Volunteer with children & animals in South Africa
From 2200 (4 weeks) to 5000 (12 weeks), excluding flights. Minimum age: 18 (unless you're accompanied by an adult).
DBS check required.
Description of Volunteer with children & animals in South Africa
This is a unique volunteering project in South Africa in that this non profit organisation works both with orphaned or injured animals, providing a safe haven for them while they recover, but also with young people, using conservation and healing to aid education and empowerment. Conservation as a tool for education and inspiration has been proven to work, and we are delighted to host volunteers who are willing to contribute to this important community development work.
Staying in the heart of South Africas Limpopo Province, you can volunteer for anything between a week and twelve weeks, when every day will be different. You may be walking the dogs, doing bush walks, helping young people with vital swimming lessons, helping with basic maths, playing board games as a learning (and fun!) tool or feeding the wild animals in care. This project is aimed at adults, although under eighteens are welcome if accompanied by an adult. You will always have the support of our permanent volunteer team in whatever volunteering work you contribute to.
Our youth aged between 12 and 16 years old spend a week at our camp. We have a very formal safe guarding policy that exists to ensure the well being of both children, staff and volunteers alike. DBS check required.
Further to this our volunteers undergo detailed coaching sessions and are monitored and assisted by a staff member ( Volunteer co-ordinator ) throughout their stay.
If the idea of this unique learning and volunteering experience appeals, please get in touch with us for more details.
Price information
From 2200 (4 weeks) to 5000 (12 weeks), excluding flights. Minimum age: 18 (unless you're accompanied by an adult).
DBS check required.
Departure information
Travel guides
Holiday information
Reviews
1 Reviews of Volunteer with children & animals in South Africa
Reviewed on 24 Oct 2022 by Anne Burrill
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The overall experience of a volunteer project that actually may have some positive impact.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
If you have European plugs you don't need to buy South African converters - there is a place you can charge your phones and computers.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes... while it had some impact on the individual animals that are hosted in the animal orphanage, the main benefit is on the children who come to spend a week at the center. There is a well structured programme that provides them with an exposure to a range of environmental issues and the possibility for some small group contact with the volunteers to explore social and environmental issues and think about how they can contribute to their community and their country.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Very good.
Responsible Travel
Planet
We are primarily a conservation education medium, using orphaned wildlife. This is spread to the local community, schools and the under-privileged through our sponsorship. We believe that responsible conservation comes from responsible education. It is all very well being taught about conservation, but to really make an impact there should be care and compassion, which is sadly lacking, particularly in the rural community who primarily see wild animals as a source of food and income, hence the large poaching problem.Our animal orphanage is there to provide animals a safe haven to these creatures that cannot be released back into the wild for a number of reasons. Our staff, volunteers and children nurture and enrich the animals through a concept called stabling. In short it ensures the animals homes are clean and that they are disease free and very well fed. We thus operate well within the most ethical guidelines. In cases of attempts to rehabilitate we limited human-animal contact as much as possible.
The project doesn't have access to electricity and is mainly running with solar energy. This is also a way to show the local community about other clean source of energy.
By paying for your volunteer experience you will be supplying the means for us to support the orphaned wildlife and to sponsor the underprivileged. This in turn will increase education in conservation and give a better future to our local children and wildlife.
People
To support our community, we educate underprivileged children to care for their environment and benefit from their natural heritage. Our goal is to enable todays local children to eventually secure good employment in nature reserves, improving their future quality of life. We also run an Outreach Program to extend our impact on local communities. The weekly ECO Club and Wildlife Crime Campaigns inspire children and encourage positive attitudes towards their environmental heritage. Children come to DAKTARI for five days to complete lessons in our Environmental Education Program and help care for some animals in captivity who cannot be rehabilitated or released into the wild. This program instills a sense of care, respect, and empathy towards animals and wildlife. Volunteers from around the world teach lessons and guide children in caring for the animals at DAKTARI.Popular similar holidays
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