Program Reviews

When I dropped out of university to take a semester+ off, I didn’t know that I’d learn more in my time off than I had in my entire time at university. The staff at SAVE are incredibly caring, dedicated, and respected in the community. The love they have for the township and kids shows every single day. Because of their love, the volunteer experience is made better as the kids know that you come from the same loving place as the staff.

SAVE has introduced me to lifelong friends and I can’t imagine my life if I hadn’t done this. Cape Town is a beautiful city, and table view is one of the best neighborhoods I have ever spent time in. Everything you want is walking distance away, and it’s safe enough to walk where you need to go (use common sense as in any city!)

The accommodations are wonderful, and create a great sense of community amongst the volunteers. I was comfortable there after less than 2 days.

Stayed with SAVE for 6 weeks and it was the most amazing experience. I was in the Surf Adventure program where we volunteered in the schools of the townships in the morning, and then in the afternoon would work with older kids in sporting activities, including swim, surf, dance and boxing. These programs make such a difference to the communities in Cape Town and to be able to be part of it feels great, especially when you are able to see the impacts of everything the organisation does in the community, building new schools, and how the children grow and enjoy school activities. All the volunteers were enthusiastic and passionate, I have made some amazing friends there with memories I will never forget. The people working in SAVE were so welcoming and addressed any issues that I had, such as with my accomodation and program efficiently. Big thank you to Gail, Shannon, Coll, St John and Wellington! Cape Town is also an amazing city and the views and beaches are unforgettable! Definitely recommend SAVE volunteering for anyone!

I've worked with the organisation for over a year and would recommend every person who is searching for a place to volunteer in South Afrika to go and see all the project SAVE has. The staff is really attentive and will do all they can to make your stay as amazing as they can.
They have several programs. From school/daycare, surf and sport to animal conservation.
Food is provided and a chef makes diner every day. It's a real South African experience, foodwise, so try new things!
Any person considering volunteering should look at SAVE

It seems a bit over the top to rate everything a full 10 but it’s truly the best experience ever. I’ve volunteered twice with Save now with their sports program, back in 2018 when I was 16 & when I was 18, just over a month ago now. Spending my mornings at pre schools helping the most deserving and adorable kids with their gross motor development has been nothing but fun. Without lying I can say that in the weekends I was actually sad that I didn’t get to see my little ones. Afternoons filled with doing sports activities with kids from primary schools who have so much talent and potential is as good as it sounds. It has given me so much and enabled me to give so much back. Imagine doing that together with a family of wonderful people from all over the world. That is what Save represents for me. And then being in Cape Town, my favorite place in the world, my home away from home, for me it couldn’t get any better. Thank you so much for everything and since we don’t say goodbye to family it’s gonna be a see you soon! Hamba kahle & all the love in the world,
Bibi

I was working with SAVE Foundation, in Cape Town for 3 and a half months and what an experience it was! I was part of both the Educare Programme and the 'Teach, Surf & Skate Project'. Save Foundation work with the children and schools based within Dunoon, which is one of Cape Towns biggest townships. The staff in the Cape Town are truly amazing, ensuring that all volunteers are safe and happy at all times, nothing was ever too much to ask. They ensured our safety and well being during our stay as well as making sure we had fun and all the resources to help the schools and children we work with. The sense of community between Save Foundation and locals in Dunoon is extraordinary - seeing families and children running after the minibus or just simply calling Shannon (Cape Town coordinator) when she’s dropping the volunteers off. The children in this community are truly wonderful, warm hearted and have so much love. Even with extremely limited resources, all the children are so happy to see the volunteers at school with them. The schools and volunteers are important for the children so they have a focus during their time; especially the older children who can easily get into the wrong crowd at such a young age.
When working on the educare programme, I worked at Sunshine Educare based in Wolvervier (a settlement just outside of Dunoon) and Good Hope Educare. Sunshine Educare is a pre-school and learning centre for an extremely neglected community which has recently been relocated to a new site called Wolwerivier. There was no safe place for children during the day and no access to an educational facility before the age of 6 years old. During my time at Sunshine, it was the Holiday Club programme where all children from the settlement were allowed to come to the school for a safe place to play and be kids. The volunteers would organise sports games, activities, arts and crafts for the children as well as be there to love and nurture the younger children, caring for each child with great enthusiasm.
Sunshine Educare also run a Christmas project where they supply each child with a Christmas present that has been funded by volunteers fundraisers and donations. All donations of presents and toys were set out like a toy store for the children to come into the room and chose one toy they would like to take home. For most of the children, this is the only time they will receive their own present that they have chosen. The joy and excitement on the kids faces were so warming, and immediately after receiving the toy they were playing with their friends in the settlement.
The second school I worked at was Good Hope Educare, based in Dunoon. Good Hope had been moved to a new building in Dunoon, therefore at the start of the programme we set up the school, clearing and cleaning out the building so it was sanitised for a safe place for children to play and learn in. We also painted and decorated all the classrooms, to make it a more inviting and vibrant space for the children to be in.
The children in this school were aged 1-7 years and the volunteers have the joy of watching each child learn and develop through the process. Each volunteer is assigned to a class and teaches the children maths, English, colours, science, shapes, art in fun and engaging ways. Most of the teaching is taught through play and vocabulary stimulation, which enables the children to stay engaged and understand the volunteers. Volunteers helped stimulate the babies and toddlers with developmental toys, touch and by speaking English to them.
The final project I was apart of was the Adventure Surf Club, where the children from Vissershook primary would come to learn swimming, skating, sports and surfing with the volunteers after school. Before this programme, I had never surfed or skated before, however thanks to the fantastic staff members I was able to learn a new skill too! The afternoon project for these children was a fun activity they could do each day, knowing they would be in a safe place and leave with a huge smile on their faces! It is all about learning whilst having fun for these children and I know that I certainly had fun with these kids! They bring so much joy and enthusiasm to the programme, that makes it so rewarding to work with them everyday!
The accommodation that SAVE provides is always clean and tidy, not to mention the fantastic meals we received, cooked by the amazing mumma Coll. The social side with the Volunteers was also great, being able to spend your free time in the heart of Cape Town or just chilling at the beach. Overall, I had a fantastic experience and can't wait to go back to South Africa and work with this incredible organisation!

