What is Volunteering?
The term ‘volunteering’ for Gap year participants refers to an opportunity that you select from many available options. You could volunteer to work in a remote region of a foreign country, or at sea in a hot climate, or with poor and needy people overseas, or even with your local community.

By giving freely of your time to a work project you will gain a new perspective of others and of your own capabilities, and you will benefit in many ways not imagined at first. You will meet and learn to communicate with people who literally live in another world, and help make their lives more fulfilling.

Projects available - How can you help?
Although South Africa is one of the wealthiest nations in Africa most people live in poverty, especially in the rural areas. They have basic needs for clean water, wood for cooking and for warmth, grazing for domestic animals, and land for growing subsistence crops. All of these basic needs are threatened by overpopulation, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and inadequate education and training facilities. Volunteers usually give of their time, skills and education to help and teach communities achieve goals relevant to their circumstances.
In South Africa there are many farms and organisations that breed, conserve or look after all sorts of animals. They all welcome the assistance that volunteers can provide in achieving their goals, and in return the volunteer gets to spend time and really get close to the animals in their care.