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

Sport & Youth Development Project

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Cape Town Community Development Project

Volunteers support under-resourced South African communities through food, clothing and social upliftment initiatives. You’ll assist with educational programmes, motivational workshops and community events such as sports and outings, helping meet basic needs while promoting empowerment. This ethical volunteering experience fosters measurable community impact and meaningful engagement.

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.

Namibia Medical Project

Volunteers support primary healthcare delivery at a rural clinic in Epukiro, serving over 3,500 patients annually. Working alongside medical staff, you’ll assist outreach and clinic-based services focused on vulnerable San communities, where tuberculosis prevention and treatment are key priorities. This ethical healthcare volunteer programme contributes to essential medical access and measurable community impact in Southern Africa.

Skills Development Project

Volunteers use their professional or practical skills to support community development in South Africa. You’ll lead workshops in areas such as first aid, childcare, computer literacy, business skills, arts or vocational training, helping build local capacity and self-sufficiency. This ethical volunteering programme focuses on sustainable skills transfer, empowerment and measurable social impact in under-resourced communities.

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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 49 - 56 of 127 reviews

I would work more with the kids. Actually they are the reason why most of us came for. I don't understand why we don't wor on mondays for example. Then I would wish a better allocation of the volunteers. While we are until 6 person in one class, in other schools they have to control a class with 30 kids by theyr selves.
But nertheless it's a nice programm and a good opportunity to have a first experience in the world of the volunteers.

What would you improve about this program?

I spent 3 weeks in South Africa, Cape Town as a volunteer in Adventure Surf Club project. I tutored kids with Math and English in Vissershock Primary School. It was rewarding everyday because I could see someone learning something new. The breaks were great with all the kids at the primary school.

It was crazy to see where the kids were from and how unbelievable and authenticly happy they were regardless. I loved how the kids were so positive, energetic, and just full of joy around us. Whenever I saw a kid sad, I tried my best to find out what was wrong and give my all to them.

Hundreds memories after I learned a lot more about myself that I would have ever expected. I got to live through exciting, fun, and teaching experiences. It made me realize what fills my heart; help others to feel happy inside and out. During the project I found joy and connection on a surfboard. SAVE’s project made my future more clear and I am forever grateful for that. I will never forget this project! Until we meet again! <3

What would you improve about this program?

I would love to have a ”godson/-daughter” to support afterwards when the project ends.

This experience was one of a kind from the volunteers to the staff to the kids. The people apart of my program were all friendly and there was never a dull moment any day. The children were excited and energetic everyday and so happy to see me and the other volunteers. It was definitely an experience being able to see firsthand the township of Dunoon in Cape Town and the lifestyle and culture. To fully enjoy the experience I’d recommend coming with an open mind and the willingness to do anything and everything to help no matter how small or big the task.

My time with SAVE was one of the best experiences in my life! I was at the surf project and we had skate and surf club in the afternoon with the children. In the morning we went to different schools and worked as assistent teachers. I was also there during the holidays and we had holiday club with tje children where we took them to museums, cinema,hiked, ice skating and much more. The thing that made the biggest impact on me was that you always felt like you made a difference! I never worked with children before my time with SAVE and I was a bit nervous. But after the two months I was there i learned so much about myself and that i want to keep on working with children in the future! For me it was a life changing experience!

My time in South Africa has been a very important time for me. I have learned much about my self, my friends, the community, poor children and about the safety for animals.
I will surely recoment this project for those who need an incredibly experience! The staff has been so wonderful and have always been there to help and make us laugh. They are very serius about their job but always with a smile and positive energy!

Best time of my life. Staff were amazing and helpfull and everything works good. The projects are amazing and everything has been organized so good. The staff are big hearted people and they take good care of volunteers. I have been there twice volunteering in different projects and both times has been so Great. On your free time you can do so many things and explore amazing places. I have made life time friends over there and once you go there you will want to go there over and over again and never Leave.

I would highly recommend volunteering with Save. It is definitely the most meaningful and fun thing I have done in my life so far. The staff are lovely, food is great, safety is a priority and it will definitely give you a wider spectrum of life.

I did the surf program. We were with the smaller kids at their school in the townships until lunch, and went to surf with the bigger kids after lunch. It was great to get to know the bigger kids too as their English is pretty good. I felt safe and learned a lot about surfing even though it was my first time even seeing a surfboard (and I am a bit scared of the ocean). I would definitely do the surf program if I were you!

What would you improve about this program?

Some kind of heat in the houses

Weeks filled with a lot of new experiences, strong impressions, smiles, laughs and new friendships. I learned so much from volunteering for SAVE, and I will remember this for a lifetime. The staff are wonderful and so helpful, and the work we were doing were rewarding in so many ways. I did the surf project, and the combination of working with the younger kids in the morning and the older kids in the afternoon suited me perfectly.
Will definitely come back one day!!

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