Projects Abroad Volunteer Programs in South Africa

I spent four weeks volunteering in Cape Town, South Africa in the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office (PAHRO). As a pre-law student, this was an unbelievable opportunity. I got to do real hands on work, on numerous cases, and help others at the same time. As the office offers free legal assistance, we have the opportunity to help many who would not otherwise receive it. The Cape Town office also has social justice projects. As the legal work often takes a long time, it is very nice to do the social justice programs that have more immediate results. The social justice programs include visiting juvenile detention centers, a women’s shelter, and a township. At the juvenile detention centers and the women’s shelter we gave presentations about rehabilitation and empowerment. It is very nice to see the change in the some of the boys and girls at the juvenile detention centers, and see their appreciation for our presence. Most other legal internships involve mostly secretarial work. Projects Abroad gave me the opportunity to make a real contribution to my cases and learn so much. Even in my short four weeks, I felt I made a real impact on the lives of my clients.
Projects Abroad does a really great job of structuring the programs. I always felt safe and that I had someone to rely on if needed, but also never felt overly supervised. I was still free to do whatever I want, but also knew a staff member would always be there to help if I needed it. Starting from the very day I arrived, in which I was met my friendly staff members at the airport, and taken to my host house with my amazing host mom.
In my spare time, there was more to do than I could possibly have imagined. The office creates a great place to make friends, and there’s always something being planned. I was able to go shark cage diving, a wine tour, the Garden Route safari, Robben Island, and so much more. Projects Abroad plans special events as well. I made some amazing friends and did some amazing things. It is an experience I would recommend to anyone in a heartbeat.

My summer spent with Projects Abroad in Southern Africa is one that I will never forget. I stumbled upon their website inquiry form late one night while researching internship opportunities in Cape Town and was blown away by how supportive and helpful their staff was right from the get go. Within hours of submitting my request for more information I was connected with a volunteer coordinator who was able to answer all of my questions and help me get the ball rolling. This support was only intensified once I arrived in country. The entire staff at the Journalism Project (and head office) in Cape Town was always willing to share advice about great local activities, day trips, and sometimes, just a friendly face when you were feeling a bit homesick. A trip with Projects immerses you in the local culture immediately upon arrival. By living with local host families you get to experience the country in a way that you simply wouldn't as a tourist. Not only was my host mom a blast to be around, but she took care of us when we got sick. was always interested in how our day went, and would give us the inside scoop on amazing local places to check out. I felt so welcomed by her that the overwhelming stress of being jet lagged in a foreign country was gone right after she gave me a tour of the house, joined me for lunch, and helped me get settled. The Journalism project was a great experience and our editor in chief made it a point to get us out of the office and away from our computers and into the city. We attended other projects, were able to sit in on local Press Club luncheons, and got to hit the pavement and explore all of the different stories Cape Town had to offer. She also was incredibly flexible and helpful when it came to my college credit requirements. Filling out a pile of paperwork and surveys for me without even batting an eye. Down time was spent exploring with the other volunteers who quickly formed a close knit community even though people were coming and going quite literally every single day. Overall this trip was enlightening, exciting, and fulfilling in more ways that I could have ever imagined. I would recommend Projects Abroad to anybody looking to have an authentic work experience abroad with a safe and reliable company (who still know how to have a good time!)

