ISV - Volunteer Projects in South Africa

Some people say that in order to find yourself, you must lose yourself. You must take chances, step out of your comfort zone and test yourself. If I had not taken this initiative and gone to South Africa over the summer I would not be the person I am today.

I personally worked with children in South Africa; I went to help them when in return they helped me even more. We are all aware that poverty is an extreme issue. We see movies about it, study it, and do what we can to help through clubs and organizations from where we live. But we aren’t challenged enough to experience it, live it, and see it. I took that challenge.

Going abroad with International Student Volunteers opened my eyes. I am able to live my life with so much more happiness and appreciation then I have ever been able to before. I have become a better person and learned more about the world and myself.

ISV guided me and other volunteers through the entire application process, during the trip and even after. Everything we did and had a chance to do was beyond my expectations. The ISV staff, people who ran the programs we worked with, and the other volunteers have all been more than amazing and most of them are still part of my life today.

My experience is not something I can justify through a couple of sentences. All I can say to you readers is that if this opportunity is possible for you do not waste one more second deliberating it. It was the most fun and self-rewarding experience I have gone through and think I will ever go through.

Do not let this chance get away.

Apply, travel, open your mind, open your heart and you most certainly will be rewarded.

My volunteering experience in South Africa has been the most rewarding and enjoyable experience I have ever had. For the first two weeks, I lived in the Eastern Cape of South Africa in a town called Chintsa and we were helping with the construction of a classroom in a nearby township.
I was in a group of ten and we lived in a house provided by the host organisation Volunteer Africa 32degrees South. Almost every day we went to the school, interacted with the children and helped build an additional classroom. I really felt like I was making a difference to the township and especially the education.
Both the VA32 and ISV were available to support you at ANY point from the lead up to the trip, whilst you were there and even after the trip.
The second two weeks were spent travelling across South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique completely immersing ourselves in the local culture and participating in so many activities. ISV certainly aims to push you out of your comfort zone, but it is so rewarding and fun and you get to meet some absolutely amazing people along the way.
Before I went on the trip, I did think the costs were a little high, but having been there and seeing where the money was going, I think I actually got a great deal! From swimming with a whale shark to kloofing down a canyon, from caving to riding an elephant and seeing the big 5 or even just interacting with the kids in the township, I certainly gained a lot from my trip and I plan on going back again. I would also recommend this trip to EVERYONE.

International Student Volunteers had us working on a private game reserve in South Africa called Lapalala. It was the most incredible place I could imagine. Our group of 23 people split into three working groups and everyday two of the groups would go out and do field work and the third group would stay on cite. Days that we did field work, we would wake up around 5:30 in the morning and after breakfast we drove into Lapalala's vast 36,000 acres and do three bird counts in different areas (each one for 10 minutes where you listen and look for birds and identify them). Then, we would do a habitat assesment (measure the biomass; ie height and amound of grass, trees, bushes, etc; of a given area). This lasted approximately 2 hours. After eating lunch in the field, we would go out on a game transit. On game transits you drive around the game reserve and look for animals and count them. Typically we would see rhinos, impala, wildebeast, worthog, giraff, zebra, nyala, hippos, and crocodile. On the off days, we would have lectures in the morning and then relax in the African sun. The accomodations were very nice, eight people to a rondauville, four to a room and there is also a common room. There is also a fire pit, pool, kitchen, dining area, bar, and group common room. In our free time we hung out, read, jumped in the pool, went on game drives, hiked, and looked at the stars (you could see hundreds). The entire experience was so incredible and everyone on the trip got really close. This trip really gave us a very different view of the world and made us appreciate everything we were given more. Another unique option about ISV is that after your two week volunteer trip, you can go on another two week adventure tour trip and do things that you would probably never do on a family trip like caving in granit caves, kloofing (cliff jumping), go to Kruger National Park, go to the Tofo beaches, and a lot more. I would recommonend this program to anyone, it was one of the best experiences of my life and is something that I will talk about for the rest of my life.

