Edge of Africa

Words can't describe how amazing my experience was in South Africa. Edge of Africa is such a warm, kind and caring organisation who put everyone else first and focus on the empowerment of the people of South Africa. The pre-school teaching was so enlightening for me and it only secured my decision more that I would like to work with young children. They are all so appreciative of what we do for them and appreciate the tiniest of things. The whole experience I would love to do all over again. Definitely visiting again soon!!!

I went with a group of people from the new foundland with zero ideas of how my two weeks with Edge of Africa would entail. Our group was joined with others from Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hong Kong. Together we built gardens for elementary schools, a sandbox for a pre-school, painted various school buildings including rooms of a school for the deaf and blind, built concrete stairs for a mother of 5 to fit her walker/cane size to easily access her home, played sports with local kids, and built lasting memories and friendships that will span our lifetimes!!! Edge of Africa is absolutely an Amazing Experience! It's hard to explain the overwhelming awesomeness of the Edge of Africa experience. Oh, and be the way, we got out and explored everything from Beaches, caves, wild animal parks, shark diving, a wild safari and MORE! I hope I can do this trip again soon! Dave F.

When arriving in South Africa, a member of staff picked us up right away. He was extremely friendly which took a lot of post-flight stress away. Arriving at the house I was pleasantly surprised. The staff were all lovely and there was just about enough room for all of us in the room. The programme consisted of organising two events for the people who live in the townships pretty much on our own. We had some guidance from a project leader however, were were mainly left to do our own planning and creating. At the end of each day spend on this event planning project we would write down what we had achieved so the project leaders could track our progress. We would drive around venues, speak to the local people, create our own decorations and we learnt a lot about event planning. Both of our events were a success despite last minute stresses which come with all events everywhere. Although planning events for this programme were very different to how I would plan events at home, it still grew my confidence in event planning and made me realise there is not always a step-by-step process to follow, sometime you have to adapt to your situation and surroundings. Overall, this program brought me a lot of happiness when seeing the local people enjoying the event I'd created, it's a feeling I wont forget and it have drove my passion for events even more.

I spent 5 days with EOA and really enjoyed my time with them and as a group we had a big impact on the community and environment around Knysna. We spent time in the community helping out people and running soup kitchens and a recycling swop shop.

We also did environmental work with GreenPop and planted treesI spent 5 days with EOA and really enjoyed my time with them and as a group we had a big impact on the community and environment around Knysna. We spent time in the community helping out people and running soup kitchens and a recycling swop shop.

We also did environmental work with GreenPop and planted treesI spent 5 days with EOA and really enjoyed my time with them and as a group we had a big impact on the community and environment around Knysna. We spent time in the community helping out people and running soup kitchens and a recycling swop shop.

We also did environmental work with GreenPop and planted trees

Visiting Knysna wasn't just a work based learning project for me, it was an adventure, where I developed academic skills as well as personal, such as time management, organisational, confidence, motivation and perseverance. My South African adventure was an eye opener.

Volunteering at EDGE of AFRICA is one of my most fantastic and rewarding achievements. I imagine it as an inspiring story that I am never afraid to tell. I will forever remember and cherish the memories that were created with my team, the staff and most importantly the local people. It was the local people who made my trip so memorable and special, they put life into perspective for me. In the UK we worry about being up-to-date with the latest technology, in Knysna they worry about being able to provide a pair of shoes for their child. It broke my heart to see such scenes, however, then I thought to myself, wait a minute, these people are surprisingly happy and always have a smile on their faces. And that's the moment where I thought, this is what life is all about. To appreciate the simplest things for example, when I gave the school children each a pencil, they were so delighted they kept it safe and hugged me to say how thankful they were.

The staff at EDGE of AFRICA are phenomenal, they are down to earth, friendly and caring. My South African adventure wouldn't have been the same without the EDGE team by my side. When I was homesick or having a bad day I could always rely on a member of the team to cheer me up and make me laugh again. It was the connectedness of the team that I loved, EDGE felt like my second family.

One of my most treasured experiences that will always stay with me is visiting the Rastafarian community. They are so cool! One message that I took away with me was that diversity is a main factor within society. It is the diverse cultures of this earth that makes the world go round. The more cultures that you discover, the more open-minded you will become and the more open-minded you are as a person, the more understanding you are towards others.

Roar! Now for the beautiful wildlife and natural landscapes. Addo Elephant National Park is one for you to tick off your bucket list. There is nothing more moving than seeing animals such as elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes and rhinos in their natural habitats on a safari. Did I mention that I also did horse back riding with giraffes? Oh, and went shark cage diving at Mossel Bay? See my photos if you don't believe me.

If there is one message to take away from my experience it is to appreciate what you have.