ISV - Volunteer Projects in South Africa

I have dreamed of a trip to Africa for as long as I can remember and as my college graduation present, it finally came true! I was traveling for 28 days: 2 weeks volunteering and 2 weeks adventure programming. I had the BEST experience where I met the most amazing friends, got to interact with elephants, go scuba diving, bungee jumping, caving, cliff jumping YOU NAME IT! It was unlike any other trip. Besides just the adventures, I got extremely close to the community we worked in getting to know the young kids, teens and adults. I got to see my direct impact of helping teach in the schools, run programs for the kids, plant new gardens, paint old buildings and help teach adult literacy. It was the trip of a lifetime that I would recommend to anyone looking to make a difference in the world.

Traveling for the first time out of the United States honestly scared me, and not knowing a single person who I was traveling with also scared me. After the first hour of landing in South Africa starters quickly became friends. Throughout my five weeks in Africa I worked with and met the most amazing people, form the staff of International Student Volunteers to the other volunteers to the other travelers and locals. I did more in those five weeks than I could have ever imagined doing in my life. I have an unreal fear of heights but I went bungee jumping from the highest bridge in the world. I do not like the ocean very much because of the unknown but I learned how to scuba dive and surf. Also, I went caving, cliff jumping, white water rafting, and more! I saw over a hundred giraffe and elephants, many lions and buffalo, and even rhinos. I was able to sleep inside a national park listening to lions roaring and leopards purring. I saw a night sky that was filled with countless stars. It was the most breath taking sight I have ever seen. I did this all with the support and encouragement of my leaders and fellow volunteers. No matter what adventure we faced and took on that day, we had such an amazing support system for each other. I couldn't have done any of that without being apart of ISV. This program allowed me to make memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. We are already making plans for a reunion and to return to Africa! You can choose different countries and lengths of your program, but I recommend five weeks. "You can never spend to much money traveling."

Ever since I was young I always had a lot of curiosity in the continent of Africa. I fell in love with the land after what I read and saw in movies, and I hoped one day I would be able to take a trip there to experience it in real life. When that opportunity came my through ISV I had to jump on it. I signed up to go on a 28 day volunteer/adventure trip to South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique. It was 2 weeks of volunteer animal conservation on De Wildt Cheetah Centre and then 2 weeks of fun traveling through the 3 countries. It was a tough decision choosing what country you wanted to travel too and what type of project you wanted to be on, but once I landed in South Africa, I knew I made the right decision. Now let me share with you my story....

For my first 2 weeks of the trip I stayed in a house right outside of the Cheetah Centre with 9 other student volunteers. It was an amazing house we lived in, it was surrounded by beautiful flowers and vegetation with a great big hill behind the house where baboons would run by on. The people that were in charge of the house welcome us in with open arms and we had lots and lots of food cooked for us. Through the first 2 weeks, all 10 of us volunteers became a pretty tight group that formed nto some amazing friendships and memories that I will never forget. From staying up late in the night just having great conversations, playing board games that way too intense, or doing some great volunteer work, my time with these other 9 people changed my life.

The volunteer work that was done during my time here was time well spent. This Cheetah Centre was huge and it needed people like us to get the work done that they didn't have time to get to. Doing fire breaks, feeding cheetahs, and cleaning animals enclosures were just part of the volunteer work done over the 2 weeks. Probably the best part of the volunteering was meeting the Cheetah Centre staff. They really took us all in and got to know us on a personal level, and best of all was they were all genuinely great people that wanted the best for you in life. That helped me have a better outlook on my life.

The last 2 weeks of my trip was the adventure tour. Through these 2 weeks we made multiple stops through northern south Africa and one stop in Swaziland and Mozambique. This was the super fun part of the trip where we met up with the other ISV volunteer groups at that time and formed a giant group of 36 student volunteers and travled on a big coach bus. Each place we stayed at had great living accomodations. We got to choose who we wanted to stay with and each cottage/house usually held between 4-7 people.

