Volunteer

SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects

Name: SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects
Brand: SAVE Volunteering
SKU: 37718
Rating: 4.83 (127 reviews)

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SAVE Volunteering

4.83 (127 reviews)

Good for

Solo Travelers

Students

Adventure travelers

SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects

SAVE Volunteering

4.83 · 127 reviews

Community Choice Award Winner

Location

Multiple Locations +3

South Africa
- Cape Town
Namibia
- Windhoek
Tanzania
- Dar es Salaam

Length

2 to 6 weeks

Project Types

Agriculture Childcare Street Children Community Development Building Projects Family Service Learning Sports Youth Wildlife Conservation Primate Conservation Education Teaching Health Education Health +5

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Program Details

Language

English

Age Min.

Age Max

Housing

Apartment Hostel

Groups

Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30)

Travel Type

Family Solo Women

Pricing

Price Details

Includes: 3 meals a day, accommodation, transport, orientation, 24 hr support and donation to the NPO

What's Included

Accommodation Airport Transfers Equipment Meals Transportation Wifi

What's Not Included

Activities Airfare Domestic Airfare Equipment SIM cards Travel Insurance Visa Wifi

Last Updated: Feb 18, 2026

Last Reviewed: May 13, 2026

Wish List

90 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

SAVE Volunteering is a Non-Profit Organisation. We are NOT a booking agent: we run, manage and fund all of our Humanitarian and Wildlife Projects with the help of volunteers.

We believe in transparent and sustainable programs that impact our local community and wildlife.

The volunteer fees go towards, food, accommodation, transport, orientation and the rest of the money gets donated to the NPO for running costs such as stationary or meals for the children and meals for the Wildlife.

Join one of our amazing projects and leave with a life-changing experience!

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Program Highlights

Help us better the lives of the children on our Humanitarian projects and the Animals on our Wildlife project.
Educate children to better their future on our Humanitarian projects and build structures and homes for our animals on our Wildlife projects.
Form a relationship with our children and see the world through their eyes on our Humanitarian projects. Protect Africas Wildlife on our Wildlife projects.
Learn about conservation and Africa’s wild animals on our Wildlife projects. Learn about patience and hard work on our Humanitarian projects.
Have a close animal encounter with some of the human tolerant animals on our Wildlife projects. Spend time with children in need of your affection and attention on our Humanitarian projects.

Consider your impact: Volunteering abroad can be a rewarding experience for both volunteers and local communities, and at Go Overseas, we believe all volunteers should have the resources to make informed decisions about the type of volunteer project they want to partake in. However, despite best intentions, some organizations offering placements in orphanages may unknowingly place children in danger. You can read about the potential dangers of orphanage volunteering here.

Video and Photos

A happy group of children and volunteers in South Africa.

SAVE Volunteer working with children in South Africa.

Popular Programs

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Cape Town Community Development Project

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School and Educare Project

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Adventure Club Project

Volunteers support youth development in South African communities through sport and outdoor education. You’ll receive training in activities such as swimming, boxing, surfing and skateboarding before assisting local children in structured sessions. This programme promotes teamwork, confidence and healthy lifestyles while providing meaningful, ethical volunteering experience with measurable community impact.

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Skills Development Project

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Program Reviews

4.83 Rating

based on 127 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread Volunteer

5 rating 87.4%
4 rating 10.24%
3 rating 0.79%
2 rating 0.79%
1 rating 0.79%

Impact 4.7
Support 4.75
Fun 4.65
Value 4.8
Safety 4.75

Good for Solo Travelers, Students, Adventure travelers

Showing 9 - 16 of 127 reviews

My time at Dunbar was amazing, So many fun kids that you get to know and have fun with. The Program I was a part of was the best thing I could have hoped for, both the school in Du’noon and Adventure club. You get to work with kids from a very different age group that makes it more fun. The surf lessons with surf life made the week go by faster on the hot days and it is a wonderful experience and just a fun thing to change your whole week. Thank you for this opportunity, it has been a pleasure.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?