My time at SAVE was incredible! I’ve done a few volunteer trips now with different organisations and in different countries but SAVE by far was the most organised and fulfilling. The team in the Cape Town base are amazing, nothing was too much or too little. From keeping us all safe, making sure we had fun and had the right tools to help the organisation! I did 3 weeks in the sports program, we visited schools through the day and helped out where needed. On a normal school day we were working with children ages 1 to 7 teaching basic English, Maths and life skills along with lots of loving cuddles and dancing. The kids in the schools are truly heart warming and wrenching all at the same time, be prepared to get attached! The school I was in was in a township and the head teacher was a truly incredible woman, she taught me the ways of the people in SA, took us on a tour of the township and opened my eyes to many walks of life. In the afternoon the kids would come to our accommodation where we would teach them how to swim, in the swimming pool by the houses, take them out to skate board along the side of Blouberg beach, or take them to other beaches to surf. On arrival, I had never skated or surfed don’t let this put you off the permanent staff there were amazing, they taught all us rookies new skills and the kids didn’t even care! In fact I think they enjoyed giggling at me attempting the skate board! It’s all about having fun and those kids there know exactly how to do it if you’re willing to dive in and go for it! Accommodation is clean and maintained, and mama Cols cooking is DELICIOUS! There are varied options and lots of social nights where everyone from different protects get time to have dinner together! Overall my experience was 11/10, your days are long but so rewarding, your downtime is incredible and you’re encouraged to go see as much of Cape Town as you can, staff will help out with where to go what to see and there is always someone on call! I’ll be definitely paying my SA family a visit in the future! Until then my lovely’s xx

A friend told me about the SAVE Adventure program and he was so excited I immediately booked my trip. When I left I really needed the escape from Holland since it was super busy and stressful with university and social life. Form the moment of arriving I was in good hands. They showed us around Capetown and the group of fellow volunteers were beyond amazing and we became good friends very fast. I never wanted to go to bed, just to spend more hours awake at SAVE. Also, waking up was never so easy and fun since I got to work with all the people around me and the kids again. I felt like a kid myself and enjoyed every bit of it. It made me reflect on my own life, and I found out what is important in life for me. I would have never been the person who I now am, without the SAVE experience. Everything was well arranged, there was plenty room for own projects, if anything they support that. So to conclude; take on this adventure! It is definitely worth everything. The organisation takes care of its volunteers, its staff and its kids in the Townships. It is very trustworthy. Have fun!

My experience with SAVE volunteering was so incredible that it’s hard to find words to give justice to everything I gained from working with all the kids in Cape Town. From each activity, I have personally learned many valuable life lessons in helping others. I began to realize that there is nothing more valuable than helping people who are not able to help themselves. In a world today that's so revolved and obsessed with money, it was fulfilling that I did something to make a real difference in the life of these little kids.

Overall the work was far more rewarding than I expected. I've learnt so much and I wouldn't trade this experience with anything else. I’ll never forget the smile some of the children gave me. I've volunteered three times with SAVE by now and I can recommend everyone to volunteer with SAVE :)!!! I don't know when, but I know that I'll go back one day!

I volunteered with save for three month on their educare program and it was the best three months of my life! The kids and the teachers gave me so much life and inspiration. The relationship I built with the two teacher at Good Hope will forever be a most valued memory. I am so happy to be back and working with SAVE. Working in the community everyday is a true privilege i’m very grateful for. I think volunteering with the projects save offers is a valuable and educational time spent that everyone will take wisdom from. Instead of a nice vacation in fancy places, you should come here and do something meaningful for our dear kids and community. The accommodation the volunteers stay in feels like a home and the staff is always very helpful if we feel like we are missing something and making sure we are comfortable.

It’s amazing to be a part of something bigger than yourself. I met such an amazing people, every single one had a different way of living. Togheter you help the kids to have a better life. You will love the kids with you’re whole heart. Education is the best weapon to change the world. Save is not just a organization, save is a family where you can be a part of. The food was cooked by such a sweet women. But you have to understand that she has to cook for more than 40 people, and they also need the money for food in the townships. So the food is good! But different than you maybe used to. The location is perfect, close to the beach, supermarket, shoppingmall, little restaurants, 30 minutes to the center of Cape Town and there is a swimmingpool.