Program Reviews

I chose Cape Town because I wanted to be in a city that offered a vibrant culture, but I also wanted to be able to easily do outdoor adventures. Cape Town is unlike any other city in the world and it is worth experiencing firsthand.

I absolutely loved my internship. I was an Intern at the Oranjezicht Urban Farm. The farm manager and other workers there were beautiful humans and the internship allowed me to have a lot of autonomy to really make my experience my own. I was able to be outside looking at Table Mountain while learning the ins and outs of what it takes to be an organic farmer and the struggles that local farmers experience in CT. I was able to explore my own interests in Herbalism and create a workshop on Herbal Tea Making. I could be as engaged as I wanted to be because the farm was involved with a large variety of projects including farm work, the market, and alternative township farm involvement.

I was also really grateful for the friends I made through my internship and the VAC program. They are lifetime friends for sure. It was amazing to always have people to do activities with. Everyone was very like-minded. Independent, hardworking, and culturally aware. It was refreshing!

VAC helped me find the perfect placement. They gave me support in case of emergencies (like when I lost my phone). They ensure fantastic housing options. And the staff are always there to help and extremely friendly.

Being able to not only travel abroad but also gain work experience is amazing. South Africa is a beautiful country and is filled with so much life and color. I decided to intern in Cape Town because it offered options that I never would have had back home. I interned at a local Radio Station in Cape Town, and my job entailed a wide variety of reporting and informing the public, either through Voxing, editing sound, interviews, and even reporting live from events like SONA. I was able to get the work experience that I needed for university, and I was able to do my own networking through both my internship and fellow VACorps interns. I learned how to be more independent, and I loved the sense of family and community among everyone at VACorps. I stayed for 8 weeks in Cape Town but I do wish I had stayed a little longer, Cape Town has stolen a little piece of my heart.

I chose to come to Cape Town after volunteering in the greater Kruger area a few months prior. The people I met there were very adamant that I visit Cape Town, so I decided to head there next! The best part of interning in Cape Town was the relationships I was able to make with my co workers. The majority of them were immigrants from other countries in Africa, so I loved getting to learn about their experiences. I also enjoyed the friendly nature of the people there, and found myself consistently walking around with a smile from daily interactions I would have. I learned that the Cape Town version of myself is one of my favorites, and I will miss it here dearly. Table Mountain is deserving of being one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, and inside the park was where I was happiest in Cape Town. I had some truly remarkable hikes with friends I made here that I will never forget. I will miss the friends I've made and the unique hybridization of mountain, forest, ocean, and city that is unparalleled. I stayed here for 7 weeks, and if it were not for an upcoming trip to Nepal, I would surely be extending. I really hope to come back to this place, and deepen my understanding for the beauty in the people and land. So I would advise people to stay for as long as possible, especially if they are coming for the summertime. I would say that for someone who is fully fluent in English, CT is very easy to navigate and there is not much preparation needed. And the VACorps staff were amazing throughout the whole process. They assisted me when I had Covid, and although I didn't need much from them, it was great knowing that I could rely on them if need be. I'm most grateful to the VAC program for bringing together such an amazing group of interns. I hope to remain friends with many of these people.

VACorps has given me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to intern in and explore Cape Town. There is no other place in the world quite like Cape Town and I will forever cherish the memories I have made here for the rest of my life. I interned at a spectacular organization that helps children in need, and I was able to get an insight in to social work with children.
The VACorps staff are some of the sweetest, nicest, and most helpful people I have met in Cape Town. I appreciate how they were so willing to help me out when I needed it.

I chose Cape Town as a place to work and visit as it is a proud nation filled with wonderful nature and racial history; it did not disappoint. Stunning mountains are the backdrop to luscious beaches - climbing Table Mountain and Lion's Head is a must - combined with some amazing wildlife. The lifestyle is an outdoors one, different to back home whereby most of the time it is cold and gloomy (classic Britain), the number of outdoor activities are endless, my highlight was surfing in Muizenberg accompanied with a refreshing glass or two of beer afterward. I was immersed in some history which was sobering looking into apartheid and how the non-whites were treated: Robben island showed off the brutality the political prisoners were served with and district six encapsulated the force with which the nationalist party pushed the non-whites out of the best areas of Cape Town. The tourism here is a spectacle to embrace and throw yourself into. The internship was amazing, I got to try out cricket coaching for an extended period of time in addition to sports marketing. It gave me some clarity into the field I want to venture into and the variety of sports jobs there are out there.

I chose Cape Town as a place to work and visit as it is a proud nation filled with wonderful nature and racial history; it did not disappoint. Stunning mountains are the backdrop to luscious beaches - climbing Table Mountain and Lion's Head is a must - combined with some amazing wildlife. The lifestyle is an outdoors one, different to back home whereby most of the time it is cold and gloomy (classic Britain), the number of outdoor activities are endless, my highlight was surfing in Muizenberg accompanied with a refreshing glass or two of beer afterward. I was immersed in some history which was sobering looking into apartheid and how the non-whites were treated: Robben island showed off the brutality the political prisoners were served with and district six encapsulated the force with which the nationalist party pushed the non-whites out of the best areas of Cape Town. The tourism here is a spectacle to embrace and throw yourself into. The internship was amazing, I got to try out cricket coaching for an extended period of time in addition to sports marketing. It gave me some clarity into the field I want to venture into and the variety of sports jobs there are out there.

I chose Cape Town as the place to intern abroad because it is such a unique city surrounded by mountains and the ocean. I wanted to complete an internship in order to expand my knowledge and gain experience before entering the marketing field. Now that my internship has come to an end, I have realized the best thing about Cape Town is the people within. Every person within the VACorps program was amazing to get to know, and the locals I have met were all so sweet and welcoming. I have been here a total of three months and wish I could stay longer. I am definitely going to miss the people I have met and the stunning views the most.

VACorps has been such an amazing experience, I have learned so much real-world experience that will prepare me for when I enter the workforce soon. Not only have I learned a lot about my career, but I have also learned so much about myself. This experience really teaches you how to adapt to new situations and new cultures and make the best out of them. The weekly activities were so fun, you can really tell that the VACorps team cares about your experience. Even with the many restrictions in place due to COVID we were still able to have the most amazing adventures. I have certainly learned so much about African culture that I cannot wait to tell my family and friends about back home. The people you meet during the internship period are incredible and it's amazing to have experienced an opportunity like this one.

I had the most amazing experience with VACorps and will never forget this trip! I was able to learn about marketing through my internship and gain valuable experience and build my resume while also having more than enough time to explore all of Cape Town with the amazing friends I met here. I really enjoyed how much my internship company trusted me to make content and run different accounts, and felt I learned so much by taking on these responsibilities. I liked how personal this program is, and the VACorps staff really tried to find an internship for the experience I was hoping to gain.

I chose to go to Cape Town because I figured it was different than any other place I'd been to before and it did not disappoint. The opportunities in and around Cape Town seem to almost be limitless. There is definitely something for everyone, such as hiking, wine tours, great restaurants, museums and so much more. Coming from a suburban background, I also found it very exciting to be living in a large city like Cape Town. I thought that three months was the perfect amount of time to get a taste of what South Africa has to offer. Additionally, I will miss the friends I have made here in South Africa.

The staff at VACorps were super friendly and accommodating to people's needs. They would help solve any problems as they arose for the interns. The weekly events that were put on were always a blast! I am super grateful for all the time and energy the VACorps staff put in to make everyone's experience the best it can be.