Program Reviews

I went to All Out Africa-Swaziland through an organization called Interantional Student Volunteers. I went to work with endangered species and wildlife conservation, but ended up doing so much more than that. I learned about the culture and lifestyle, got interact with the people and children, and travel all over the country. At the end of each day I felt like I actually accomplished something. Whether it was weighing baby marabou storks, playing with the village kids, or just sitting with hippos at the water hole, every day made an impact and was an adventure.

Myself, husband and two boys aged 9 and 7 have just returned from an amazing experience in Swaziland, helping to teach orhpaned or vulnerable pre-schoolers. The All Out Africa team do amazing work with the local community, but they also ensured that we as volunteers were happy and safe at all times. The boys took part in all the activities, helping to organise games with the children, helping with lessons or reading stories. At break times they all played together and had fun. The accommodation at the lodge is comfortable and safe, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Swaziland is a great place for families at the weekend too; we really enjoyed exploring the nature and game reserves.
I can wholeheartedly recommend volunteering in Swaziland with All Out Africa, and I know that our experience will stay with us forever.

I really enjoyed working on field conservation research in Mlawula Nature Reserve. Here we learned about the indigenous species of plants and the impact these have on wildlife populations. Also enjoyed teaching bird conservation and information to children living in the Shuwula Village. I feel that the conservation work is only going to beneficial if we begin to educate the future generations about properly taking care of the land and the animals.

As a 58 year old, my month long November period with All Out Africa and their adventure/volunteer "Kruger to Mozambique" program was simply life-changing! Upon arriving, we were met with an enthusiastic team of coordinators and soon teamed up with an equally spirited group of volunteers at their backpacker Lidwala Lodge in Swaziland.

We began right away with a 4 day trip to Kruger National Park to see all the wildlife and ended our time with a 5 day journey to Mozambique on the Indian Ocean. In between these trips we spent two weeks volunteering in various planned activities in Swaziland.

I really liked this format as you were given a taste of volunteering as opposed to being fully immersed into it for a month. I had never volunteered overseas before so I found "All out Africa's" Kruger to Mozambique trip to be a great introduction to voluneering without being overwhelmed.

For me, one of the greatest moments was meeting so many different people from around the world. Especially the young adventurers who travelled through Lidwala and Bamboozi Lodge in Mozambique! Their stories and adventures were truly inspiring.I was so impressed with their spirit and zest to travel the world.

After returning home to Canada, I was approached by my supervisor who found my trip to be quite interesting. Different from a regular vacation. She thought it would be interesting if I shared my experience in our company's magazine which I eventually agreed to. The article was published last spring and I was humbled with the attention received by co workers. They found my trip to be quite unique and some thought they might even consider a vacation like this themselves.

So to conclude, All Out Africa's "Kruger to Mozambique" month long trip will provide you with a lifetime of memories and experiences you will never forget. You'll be hooked on "voluntourism" and will likely never plan a regular vacation again!

I loved my experience with AllOut Africa - meeting the kids, doing maths classes, visiting the hospital in the afternoons, helping with building a new Care Point (school) and hanging out with other volunteers. The travel was amazing too - Kruger and Moz are amazing!!! Plus, the location of the accommodation in the Ezulwini Valley is great. No complaints!!!

I absolutely loved my eight weeks with All Out Africa in South Africa. The program is based in Hout Bay, about 20 minutes outside of Cape Town. I did a teaching placement at the primary and intermediate school, working with all the different classes of the school in the computer classroom to work on literacy, numeracy and computer skills. I felt like my presence helped reduce large class sizes for the teachers there. School was on holiday for the first half of my time there because of the World Cup, but All Out Africa's program coordinator had put together an amazing holiday program for the children of Hout Bay. During school, I attended the staff meeting every morning and felt welcomed by all the teachers and staff. It was definitely a lot to do, but the kids are amazing and the work was rewarding. Despite my short stay, I felt like I was actually making some kind of small contribution to helping the school and the community. Hout Bay has a township, a fishing community, and a more affluent community. It is pretty safe, but you definitely have to be smart about your whereabouts and the time of day. The amenities of the volunteer house are much nicer than I was expecting, and I made amazing friendships with some of the other volunteers and local South Africans. Hout Bay is breathtakingly beautiful (as is really all of Cape Town) and you are definitely close enough to Cape Town to go in on the weekends, if you don't mind paying for transportation. It offers an opportunity to engage with the community in a rewarding way during the week and also explore and enjoy Cape Town on the weekends. South Africa has a fascinating history, and there are a lot of things to do in Cape Town.

I cannot stress how amazing the program coordinator is! And I miss Hout Bay every single day.

I volunteered long term in Swaziland with All Out Africa. It was the most amazing experience and I cherish memories that will last forever. I was working on a building project, building a new N.C.P. in the local community. We got to know so many people in the area and got a real feel for the Swazi was of life.
All Out Africa provided incredible support for us during our volunteering time. The project staff, office ataff and accomodation staff were always at hand to help out. I cannot thank them all enough.
We went on a few tours and trips with All Out Africa and each one was brilliant, with top of the range guides, who show you the natural, cultural and social side to life in Africa!
Once again, a big thank you to all at All Out Africa.

I had a wonderful time volunteering in Swaziland with All Out Africa. Some of the environmental projects I helped out on were vegetation studies, rodent trapping, working with Marabou Storks, small carnivore surveys and game counts.
The staff were really helpful and friendly, and eager to ensure that the volunteers had the best experience possible. We learnt a lot about the area, and did fun touring things as well as environmental work. Which is not to say the environmental work wasn't fun, because it certainly was!
The whole program was really well organised, and I didn't feel unsafe at any point.
I would definitely recommend this program!