You won’t regret it!!

I stayed with GVI on an Under 18’s project in summer 2017 in Gordon’s Bay, Cape Town. Me and three other girls spent one week working in a township with pre school children, and one week travelling the Garden Route along the coast of South Africa. Our goal was to construct an eco-friendly greenhouse for a pre-school in a local township, it’s an amazing opportunity to experience the life in townships and great to play with the children as well.

As we were such a small group, we ended up getting the most amazing holiday Home for accommodation- this was separate to the adult volunteer accommodation. However I also went inside the adult accommodation and it was still really nice and had a communal feel, although it was more basic.

I’m vegetarian and the food was amazing, they have fresh meals made by a chef and cater for all dietry requirements. Tap water is drinkable. One member of our group was ill for one night however it was dealt with well and we were not staying on GVI base camp at the time so don’t worry. The rest of us were absolutely fine.

Exploring the Garden route in the second week was one of the most memorable parts of the trip! It gave us a real chance to experience as much as South Africa as possible within the second week. There were a few ethical issues based around the excursions we did, however after further investigation GVI have said they will no longer be going to certain tourist attractions (one of the safaris). I am confident they put their ethics/morals at the forefront of the projects.

Child safety and organisation is outstanding. No phones on project, everything is done to the highest standard. I was even put in contact with other volunteers before project and organised flights to Cape Town with another girl. GVI make you feel so comfortable and it really is like living with a big family (cliché I know!!)

I was worried about getting home sick but it was absolutely fine, there’s WiFi and opportunity to message family/friends.

GVI really tried to make my project memorable and I’m so glad I was brave enough to do it! Would recommend it to anyone and I definitely want to do another project in the future.