A home away from home...

The first time I went to African Dawn was in Jan 2010 with a friend of mine. We really had no idea what we were signing ourselves up for; but the experience was so fantastic, 2 weeks were not long enough. I ended up extending my stay to 1 month but I still remember vividly how much I didnt want to leave. The tears were proof!

I returned to African Dawn in June 2010 with my stay duration unknown and ended up being there until December. The guys who work there; Percy, Janey, Ali, Sarah, Claire, Sticks, Babese and Ouma became my family and are always there for a good laugh, an Afrikaans lesson and meat fight.

The animals at African Dawn are the heart and sole of the program. Whether it was attempting to mount Fabio the Kudu, breaking up domestic violence between the Black Swans or trying to clean the Meerkats enclosure without feeling the wrath of Stumpy, the animals are essentially, what makes your time so fantastic. Volunteers who stay longer than a few weeks get the opportunity to become surrogate parents to injured and orphaned animals; Arthur and Annie, two tiny Grysbok babies were my pride and joy and nothing made me happier each morning to wake up at 7am to bottle feed and stimulate!

Volunteering at African Dawn is not easy, but it is the most wonderful and rewarding experience I could have asked for. It is a beautiful place, with a well run volunteer program and its definitely worth the visit.