Program Reviews

Go with a 'can do' attitude and you'll get the most from the project. Don't forget to pack 'a sense of humour and an easy-going attitude' and remember it's not about you, it's about them - the cats.
Daily rota includes preparing feeds and bottles for the cubs; cleaning of enclosures; preparing meat, poultry and carcasses; learning about the project, its aims and animals in order to bring visitors on tours and do cub-handling with them.
Loved the free access we had to the cubs and the level of trust we were given. Getting to know the different characters and having them respond to you was super. As the project is not huge you get to experience all aspects of the work and working of the project. It was a privilege to work with these wonderful animals.

We did a lot of things and it was amazing. We had the time of our lives. Hopefully we can come back within some years. Especially the cheetah walks were fantastic!

I had a great time at The Lasting Bless School in Arusha. I helped the teacher with teaching baby class 1. The kids were only 4 years old, so it was hard work sometimes :-). The family we stayed with took very good care of us. It felt like home. Great experience!!

It was a very great experience on the Modgaij Cheetah Rehabilitation Project. You can do so much overhere.
The most great experience was the hunting day with te Cheetahs.

I don't think anything I do in my life will be as wonderful as the time I spent at Boskoppie. It was AMAZING! The people that work there are so friendly as easy to get along with, and I made wonderful friends from all over the world.
I went to sleep listening to the sounds of the lions roaring and I actually wanted to get out of bed in the morning to start the day! We always had something to do such as sitting in the enclosure to play with beautiful cubs or read a book in there while they were sleeping and if there were no tasks for you to do you just take the dogs for a walk to the back paddocks because the property was huge. I would go back there in a heart beat.
Oh it was such a hard life being a volunteer and having to cuddle cubs...

What an amazing experience! I was scared, nervous, and excited about my trip to South Africa. This experience allowed me to truly experience the authentic life of South Africa. In just two short weeks, I was able to capture all the cultures of the land. Diversity at its best. I helped in the day-to-day activities in the community. It was great as every day was different and I was able to truly feel as though I was making a difference in their lives as I was working to understand more about them, a true give/take relationship. Thank you so much for what you gave me and I hope I was able to give back in return.

I've been in Zanzibar last year and 8 had the best time ever. I made great friends with the locals and other volunteers of this program and it motivated me to keep doing this kind of work. The faces of the children make it possible to do this work for a longer time. You won't even miss your own home, this will be your new home.

My son and I love to include volunteer work in our travels and vacations. We have selected destinations and programs that are working to make the world a better place for us and our spectacular wildlife and wild places. So I typed "where to volunteer with cheetahs" into my browser and found Khaya Volunteers and the cheetah rehabilitation project. We volunteered for a week, added a trip to Addo Elephant Park and flew to Kruger for 6 days of roaming on our own amidst nature at it's finest. Igna at Khaya Volunteers worked with us to place us on the cheetah project. She responded quickly and patiently to a barrage of questions from a very excited nature lover! I had no idea we would actually be taking the cheetahs out to hunt three of the mornings we were at Modgaji. What marvelous animals up close and personal!! The reserve also has spotted hyenas, African wildcats and servils. You are out in the wilds of the Karoo section of South Africa. What an exhilarating experience to share with my son. We have fond memories and speak of our week with the cheetahs often. I will be researching another volunteer adventure with Khaya soon, they are flexible and extremely reasonably priced! To Igna and Martin I say "keep up the good fight"
Ellen

So i woke up in the morning and prepared myself for school. I often translated some vocabularies in suaheli. Sometimes i just spent time with my hostfamily. We went with the public transport to school called dala dala. It is wondrous how many people can take place in it. At school i was teaching and in the breaks spending time with the teachers and the students. After school me and Celine often went to Stonetown to buy some stuff or we just went to the beach to relax.When we arrived home we played some games with our hostchildren. It was really amazing to spend time with the children, they make you so happy.
Our hostfather Philemoni always kept us on the hop. Every weekend he planed an excursions for us. With a boot we went to Prison Island to see the famous Zanzibar Turtles and the beautiful beach. We drove to Kizimkazi to swim with dolphins and two times we were snorkling. Zanzibar is very famous for its spices so we also made a spice tour. Furthermore we went to a very beautiful beach called Nungwi in north of Zanzibar. We often visited a famous Music Band in Zanzibar called Coconut Band. They had their perfomances in different bars and hotels and they sang very nice multicultural songs.
There are alot of things we did like going to nightmarket or Stonetown with our hostfamily. I never got bored because there was always something to do and to explore.

After travelling the world for 1 1/2 years visiting different countries I came to South Africa to travel and also volunteer in Port Elizabeth. I first volunteered in different townships where help and support was needed, playing with the kids, doing activities, supporting the local community. I stayed in a volunteer house with other international volunteers. It was great to have people around to share experiences.
Initially I wanted to volunteer for two weeks, but because of the great time I had during my stay, I came back again after travelling in South Africa to volunteer and help out in the projects. When my time came to leave I redecided and prolonged my stay for further three months. During that period I mainly supported the Door of Hope orphanage to offer my administration and finance skills. CDOH is such a lovely home, where you really feel being in a family with a great Mama Gladys, her caring caregivers and a bunch of lovely children. On the one hand I helped with my volunteer support but on the other hand they gave so much back to me just being around them, getting a hug or a smile always made my day. Every day was so special and they became brothers and sisters to me.
After going back home for Christmas I couldn't stop thinking about my volunteer time in Port Elizabeth and three months later I came back now to work as a volunteer coordinator for all projects that Khaya is offering so I am the proven example that volunteer work can be really a life changing experience.