South Africa Volunteer Programs from $25/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

The kids you get to work with will change your life. They are beautiful, so resilient and will teach you oh so much. I was in the Surf Outreach Program, so I got to surf everyday, hang out with the kids after school, and also help out in the schools once in a while. I built some amazing relationships with the kids and community members, however, working with Dreams to Reality, IVHQ's local partner, was probably the worst part of my experience

However, Dreams to Reality as an organization is very lacking. They did not provide proper security to the volunteers, were anything but transparent about where our fees were going, and very difficult to work with.

I will be returning to Muizenberg to see the kids that I worked with and visit this beautiful place, however, I would never work with DTR again. DTR showed me the bad side of 'voluntourism' and I would not want to support them again.

My suggestion would be to look into other organizations in Muizenberg, as the place and the people contain so much beauty. (ALSO S/O to David Kennedy - the best adventure leader/tour guide around town, if you will be in Muizenberg, find this dude and go on some of his tours!!!)

South Africa is an absolutely amazing country with some really wonderful people and astonishingly beautiful scenery; however the political and social turmoils it faces will undoubtedly leave you heartbroken. IVHQ and their current in-country volunteer company is great because they allow you to see both sides of the story. You'll fall in love with the kids you volunteer with -- I was placed in Steenberg Primary School seen and I've never seen a school with a more welcoming and loving community of kids. While the program itself has a few flaws and hiccups, the experience is what you make it and it's not difficult to make it life-changing. I miss it so much!

I came to South Africa without any expectations, because I had learnt various times before this trip that this is the best way to make the most out of it. But in the end my time there was so much fuller than I could have ever imagined.
I don't know where to start, because so many things were just amazing. The country is beautiful. Just incredibly beautiful. That's why it is especially sad that it is so dangerous there and we could only go outside till 5pm, before it was "hunger games time". Your freedom is definitely taken away from you by the living conditions there, in the sense that you can only walk in groups or take cabs if you don't wanna risk getting mugged or worse. But the kids you teach there make it all worth it. They have the worst background stories and don't even show a glimpse of negativity. Their smiles make your day and in the end I learnt more from them than I could ever have taught them. Moreover the other volunteers I worked with are great. Everyone has their own amazing life story and everyone just wants to enjoy life, which spreads good vibes wherever you go. I did so many things from my bucket list while I was in South Africa, I walked with lions and elephants, did a skydive, experienced Cape Town, drank more expensive wine than I would have imagined, dived with great white sharks in a cage, went surfing, rode in a cab with crazy local "cab drivers", saw penguins, went to beautiful places of which I could not have dreamt of... This list could go on and on. I met people from all over the world, made friends with the most beautiful people and learnt so much during these 8 weeks, more than I could ever have wished for. I highly recommend doing this program to everyone! Of course one will encounter dodgy situations and be to scetchy places, but if you have a common sense and some luck you will survive South Africa without any problems! :)

I volunteered with Dreams to Reality, IVHQ's local partner in Muizenberg, South Africa.

Accommodation: I stayed in one of the volunteer houses, my room had bunk beds to accommodate up to 5 people. It was in a residential area 15-min walk from where the shops and restaurants are. There was no wi-fi. The house had security gates and procedures to protect from break-ins (luckily, there were no break-ins during my stay), however due to constant power outages, the electronic security door didn't work all times, and once I was locked out of the house at night (fortunately nothing happened).

Food: lunch and dinner was brought to the house during weekdays and they could be much better. Menu was mostly carbs. Manny volunteers chose to eat out.

Transportation to/from placement: due to safety concerns, transportation in a van was provided.

Safety: South Africa has safety issues. We heard from staff mugging and break-ins in the volunteer house happened, but fortunately no major issues happened during my stay. I recommend volunteers to avoid using their credit cards, since many volunteers had been victims of credit card frauds, including me. Also, I recommend having a local mobile number to take Uber to travel around the city.

Volunteering: my placement was at a day care center with other volunteers (we stayed there in the morning). We helped the teachers feeding the children, playing with them. The children were lovely.

I spent six weeks volunteering in Cape Town, South Africa. I worked in primary school as a kind of PE teacher. Basically I had to take children outside on the field and play sport with them, but I also had sometimes to teach in classrooms or to work at the garden. I found an incredibly warm and welcoming atmosphere at school: teachers, the principal and the rest of the staff were always trying to make me feel part of the family. Also for this reason I felt really helpful at my project, I could understand that my contribute was so important. Besides, I really loved staying in contact with kids, I had so much fun with them.

The accommodation was very nice and the atmosphere at the hostel was fantastic. The manager and his wife were so cool, and the volunteers too. I met so many new friends!

I liked also the city life, the amazing natural landscapes and all the tours I joined. You can have so many opportunities in Cape Town!

For all these reasons I'm so glad to have done this experience, I think it was really worth it and I can strongly recommend it to anyone wants to chose volunteering.

I traveled to SA in 2013. I was 18 years old and traveled alone. I was quite nervous at first but once I met the staff and volunteers, they made me feel right at home. I volunteered in the childcare program for 6 weeks and I got to spend time with the cutest little kids. They were very welcoming and as the weeks flew by I got to know each one individually. In the classroom we would sing songs, play games, and help pass out the porridge to the kids. During recess they would dance and sings songs, one of the songs they sang to me was "peel banana". It was really sad when I had to leave :( The volunteers were very friendly and outgoing. I made life-long friends while coming here. I really do recommend IVHQ. I promise you wont regret this program. I'm actually planning my next trip with them now to Peru! If you decided to volunteer in SA I really recommend shark cage diving in the great white shark capital, and bunji jumping Africa's highest bridge!!

I was in South Africa for three months working at the Sunrise Educare Center. I had the privilege of working with the 3-4 years who changed my life. They taught me no matter what hardships you face, smiles and love can guide you through anything. For a few hours a day, I played, read, did crafts, and sang with these beautiful children. There are so many amazing places and people to meet while in South Africa. From safaris, to the world's highest bungee jump, to the beaches, this place will leave you speechless.