painting and outside learning play and you may well be helping little ones who are learning to sign for the very first time.
Anne Smellie from our tour supplier Oyster World explains where the volunteering fee goes, and the impact that sports coaching can have on disadvantaged children:
“Our volunteer projects help to fund scholarships for kids that show talent within our school sport sessions. Not only will a scholarship pay for further sports coaching but students will also benefit from uniforms, stationery and an education their parents could only dream about. Students often come back to their old schools to show current pupils what can be achieved. It gives township communities hope and potential access to a lifestyle that was once inconceivable. The young children’s faces when they see those shiny shoes and neck ties – pure adulation.”
“One of my favourite volunteering stories was when a young lad absolutely flourished at rugby during his after school sports sessions. He was picked out by the talent team and offered a scholarship to a senior school. He then went on to progress to university. A young black boy from a township attending university is a really big deal in South Africa. It’s thanks to sports coaching volunteer projects that this happened and will hopefully inspire more young people to follow on the same progressive path.”
More about South Africa volunteering
Volunteers are needed all year round, so check out the best time to volunteer in South Africa in terms of temperature and rainfall.
Volunteering in South Africa is life changing, and not only for the communities and wildlife that you’ll be assisting.
We’ve picked our top 10 South Africa volunteering holidays so you can get a better understanding of what we do, and how you can help to make a real difference.
Our wildlife volunteering holiday’s page breaks down the different types of tour that we offer as well as managing traveller expectations.
From endangered wildlife monitoring to community construction projects, KwaZulu Natal volunteering holidays offer a unique way to experience this vibrant South African region.
Checking camera traps and analysing photo data coupled with game drives into some of KwaZulu Natal’s most biodiverse wilderness areas; leopard conservation holidays offer volunteers a unique insight into the little-seen lives of South Africa’s most elusive big cats.
Travellers really need to do their research before signing up for a captive wildlife volunteering holiday in South Africa.
From pollution to poverty, respecting cultural traditions to respecting animals, there are many responsible volunteering issues to keep in mind...
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: Frontier Official] [Child care group: Pod volunteer]
[Sports and teaching: Frontier Official]
[Boy playing soccer: Ssilberman]
[Community healthcare: Frontier Official]
[Volunteer deaf teaching: Travellers Worldwide]
[deaf children in class: Travellers Worldwide]
[Volunteer deaf children sports: Travellers Worldwide]
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