Stay here longer than four weeks

Pros

Adventure club
Good friend
Amazing time

I have had a great experience here for the last 2 weeks. The time went by sooo quick. You get a lot of freedom and the other volunteers were amazing. The surfing lessons were great. The surfing teachers were very good and they taught me a lot of new things in only 3 lessons. I even booked an extra lesson, because it was so good. The houses were also well organized and the two lovely interns did a great job with organizing everything. The only thing the annoyed me, was that the information that I got about the program wasn’t entirely correct, but for the rest I would definitely recommend it if you like hanging around kids.

The four weeks in Cape Town have been absolutely wonderful! The most important part was the amazing connection with the lovely kids. Helping them learn how to swim, introducing new games, and getting to know more about their country and daily lives has been incredibly rewarding. On top of that, spending time with the other volunteers was such a joy. Together, we not only shared fun and meaningful days with the children but also explored the beauty of Cape Town itself. Which made the whole experience even more special.

I've spent almost 10 weeks with the kids of the program and I had so much fun. They are so lovely and I made a good connection quickly. When I walked into the classrooms, they all jumped up to me and all wanted my attention. I was looking forward to see them everyday and they taught me a lot. Because of the conversations with the older kids, I realized how much more you can value life. Even though you can not change their lives completely, you always have an impact on their lives.
Besides the kids, I stayed with a lot of other great volunteers with who I had an amazing time discovering Cape Town. Although I was here for 10 weeks, I still hadn't seen everything. I made lots of good memories with my friends over there and I would love to come back one day!

Pros

Traveling alone is no problem
Good communication
Great impact

Cons

Expensive

Volunteering with SAVE allows you to meet the best people, and the best kids.
You will learn a lot, be helpful, and you will see the difference you are making in their lives.
The program and what you will see will make you rethink the way you live everyday in your home country, and make you realize that you can help, even if you feel like it’s not much.
You will also have time to visit the beautiful city of Cape Town, and have so many new experiences with your volunteer friends.
Definitely the best experience of my life.

Stay longer than 2 weeks! This program is a great way to travel and get to know other people from around the world, while also getting the full South Africa experience. It offers you a way to volunteer during the week days but also travel and experience adventure on the weekends. You have no idea how much an impact this program can make until you do it! The children and teacher give off such positive energy and you can’t help but be happy when your with them. Great program leaders and very safe. Would highly recommend for anyone wanting to travel and volunteer!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?

I never realized how much an impact working in the townships could possibly have. These kids and teachers have so much to offer and it has changed my perspective on life!

The volunteering was way more special than I thought and I had all sort of good expectations already but the experience was still able to surprise me in a good way. The support the foundation gives to us and all the love we receive from the children actually shows that when u go there u are supposed to give something to them but u are the one who gets the most beautiful feelings and memories u could ever ask for. After my short 2 weeks the only thing I know it’s that I’m so coming back! Loved every single moment!

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?

I would stay way more than 2 weeks! It was not enough at all💗

Me, Vincent and my children at the swimming lesson

Absolutely loved it !! Truly there is no experience quite like it, I grew so much as a person and learned so much about the world around me.

I traveled alone and had no issues at all!! Jess (one of the coordinators) was there the whole time and helped so much!! I would recommend going for as long as you can (1.5 months is a good minimum). I left in February to April and the weather was great!! I met so many people there that I love and am still friends with. The connections I made have made me into a new person, South Africa will always have a very big piece of my heart !!!

If you’re thinking about it, JUST DO IT!! You won’t regret it!!

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?

I would go longer honestly!! Two months is a great amount, simply because there is so much to do and so much to see!! The longer you are there the more impact you’ll feel in the community as well!!

Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with SAVE in South Africa?

I was getting quite tired of studying law at home in Norway, and wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue.

I decided to take a break from my studies and do something I had wanted to do for a long time--travel!

I’m working at a youth center run by the Norwegian Red Cross in Oslo, and I wanted to bring my experiences from that into a completely different place. And SAVE was perfect.

What made this volunteer abroad experience unique and special?

Everything! It’s not an underestimation when I say that I had the time of my life! I made friends from all over the world, and the friendship we developed was something really special.

We worked together, ate together, partied together, spent our free time together, we really did everything together! And of course, seeing the kids react so thankfully for the work we do.

