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SAVE Volunteering

4.83 Rating
128 reviews
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Why choose SAVE Volunteering?

SAVE Foundation is a registered non-profit organization (NPO) that assists communities in Africa. We are NOT a booking agent, all of our community projects are run and funded by our local NPO/ Foundations on the ground. Our work involves setting up and facilitating sustainable community and conservation development projects in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi as well as assisting non-profit organizations that are actively involved in the local communities. We now also offer several wildlife conservation projects including pre-vet, white shark and wild cats.

The fees we charge for programs only covers unavoidable costs including accommodation, transport, and a donation to SAVE to help finance the projects.

In exchange the volunteer contributes to community development, experiences African culture and makes new friends.
Every little bit helps volunteer for 2 weeks up to 2 years!

Website
www.volunteering.org.za
Founded
2006

Community Photos

sunshine school❤️
Beachvolleybal with adventure club
Swimming lesson adventure club
Sunshine kids
Adventure club kiddies
Local school celebrating Heritage Day
Me, Vincent and my children at the swimming lesson

Community Awards

  • Go Overseas Award

Reviews

emma
21
Female
France
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects

best experience ever

May 13, 2026

I’ve been volunteering with SAVE for the past 2 years, I have been there around 5 times now, and every single time I leave wanting to come back again.

What SAVE does for children living in township is honestly amazing. You can really see the difference they make in the kids’ lives through education, activities, and all the care and attention they give them every day.

The children are honestly the sweetest part of the experience. They give you so much love, always make you smile, and create memories you never forget. Their energy, kindness, and happiness stay with you long after you leave.

Life with the volunteers is amazing, everyone is so kind, welcoming, and supportive, it really feels like a family.

The members of SAVE are also incredible, so caring, welcoming, and truly dedicated to what they do. From the first time I came, I felt accepted and part of something meaningful.

These experiences have changed my life over the past 2 years, and I’m really grateful to have discovered SAVE. I couldn’t recommend it more. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart❤️

What was your funniest moment?
I had so many funny moments, I can not even choose
sunshine school❤️
Sarah
23
Female
Denmark
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects

Frivillig Cape Town

May 12, 2026

SAVE is absolutely fantastic. It applies to everything from the people you meet to the work you do :) you get a unique opportunity to experience Cape Town for all it has to offer, including working with the most wonderful children in the different townships, but also exploring places like Table View Mountain and local markets. SAVE creates a space for people all over the world who want to help make a difference, and when you are with them you really feel like you are part of something bigger. We are all connected in this community, and it helps to make both SAVE and Cape Town feel homely <3

Original:
SAVE er helt igennem fantastisk. Det gælder alt fra menneskene du møder, til det arbejde du laver:) man får en helt unik mulighed for at opleve cape town for alt den har at byde på bl.a. ved at arbejde med de skønneste børn i de forskellige townships, men også udforske steder sine Table view Mountain og lokale markeder. SAVE skaber et rum for folk over hele verden, der gerne vil være med til at gøre forskel, og når man er hos dem føler man virkelig man er en del af noget større. Vi bliver alle forbundet i dette fællesskab, og det er med til at gøre at både SAVE og Cape town får en hjemlig følelse<3

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
The most surprising thing, was to see how big the inequality is in Cape Town. One minute you can be in one of the poorest areas and the next in one of the richest. It is really an eyeopener
Pros
  • Making a difference
  • Meeting a lot of people
Cons
  • Changing weather (bad)
Anna Sofie
22
Female
Denmark
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects

Volunteering with SAVE Cap Town

May 12, 2026

SAVE is a really amazing and incredible organization. I have volunteered there for 2 weeks and I have enjoyed it so much. I have felt safe, included and the experience of feeling useful for other people has been incredible. SAVE takes a lot of responsibility of your safe while volunteering and help whenever you in need. If you volunteering in Cape Town you also get the chance of experience Cape Town, which is an amazing city with a lot things to do!

I recommend this organization to everybody who wants to try volunteering and also to people who wants to donate something to a better case.

What was your funniest moment?
My funniest moment has just been all the moments with the kids. They are so funny and sweet! I have really enjoyed being surrounded with the kids. They really makes your day better.
Pros
  • The kids
  • During a difference
  • Surroundings in Cape Town
Cons
  • Bad weather(winter season)
Linnea
20
Female
Sweden
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects

Cape Town adventure program

May 12, 2026

I stayed in Cape Town for 1 month. Meet so many amazing people and learnt so many new skills. My favorite part was creating a bond with the kids, On the weekdays we would go to the schools and have adventure club on the afternoons, so much fun and so much time to get to know the children! And on the weekend we would go out together and explore new areas around Cape Town. I really enjoyed my stay in Cape Town and would gladly do it again! This has brought me so many memories and I’ve learnt so much from this trip!

What was your funniest moment?
We had a period of 2 days with extreme bad weather. We stayed in and did TikTok’s together, it was a lot of laughs!
Pros
  • Food
  • Meeting new people
  • Exploring the area
Hannah
20
Female
Germany
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program
Program:
SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects

Cape Town - Adventure Club

May 12, 2026

I spent four weeks in Cape Town with Save helping out the teachers at the school in the mornings and assisting with the Adventure Club in the afternoons. The atmosphere was always great, and all the volunteers were motivated and in a good mood. After the program or on the weekends, we spent a lot of time with the other volunteers—whether chatting, exploring the area, or playing games together. The teachers’ gratitude and warmth, which you could feel every day, were especially touching. I highly recommend spending a few weeks here and helping out.