My name is Hannah Elliott-Higgins and I am currently a junior studying psychology and art/art history at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. During my senior year of high school, I spent some time debating the idea of taking a gap year and volunteering before heading off to college but eventually decided against it as the excitement of starting college set in. However, half way through my sophomore year of college I began to think again about how wonderful it would be to be able to take some time to simply volunteer and experience the world through my own eyes and not through a strictly scholarly lens.
I worked with a gap year/semester coordinator to decide what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to work with children and if possible work with those with developmental disabilities. I was put in contact with Projects Abroad South Africa (Cape Town) and I could not be happier with the way everything went. From my first email contact with Projects Abroad I could tell it would be a wonderful experience. They were prompt to respond, answered every question I had, and provided me with all the information regarding my placement and living situation in a vert timely manner.
During my time in Cape Town, I volunteered at the Sunrise Special Care Centre 5 days a week and had the weekends to myself, I absolutely loved the work, which consisted of basic occupational therapy and physical therapy as well as care taking. There was a bit of an age range with the majority of the children begin between the ages of 6 and 14 and then a few young adults (early 20s). Everyone I worked with was kind and welcoming and spoke very highly of their past Projects Abroad Volunteers.. Every week, I would meet with volunteers from other projects to talk with one of the volunteer coordinators from Projects Abroad. If there were any issues, they were always available to help out.
I lived with a host family who lived one street over from the Sunrise Special Care Centre and I cannot speak highly enough of them. They were wonderful and made me feel completely at home. They gave me and the two other volunteers I lived with breakfast, lunch, and dinner an the mother was a wonderful cook. I have certain dietary restrictions and they were wonderful about making accommodations for me.
Overall, this was an incredible experience for me and I would strongly recommend Projects Abroad for anyone who is looking to take a gap year, semester, or even just a few weeks off to do service work. It is an unforgettable time and i would do it over again in a heartbeat.

I decided to volunteer abroad as every now and then I like to do something that puts me out of my comfort zone, so I chose South Africa as I wanted to go somewhere that I had never been before and somewhere I didn't actually know much about, so I would be in a situation that was unfamiliar to me. I decided to go after leaving college as I believed the experience would help my confidence and independence for going to university – I figured that if I could go to a foreign country by myself and live with a family I had never met before, then moving out and studying for a degree shouldn't be a problem!

I decided to go with Projects Abroad because of the support that was given. Even before I had made my mind up at to exactly where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do, they were on hand to answer any questions that I could think of. I also liked the fact that the price covered everything for when you were out there, so once I got to South Africa I was just able to enjoy my time there,without having to worry about budgeting and therefore possibly missing out on certain opportunities, such as social events.

I was actually very surprised when I first came out the airport – people drove on the left hand side of the road and the road signs were familiar! Not too different from home. But the thing that really shocked me, which I think affects all visitors and volunteers, is the very distinct gap between the wealthy and the impoverished. Coming from the UK, this sort of obvious divide between the poor and rich does not exist. People are not living in houses which they have constructed out of whatever materials they could find. When I was driven past the oldest and second biggest township in Cape Town I realised that this was something I had never witnessed before.

I was part of the 2 week special placement, which I really enjoyed – even if it did go too quickly! My host family were some of the nicest people I have ever met. They made me feel so welcome and comfortable, and the food! Sometimes I do find myself wistfully thinking of the delicious meals that Faye used to cook – including homemade foccacia bread, which is probably my favourite food of all time now!

The first week I was there felt like a crash course in getting to know Cape Town and its history in Human Rights, as it included visits to places such as the Slave Lodge, the District Six museum and Robben Island.
I also got to visit several townships where I was able to talk to South African citizens. This included helping out at a soup kitchen, which many of the children attended. Those children displayed a tremendous amount of energy and love, attaching themselves to you at any opportunity! I definitely felt like a piece of my heart was left behind there.

At the weekend I had the opportunity to complete the famous “Garden Route” trip, which, although involving a 5am start, was definitely one of the best parts of my time in South Africa. The two days included a three hour safari, a walk with lions and the chance to ride elephants! My favourite part however was visiting the wildlife centre where I had the chance to interact with lemurs (and by interacting I mean having them clamber all over me!)

The second week was when I was really able to focus on the current Human Rights issues that South Africa is facing. I met people who are currently tackling these issues, such as those involved in the African Scholars Fund and Gun Free South Africa. These groups really made me aware of what exactly were the causes of children not being able to receive education and illegal gun ownership, and what was being done to resolve these problems. I finished the week by presenting to the other volunteers in the Human Rights Office on The Access to Sufficient Food in South Africa. I learnt a lot from researching it and I hope the other volunteers also learnt something new.