It is a wakeup call for all of us coming from rich countries where people are taking all the material goods for granted!

View Entire Interview

Tell me about one person you met. [It could be a local, a fellow program participant or a member of the SAVE staff]

It’s pretty hard to choose one from all of the amazing people I met. My best friends down there – Mike, Frederik, Marc, Sofie and Kristina – made my stay ten times better than I ever expected, and I’m so happy that I have kept in contact with them.

But I think the one that made the greatest impression on me was Nikki. She runs the project in Skandaalkamp. Even though I wasn't in her group, she made me realize what a true hero she is.

She was always concerned about getting enough food for her babies in Skandaal, but she always found a way to figure it out! She made t-shirts with the handprints of the kids and sold them to the volunteers.

She also made bracelets and did everything she could think of. She is a person that thinks more about the kids than herself, and thanks to her, the kids in skandaalkamp can get food and education!

What was the best moment of the entire trip?

This is not an easy question either, haha! My entire trip was awesome, and it’s difficult to pick one moment. But one day we had swimming lessons with the kids where we were trying to teach them how to float.

One of the girls was holding onto me really hard, begging me not to let go of her. I asked her to relax, and said I would be right there. I held her back under the water while she laid flat, and after a while, I removed my hands from her.

She was floating on her own, and I have never ever seen a smile that big! She was hugging me, saying thank you, and wanted to float around in the pool all day!

The christmas party afterwards at Elundini was also perfect! All of the kids got a gift, and they were running around with big smiles the whole day!

How has this experience impacted your future? (Personally, professionally, etc)

Well… I decided to continue with my law studies when I got back to Oslo. But, I was more motivated than before I left.

Now I’m sure that I want to use my law degree to work for human rights and children’s welfare! Personally, the trip made me a lot stronger.

Traveling alone to a completely unfamiliar country was a good experience.

Even though I was terrified when I left Oslo, I came home with hundreds of impressions, and felt like I could never ever complain about my life in Oslo again.

I still think about all the kids I got to know in Cape Town, and I miss them more and more.

Before I left to South Africa, all the poverty was just something I had seen on television. Now, I relate the poverty to faces. The faces of the kids that I was so lucky to work with every day…

Amanda Lind

2013 Alum

Marc Eversdijk

Marijke Fleury

Nick van de Klundert

Tom Visser

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

What is your favorite travel memory?

Wellington has many good memories of traveling across Africa. One of his favourite memories was traveling to Paternoster with all the volunteers and staff for a weekend away. When they got there, there wasn't enough room in the tents, so he slept on the bus with his sleeping bag.

It was a really fun experience for him.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I feel welcome here, it's like being at home, all the people are so friendly.

I have been able to take a lot of initiative through this work and it has made me believe in myself and make me more confident and have more self-belief. Working here has opened my eyes to different cultures and walks of life.

View Entire Interview

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

There was a volunteer that always said she liked my driving and the African music I play in the car when I drive them to project and back. When she left, she also said she missed the way people drive in the township we work in. She sent a message to me that she is definitely going to come back to see me, drive around listening to music together.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

There are so many to choose from it's very difficult to decide. If I had to choose just one, I think I would go to Sunshine.

I like Sunshine because the school is so big and the space for the children to play is also big. They can play freely, and there is also a clinic for the community in case there are any emergencies

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

When you work with Shannon, she is always there for you. Occasionally things don't go according to the plan, but even when they do, Shannon is understanding and we work together to fix the problem.

I always feel like an important part of the team and that my ideas are valued. As a team, we are able to overcome things together with Shannon leading the way.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

If you want to make a successful company, it is important to listen to your employees. They are a part of the family and make the company run properly, without them being happy the company will not run properly. Things will start to fall apart and go wrong.

I love children; I have 7 of my own. It's important to remember why we do this - for the children. "Better to build children than repair men".

About SAVE Volunteering

SAVE Foundation is a registered non-profit organization (NPO) that assists communities in Africa. We are NOT a booking agent, all of our community projects are run and funded by our local NPO/ Foundations on the ground. Our work involves setting up and facilitating sustainable community and conservation development projects in South Africa, Ghana...

SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects

SAVE Volunteering Humanitarian Projects