Volunteer in South Africa | Most Affordable Projects From $375

I had the best time of my life in South Africa volunteering through SASTS/Volunteering Solutions. The friendships I have made and the experiences I had were life changing. One of the little boys at the Gingerbread House even asked his parents if he could come back to America with me! The staff throughout the program and at the school itself were extremely encouraging. I would recommend this program to anyone and everyone. Anyone considering it should stop overthinking, and just go for it!

It was definitely the best decision I've ever made. My time in South Africa was just awesome. I'm back home for almost 4 months now and I'm still thinking about my trip every day. Volunteering Solutions and the staff from SASTS was always very helpful. I really enjoyed my time at Kiddies College Pre-School and I still miss all my little lovely kids.
We also had a great accommodation with up to 25 young people from around the world – it was like a big and crazy family.
During all the work at our projects we had enough time to travel and see all the beauty of this country. We traveled along the garden route, did the world highest bungy jump , visited Pretoria and Jo’burg – and saw the big 5 at kruger national park.

I can just recommend to all young people who are thinking about volunteering – just do it. It will change your life.

"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."

The placement was an incredible experience. The teachers and staff ensured everyone felt welcome and useful. The SASTS support staff gave a very useful orientation and were there to answer questions during our stay. Schedules were flexible and many trips were available at extra cost so you can still do sightseeing.

I am so glad that I discovered Volunteer Solutions. South Africa was the next place I wanted to travel to on my bucket list and I've always wanted to volunteer in a different country, so I googled volunteer companies and Volunteer Solutions was the first to pop up! I immediately signed up for Social Welfare project in Cape Town, and even though my parents were cautious at first about me going, the Volunteer Solutions profile and handouts made them feel much better about who I'll be traveling with.

Cape Town was an amazing place to travel to. I highly recommend all volunteers of any age to go there and see it for yourself! The beauty of Cape Town is surreal, the people there and the staff are amazingly friendly. I felt so much more comfortable volunteering on my own once I met them. They are great people who strive to see you succeed and be happy! There is so much to do in Cape Town and I honestly wish I had more than 2 weeks there, but unfortunately that was all the time I could get off work! I made the best of the two weeks by doing something fun each day after my volunteer project, like skydiving, visiting markets, shark cage diving, visiting wineries, and doing safari tours.

Our hostel that we stayed in was incredible. I felt welcomed and right at home as soon as I was greeted at the door. The hosts of our Hostel, Noël and 'V' were absolutely amazing. They always had enough food for us, made sure that we were satisfied with our stay, made sure we had safe taxi's every time we got transferred to and from the hostel, and always wanted to see us happy. They wanted nothing but the best for us.

I was stationed at a child care center called "Gingerbread House". The staff and children were so heart warming and it was so hard to say goodbye to them! I fell in love with all the children. They were the most patient, well-behaved, and friendly kids. I'm very happy I chose social welfare as my project.

I will most definitely be using Volunteer Solutions again in my future. It opened my eyes to traveling more and meeting more people. It was the best decision I made. I look forward to applying again and seeing their future posts about other volunteers' experience!

Went to SA with my friend and we had the time of our lives! Everything was great from airport pickup, food, accommodation and the staff were also truly amazing and willing to help.

We both worked under the childcare program and had great fun with young children, playing, teaching and doing activities. 4 weeks was not enough and I will go back again soon!

Me and my friend Jessica went to South Africa in Jan 2014 and we came back after 4 amazing weeks, thanks to Sahil and the team on ground. Everything from application to airport pickup went smoothly.

We stayed at the volunteer house which is not far from the city and all the fun, not to miss that we had 12 other volunteers making it great to hang out and make friends. The placement was at the childcare program about 30 min from the house. The kids were amazing and we spent quality time playing and hanging out with them.

Would recommend the program to anyone.

I have volunteered with volunteering solutions many times and each time, the experience has brought me amazing and unique experiences. This country is a beautiful one to visit and fall in love with. The Pro's:

I loved the assignment I was given. The children at the Creshe were loving and beautiful. The teachers were helpful and also very excited to have me in the class. In fact, my teacher taught me how to teach the class so that I could have the most enriching experience possible. I fell in love with the children.

The volunteer home was full of life. I shared a room with 7 other girls and this helped us to bond. We all came from different parts of the world and so it was not uncommon to hear several different languages being spoken at one time. I loved it. We all learned from each other. A total of 30 people shared our 5 bedroom house. All meals were provided from Monday to Friday. We would often retire in the living room at the end of the day to share stories, food, and experiences.

The city of Cape Town itself was full of beautiful people and a load of things to do an explore. My favorites? Climbing up Lion head, having daily walks by the ocean front while watching the sun set, MAMA Africa Restaurant, all the cheap shopping and food, learning about the history of the country, and interacting with all the lovely people. All were willing to help a lost volunteer find her way. =)

I would suggest taking tours of the country as well. The safari was an amazing time. My favorite memory though was visiting the townships and playing with the children. I've never gone to a country where the children ran up to me with open arms not expecting anything. One of the women in the townships told me, "We are the most blessed country in the world, we have everything we need." I was humbled.

I will definitely come back again one day.

The views were amazing, the interactions with the wildlife was memorable, and the people made it feel like home. This experience was once in a lifetime! :)