Volunteering through ISV has changed my life completely. After arriving in Johannesburg, doing conservation work in the Lapalala wilderness reserve, and trekking through Swaziland, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, and briefly to Zimbabwe, I realized that the world we live in such a beautiful, unique, friendly, and amazing place.

During our time volunteering we went on game drives and counted populations of zebra, impala, kudu, wildebeast, giraffe, hippo, and more. We watched the sunrise while doing 6 am bird counts. We hiked through african bush and were scratched from head to toe by the impenetrable thorn bushes. We were taught about the plight of wild rhino populations suffering from poachers, and we discovered that the stars in an unpolluted African night sky are unbelievably brilliant. The meals we shared were basic but hearty. The bungalows we stayed in became home. And the people we worked with became good friends.

On the adventure tour we swam with whale sharks, jumped off of cliffs, and sang songs around camp fires. In a beautiful open air craft market traded a tee shirt for a handmade bag. In Kruger National Park I was 5 feet away from a pride of Lions. In Mozambique we learned to surf on one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. We ate delicious seafood, warthog, crocodile, ostrich, eland, and impala. In Botswana elephants trumpeted around our camp. In the cities we were stunned by the sadness of the children living in poverty. We haggled with fishermen, rode in a tuk tuk, and saw traditional african dances. The local people were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Nights at local backpackers made me feel more like family than a tourist. Listening to someone speak Afrikaans is a magical thing. I spent a month with new friends who shared every sleep, every meal, every hike, every early morning, and every late night with me. They are now friends for life.

ISV made international travel safe and fun. The tour leaders were very responsible, knowledgable, and exciting. I chose to go to South Africa because I had always been drawn there, and I knew the trip would change me, but I wasn't prepared for just how profound that impact would be. ISV has inspired me to plan future trips abroad, and to volunteer more. I feel like I have made a difference in this world. It was worth it in every way. A trip with ISV will change you. You will learn about a new place, meet new people, eat new food, try new things, and ultimately see this world with a new perspective. If you have the money do it. If you don't have the money; fundraise, hit up your parents, search through the couch cushions, sell your stuff and go!

I have recommended volunteering with ISV to everyone who will listen. The only thing I would have done differently would be to have cancelled my flight home. I discovered a wide open world and have the International Student Volunteers to thank. I will cherish the time I got to spend in South Africa and the lifelong friends I made while I was there. It was an epic adventure!

ISV was the perfect choice for me. I knew I wanted to spend time in Africa and looked into other volunteer programs there. However I wanted to see more of Africa than just one village or country. With ISV I was able to volunteer with an organization that matched my background perfectly, as a biology student and hopeful teacher I was placed teaching health and sex ed to township teens. But what made this experience really unforgettable was the guided adventure travel after my volunteer project. Through ISV I was able to see 3 separate countries including South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique, an opportunity I'm sure I will never have again. Along the way I did things with a group of new friends that I never thought I could, like cage dive with great white sharks, go on safari, caving and cliff jumping. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. It is without a doubt the best way to travel.

It was such an incredible experience! We were facilitating health/life skills education seminars for at-risk youth at a school in Hout Bay (just outside of Cape Town). During the day, we were at the school teaching and playing games with the kids! We had evenings and weekends free so we got to experience the many crazy experiences of Hout Bay and Cape Town! We went cage diving with great white sharks, rappelled down Table Mountain, and toured Robben Island! This is just a sample of the fun we had! The only difficulties I had were transportation costs which added up. ISV has a number of volunteer programs in South Africa, all of which are can't-miss opportunities! I would do it again in a heartbeat!

This program changed my life. It was 4 weeks of the most amazing volunteer work and amazing activities. I feel like I have done more in 4 weeks than some people will do in their whole lives. We were all looked after with care on our projects and our safety was never a concern as long as we were responsible. Usually our days were packed from sunrise to sundown, which seems daunting but its actually a lot of fun. The hardest part was being away from friends and family but the best part was making new friends that honestly became like family to me. You meet so many great people, experience so many great things, and make such an impact with your volunteer work that its hard to not go back! I will always remember this trip as one of the best in my life!