It was quite difficult to leave South Africa in the end. Even having been there for a short time, I had made friends who I know will be my lifelong pen pals and totally immersed myself in the new, exciting culture of Cape Town. A few days after I had returned I went to a local music festival which I have been going to for a few years. It felt rather strange to be standing in a muddy field in wellies, when a week before I had been seeing animals such as springbok and ostriches in the wild - which were on sale to eat at one of the food stalls!

I am already planning my next trip to South Africa with Projects Abroad, but it might be more wishful thinking seeing as I am about to become a student! But my advice to those thinking of volunteering is not to think about it too much, obviously planning for your trip is important but try not to get too caught up in what might or might not happen when you're there – just go for it, you won't regret it.

I had a wonderful time volunteering in South Africa with Projects Abroad. I took a career break to work on a business project in a Cape Town township to help an educare centre (an early childhood school) with its business planning. The opportunity was simply amazing! Not only did my work help young children in need but I forged lasting relationships with the school staff, Projects Abroad staff, other volunteers, and my host family. The program costs are nothing in comparison to the benefits I received. We worked during the day from Monday to Friday and had ample opportunities to travel and site-see around town and the country. I was in Cape Town during August and September. This is the end of the winter season. One suggestion for winter traveling, be prepared! Please do not let the temperature reading fool you, like it did me. It does get rainy, windy and cold in Cape Town. Coming from an extremely hot climate, I had a little temperature shock. However, it did not take me long to adjust and I had the best time of my life. Also, remember to review the safety precautions for Cape Town and just always be an alert traveler. I never had any issues, and actually had such a wonderful time that I’m planning to do it again next year!

Last summer I have worked for the Human Rights Office, which was a unique experience. The work that you do at this office exists out of helping rather poor people with legal issues, like domestic violence. Furthermore, a lot of refugees come to the office, with problems relating to their asylum applications. By talking to these people and doing research in order to write legal opinions in the hope to eventually solve their problems, you get the fealing that you can actually do something good.
In addition to the project, the organisation also organised a lot of activities during the week, which is a nice way to meet people and to get to know the South African culture.
During my time in Cape Town, I stayed at a host family, which is I think the best way to get to know the South African culture and I was staying at a really nice host family, they really made me feel at home.
Overall I think Projects Abroad is a really professional organisation, which offers a lot of nice programs, nice activities and makes sure that you are staying at a nice host family.

I started my Day every Morning around 8 o'clock. One of project Abroard drivers picked me up and drove me to work. Sunrise special Care is a Center for Children with profound intellectual disabilities and Takes Care of 30 Children from the Age of 5 yrs- 28 Years. The atmosphere is adorable! The Caregivers and the Children are very friendly and i felt comfortable from the First Second on. My Job was to support the Staff with the Feeding, Tube feeding or changing the children. Also i was able to decide myself what i wanted to do with the Children ( e.g colouring Inn, singing, going to the Garden). My Day ended around 2 o'clock when i got picked up again. Sometimes i used my afternoons for going to the Beach, to town or to meet other volunteers. I always enjoyed meeting other People, to learn about other cultures or just to exchange experiences. The Weekends were always packed with activities like socials, sight seeings or enjoying the nightlife of capetown. I felt in love with Cape town pretty fast and i would recommend it to everybody to experience it!

The human rights project in South Africa is divided into a social justice department and legal services department. The nice thing about working for the legal services department is that you are actually helping people directly, which is a great feeling. You encounter real problems in the daily lives of people and it is great if you can give these people a hand in solving their problems. One of the clients was harassed by his landlord, after doing a lot of research I found out that it is really probable that the client can get some emotional damages for what happened. It is great if you can help such a person, maybe the problem is not entirely solved, but you can at least help such a person partly. The mock trial project, one of the social justice projects, was a great project to work on. The children were really enthusiastic, especially when we invited a judge to practice with them. For me it was a great experience to do some nice activities with these kids and debate with them!
The project was really well organised. The staff at the human rights office were really helpful. People were standing in line to ask questions to the staff and they always made time for you to help you out.