The destinations we traveled to were beautiful, but my three favoirite places and activities on this adevtnure tour were the cliff diving in Blyde River Canyon, caving in Swaziland, and swimming with WILD dolphins in Ponto de Ouro, Mozambique. The cliff diving showed me views of a lifetime that were so beautiful and maginificent. The cool part about it all was that that there were 4 separate cliff jumps to do and we had to hike to get to each one of them which it a fun challenge. Hiking and jumping off cliffs in the middle of the wildnerness with other wildlife around is a surreal feeling. Caving in Swaziland was an adrenanline pumping event that was scary yet conquerable. The goal of the caving was to see an underwater river that flows that through the cave and it was super kool to see. two fun facts about the cave is that it is 1 of only 2 granite caves found in the world, and also they have discovered a spider like type animal that is a new species but is yet to be named. My final favorite activity was swimming with the wild dolphins. Groups of 10 would go out into the Indian Ocean, about 400 yards, jump into the water with our guide and snorkel up close with wild dolphin. It was something I will never forget.

That right there is my trip in just a a few words because there will never be enough words to describe the impact this trip had on me. Sure all of that was fun stuff, but the thing I will cherish most from this trip is the amazing friends I made and that great life conversations I had with them.

I'm not writing this to convince you to go on an ISV trip, I'm just here to share my story. You know if this kind of trip is right for you or not. But if you do decide to go, be open to everything that comes your way and just invest in the opportunity you embarked on.

This program was amazing and inspired me to spend more time volunteering abroad. Traveling to South Africa with ISV was my first time leaving the country, and the amazing staff and program made me feel totally comfortable. I 100% recommend this program to anyone who is interested in benefiting a community in a huge way. It was amazing to have your own project and experience change that you have created first hand, start to finish.

I went to South Africa with ISV to volunteer on the Zingela Game Reserve not knowing anyone. Now I have 30 new friends from all over the country! Everyone on the same trip is basically on the same boat (not knowing anybody and ready to make an impact), so it was very easy to make friends. Volunteering was so much fun. I felt like I was on a safari every day. I also felt like I was laughing for 2 weeks straight. The project leader (Leti), and our host always made us feel like we were right at home. So much so that I didn't get home sick even once. They also teach you very valuable lessons on the environment you're in and on sustainability and the environmental impact we have every day. The volunteer part of it was collecting data from the camera traps and then identifying all of the animals on them, game drives, bird counts, and VCA's (which is basically collecting data on the environment). The Zingela Game Reserve was out in the middle of nowhere with no wifi and very limited cell service. I had never experienced the sound of only nature and no cars or planes or machines anywhere and a night sky full of shooting stars and the milky-way. I loved Zingela so much that I cried when we left to start the adventure tour.
The adventure tour is definitely worth the extra money if you can afford it. It was 2 weeks full of adrenaline rushes and humbling experiences like visiting the orphanage and getting to donate food, clothes, and toys in person. We did activities like cliff jumping, caving, surfing, elephant encounters, petting a cheetah, snorkeling, scuba diving, cultural villages, and a ton more. I will never forget this trip, all of the experiences I had, all of the people I met, and this beautiful country!

Before leaving for South Africa I didn't know what to expect. I would have never guessed I would leave with a new outlook on life. ISV South Africa was the perfect place for me because I love to travel to see exotic places, but I also enjoy volunteering for those in need. South Africa was just the place! The first two weeks were some of the most rewarding weeks of my life. The children I got to meet were children with so much joy and sparkle in their eyes. They were genuinely happy to see us each and everyday as we helped them refurnish their school. Some of these children had no reason to smile, but everyday, without fail we would see 100 children smiling and ready to have fun with us at break time. It is one of those moments that I think about quite often when something isn't going right in my life. Those amazing humans had that effect on me! I also learned so much about their culture through the outstanding leaders we had. It is so exciting to learn more about a culture that you have never been introduced to before. It was also important to me to learn more about protecting our planet. Volunteering starts with you. I am trying to make a difference in my life everyday to make this world a little better. That is something I didn't do before traveling to South Africa. What a humbling experience my first two weeks in South Africa were.

Let's just say I wasn't ready to leave my new little family after two weeks, but I didn't realized the amazing opportunity the next two weeks would have in store for me. The adventure tour was a once in a life time opportunity! I have never felt so at home with the group of people I was with and it was a time to do crazy things with new friends. Everyday I woke up to a new adventure. This was a chance to really get to see new cultures, new people, and new places everyday. I will never forget the quote from Back to Basic Adventures in Mozambique, " There is no adventure within your comfort zone". I lived by those words throughout the trip and I am still living them today. The adventure tour wouldn't have been as amazing as it was without our incredible tour leader. He was a great leader that gave us so many learning opportunities throughout the trip. He was also one of the most laid back people I have ever met. Without him, our group of 20 would have been so lost in Africa.