What was your funniest moment?
I absolutely loved and enjoyed the surf lessons :)
Pros
  • teacher’s gratitude
  • happy faces of the children
  • surf lessons :)
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Programs

Displaying 1 - 5 of 5

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Martine Haugen

Program
SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects
Martine Haugen is from Oslo, Norway and studies law at the University of Oslo. She works at a youth center run by The Norwegian Red Cross every Tuesday, and loves every part of it. She enjoys traveling, partying, and watching her favorite soccer team, Manchester United!
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Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with SAVE in South Africa?

I was getting quite tired of studying law at home in Norway, and wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue.

I decided to take a break from my studies and do something I had wanted to do for a long time--travel!

I’m working at a youth center run by the Norwegian Red Cross in Oslo, and I wanted to bring my experiences from that into a completely different place. And SAVE was perfect.

What made this volunteer abroad experience unique and special?

Everything! It’s not an underestimation when I say that I had the time of my life! I made friends from all over the world, and the friendship we developed was something really special.

We worked together, ate together, partied together, spent our free time together, we really did everything together! And of course, seeing the kids react so thankfully for the work we do.

It is a wakeup call for all of us coming from rich countries where people are taking all the material goods for granted!

Tell me about one person you met. [It could be a local, a fellow program participant or a member of the SAVE staff]

It’s pretty hard to choose one from all of the amazing people I met. My best friends down there – Mike, Frederik, Marc, Sofie and Kristina – made my stay ten times better than I ever expected, and I’m so happy that I have kept in contact with them.

But I think the one that made the greatest impression on me was Nikki. She runs the project in Skandaalkamp. Even though I wasn't in her group, she made me realize what a true hero she is.

She was always concerned about getting enough food for her babies in Skandaal, but she always found a way to figure it out! She made t-shirts with the handprints of the kids and sold them to the volunteers.

She also made bracelets and did everything she could think of. She is a person that thinks more about the kids than herself, and thanks to her, the kids in skandaalkamp can get food and education!

What was the best moment of the entire trip?

This is not an easy question either, haha! My entire trip was awesome, and it’s difficult to pick one moment. But one day we had swimming lessons with the kids where we were trying to teach them how to float.

One of the girls was holding onto me really hard, begging me not to let go of her. I asked her to relax, and said I would be right there. I held her back under the water while she laid flat, and after a while, I removed my hands from her.

She was floating on her own, and I have never ever seen a smile that big! She was hugging me, saying thank you, and wanted to float around in the pool all day!

The christmas party afterwards at Elundini was also perfect! All of the kids got a gift, and they were running around with big smiles the whole day!

How has this experience impacted your future? (Personally, professionally, etc)

Well… I decided to continue with my law studies when I got back to Oslo. But, I was more motivated than before I left.

Now I’m sure that I want to use my law degree to work for human rights and children’s welfare! Personally, the trip made me a lot stronger.

Traveling alone to a completely unfamiliar country was a good experience.

Even though I was terrified when I left Oslo, I came home with hundreds of impressions, and felt like I could never ever complain about my life in Oslo again.

I still think about all the kids I got to know in Cape Town, and I miss them more and more.

Before I left to South Africa, all the poverty was just something I had seen on television. Now, I relate the poverty to faces. The faces of the kids that I was so lucky to work with every day…

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Shannon

Program
SAVE Volunteering Wildlife Projects
Job Title
Cape Town Supervisor
Shannon is a local South African with a passion for people. Not only does she love spending time at the projects whenever she gets the chance, but she also enjoys meeting new people from around the world and facilitating their volunteering.

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favourite travel memory would be a toss-up between seeing Piccadilly Circus and arriving in London.

After my flight from Cape Town, I had to catch an overland train into the city. We were running late for the train and made it just as the doors were closing. Once I was on board, I turned to see my friend still on the platform and the train pulling away. She had both our tickets and neither of us had working phones. Needless to say, it was a very stressful half-hour waiting on the next platform to see if she had boarded the next train with my ticket. I can laugh about it now, and I'm very proud of dealing with that situation as a 19-year-old first-time traveler.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Working for SAVE has definitely improved my self-confidence. It's taught me to be comfortable speaking to large groups of people and a lot about different cultures and languages. I love that I can now work with people from all over the world and know how their culture will affect their work and adaptation to South African life.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I don't really have a best story, but I do have favourite moments. Many of these include making life long friendships that are still as strong even from halfway across the world. Even better are the memories of those friends coming back to the work and family they have here in South Africa some of them as many as 4 or 5 times returning.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

If I could go to any of the programs we offer, it would probably be one of the programs outside of South Africa.

I have always wanted to see more of this beautiful continent and meet more of the amazing people that dedicate their lives to uplifting and improving their communities. I know how blessed we are here in SA, and I also know African's are so resourceful, I would love to see how their cultures and communities work without the resources most of us in South Africa take for granted.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I think the proudest I have ever been of our team has been in a time of dire crisis. Sadly, our company (staff and volunteers) were exposed to the ugliness of drinking and driving - a huge problem in this country - but the way our team pulled together and took care of each other, the victims and volunteers were incredible. A true testimony to what a family we really are.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I think being a successful company is all about communication, observation, and teamwork. Communication, to me, is not only conveying information but HOW you convey information and listen to information conveyed to you.

Communication goes hand in hand with observation - observing the way people deal with and react to situations is vital to knowing your team and navigating roles and responsibilities.

Lastly, teamwork - teamwork is obviously working together, but also helping each other, stepping out of your role and filling in a gap.