If you are looking so some of the best weeks of your life filled with adventure and humbling experiences then this is the right trip for you!
Ubuntu.

South Africa changed my life. I went into this trip with an open mind not expecting too much like coming out with some new passport stamps and academic credit for my school. Man, could I have been more naive of what was about to happen.

I was able to volunteer for two weeks in the "Bush" with no wifi or anything around for that matter. It absolutely amazing to be completely off grid and really get in touch with nature. I was able to truly appreciate clean air, the quiet sounds of nature, and the unbelievable stars we saw at night. These two weeks challenged my values and made me think of what was really important in life. The project leader would give lectures on sustainability and showed us new ways to be sustainable and changed so many of values I can't even begin to explain. For example, I never will use plastic bags again, shorter showers, became a vegetarian on the trip, appreciating everything, and overall living a sustainable life when we got back home.

Then we had the adventure tour for two weeks, and what a adventure tour it was!! We started off walking with elephants and experiencing all the different parts of South African culture. Then we were off to Blyde River Canyon where we saw animals right up close to our cabins, and kloofing definitely challenged mentally and physically but was one of my favorite days of the whole trip. Then we were able to go to the famous Kruger National Park where we were able to see 4/5 of the big 5! Then we went to Swaziland where I got to go horse back riding around our accommodations and we went to the local orphanage. The orphanage made me not only thankful to be able to volunteer at such a unique place with such wonderful children but realize that our petty problems are nothing in the "big picture" of life. We were also able to go caving which was incredibly challenging and a whole lot of fun. Then we were off the Mozambique where we got go scuba diving, snorkeling with dolphins, and surfing! Being a marine biology major, I had such a blast at Mozambique in particular with such beautiful beaches and ocean. It was one of the most relaxing of the trip.

Then as my 4th-week friends went back home, I stayed with the 5th-week excursion people. If you have the money, it is unbelievably worth it!!! We went to Zambia where we able to go white water rafting on level 4 to level 5 rapids which for my first time was incredible and I want to go rafting again. Then I was able to go on a microlight flight where I saw the beautiful Victoria Falls from the air, which is a little expensive but the experience is worth it. I was able to make a big cross off my bucket list with doing Bungee jumping, which was so scary and adrenaline filled it's so worth it! We got to see the Falls up close and get drenched by the mist, bring water proof camera for that day! Then we made our way to Botswana where I had the best game drives of the entire trip these two days! We not only saw so many lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos, etc., but it made for one incredible camping night!

I wouldn't trade this trip for the world. I will always remember the memories I made but also got me thinking of the potential working jobs or internships I want in the future. If you do this trip, it may be expensive but through fundraising early and getting excited it is well worth it. Last piece of advice make sure to JOURNAL YOUR TRIP, it will be a lifesaver when thinking of all the amazing experiences you had. From this Texas Aggie you will not regret one minute of it!

An absolutely unparalleled experience.

I am not sure that there is any story I can share that another has not shared already. Helping out communities that live in "housing" they can barely move in and throughout was extremely rewarding. Hearing about how the locals live, how blocks of housing share toiletries, how little is available in every sense of what we call living, and yet, there was not one individual without a smile. There was no such thing as negativity, as everyone wore their heart on their sleeve, and brought yours out with them.

The families in the poverty-stricken townships never take anything for granted, and this is a lesson we all learned and implemented very quickly. There are some you may never see again, which can very easily and unpredictably tear your heart into pieces. But, as most of those pieces will heal, some of those pieces will forever remain with the people who's hearts you have touched. As their smiles will forever be with you.

There are two quotes that I saw on this trip that were meant to be:
The first was painted on the side of a wall in one of the communities. It said, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5v16".
The second was an insert from a book, and said, "On the street I saw a naked child, hungry and shivering in the cold. I became angry and said to God, 'Why do you permit this? Why don't you do something?' For a while God said nothing. That night he replied, quite suddenly, 'I certainly did something. I made you.'"
We are one, across the world, and need to treat and take care of each other as such. ISV gave me the best, most tremendous, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do just that. They have nothing, but still imagine beauty. Will you do the same? If so, I can promise you will not regret it.