To some, this year might be the time for a gap year, career break, or even just your dream holiday. Traveling, or traveling more, may have been one of your New Year’s resolutions (it’s definitely on our list). Have you considered volunteering abroad? It’s such a unique way to explore a destination, truly understand the culture and vibe of a place, and of course, actually leave a positive impact on the people and wildlife you encounter along the way.
Here are our top 10 best volunteer abroad programs:
- Girl Empowerment, Zambia
- Vulnerable Childcare & Community Support, Zululand
- Big Cat Wildlife Research & Conservation, Maasai Mara
- African Big 5 & Wildlife Conservation, South Africa
- Early Childhood Development, Cape Town
- Eco-build Project, Victoria Falls
- Dolphin Research & Marine Conservation, Zanzibar
- Education & Community Support, Kilimanjaro
- Wildlife Photography & Conservation, South Africa
- Hospital and Clinic Medical Support, Kenya
We want to inspire you to change gears this year, re-think the way you travel and join the impact travel movement by volunteering in Africa on one of our top 10 volunteer projects.
1. Girl Empowerment, Zambia
In partnership with the African Impact Foundation, African Impact launched The Girl Impact initiative to support, educate and encourage adolescent girls as they become empowered young women in their community. The project includes young boys in the conversation to support the gender equality movement and overcome male/female stereotypes.
Overall, my time in Livingstone doing the Girl Impact project was an amazing life experience! There were many instances where I could see that participating in the empowerment of girls and women was really making a difference to them.
MORE: Visit our girl empowerment program in Zambia
2. Vulnerable Childcare & Community Support, Zululand
If living in a tropical paradise that is warm almost all-year round wasn’t enough, how about volunteering in the home of South Africa’s largest population of hippos and crocodiles? This is Zululand, a region of South Africa that sees you working with our team in rural Zulu villages still run by the community chiefs. Hard-hit from the HIV/AIDS epidemic, volunteers work with entire families to help empower and educate in homes, after-school centers, orphanages and pre-schools.
MORE: Help support vulnerable children & communities in South Africa
3. Big Cat Wildlife Research & Conservation, Maasai Mara
If getting off the grid, living among wild animals and spending your days in a research game vehicle is on your vision-board, you can’t get better than our volunteer project in the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Volunteers prioritise the research of the reserve’s big cats, however equally as important is the physical conservation of the park and the education of its local Maasai population. If you time it right, you could even witness one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on planet Earth, the Great Wildebeest Migration. (Bucket list: TICK).
MORE: Volunteer with big cats in Maasai Mara
4. African Big 5 & Wildlife Conservation, South Africa
A term originally coined by hunters, the ‘Big Five’ – the lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo – were known as the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. Now, they are thought of as the top 5 animals to see while on safari in Africa.
At our volunteer base in the Greater Kruger region of South Africa, you can get up close with Africa’s ‘Big 5’, helping to monitor and study them to ensure future generations get to see these magnificent animals in the wild. As these animals are often targeted by poachers, and their movements and behaviors are largely undocumented, be prepared to sweep for snares, help track and identify individuals and experience Africa’s wilderness at its best. Welcome to next level safari-ing and citizen science.
“My experience volunteering on African Impact’s Big 5 Wildlife Conservation Program was the best thing I’ve ever done. I really had the time of my life and fulfilled my life-long dream of experiencing Africa’s wild in person…”
MORE: Join our Big 5 African wildlife conservation project
5. Early Childhood Development, Cape Town
There is no doubt that Cape Town is one of the world’s most beautiful cities (scratch that, officially it is the world’s most beautiful city), so we are very lucky to have a project base here. When you’re not exploring this incredible destination at the weekend (we recommend shark-cage diving, skydiving or learning more about Nelson Mandela), you can work in the impoverished township communities surrounding the city, helping to educate and empower disadvantaged children. Through early childhood development focused activities at pre-schools, emergency foster care homes and after-school centers, you can help us give children a positive head-start in a city still suffering from the effects of Apartheid.
MORE: Share your love of teaching by joining this early childhood development project
6. Eco-Build Project, Victoria Falls
Have you heard of eco-bricking? It’s an innovative way of using plastic waste as building blocks. Think plastic bottles filled with every day wrappers that are constructed together to form walls. This is how we are radically changing the way a rural village in Zambia views waste, and how we are providing the local community with self-sustaining structures. We’ve won numerous awards for this amazing initiative that is based within a stone’s throw of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, Victoria Falls. If you like getting your hands dirty and are pretty nifty at DIY, we could use your help.
“This was a once in a lifetime experience that I would recommend to anyone. Life changing in all senses. A great organisation that I would love to carry on being a part of and making a real difference!”
MORE: Our volunteer eco-building project helps communities while reducing waste
7. Dolphin Research & Marine Conservation, Zanzibar
If you haven’t read our previous blog, 10 Reasons to Visit Zanzibar, do so before reading this to understand what a paradise Zanzibar is. Now, add to that the chance to swim with one of the world’s most intelligent animals. While volunteering abroad on our marine conservation project in Zanzibar you will not only get to do this, but also contribute to the sustainable future for Zanzibar’s dolphin tourism – a key contributor to Zanzibar’s economy.
Monitoring human-dolphin interactions, promoting ethical dolphin tours and monitoring coral reefs are a part of the volunteer experience, as is interacting with the local children at Conservation Club. Help us raise a generation of Swahili children who love and respect their ocean and its inhabitants! Ready to book your place?
MORE: Become a marine conservation volunteer & help sustain dolphin tourism
8. Education & Community Support, Kilimanjaro
If climbing Africa’s highest mountain is high on your bucket-list (or just seeing it is enough, no pressure), our education project in the town of Moshi is your best bet. We are incredibly proud to work with both children and adults on this award-winning project, offering free education classes for those who want it. From mornings spent in nursery schools to afternoons spent working with Maasai warriors, no two days are the same in this breath-taking destination.
It is quite difficult to capture in words just how special my month volunteering with African Impact in Moshi was. An organization who went at their work not with sympathy and a coin purse, but impassioned understanding, respect, and a belief in education.
MORE: Become an educational volunteer in Tanzania
9. Wildlife Photography & Conservation, South Africa
Guided by a professional wildlife photographer, this volunteer program takes you into the heart of one of South Africa’s most spectacular regions: The Greater Kruger Area. You will venture into Big 5 territory where animals roam freely and the wild African landscape unfurls magnificently before you, offering the ultimate playground to practice and improve your photography skills. You will get to see iconic wildlife such as leopards, elephants, and lions, while learning how to use your photographs for research and conservation. There is no better place to learn the art of wildlife photography than in an area famous for its untamed landscapes and wildlife populations.
MORE: Photograph iconic animals while immersed in the wild hinterlands of Africa
10. Hospital and Clinic Medical Support, Kenya
Whether you are interested in pursuing medicine, pre-med, or already qualified, this volunteer program gives you a chance to make an impact by offering a pair of much needed hands in the hospitals, clinics, and communities in rural Kenya. This medical volunteer program is carefully designed to give you a well-rounded experience that includes work in the public healthcare system and the community, such as hosting health workshops and assisting with home-based care.
MORE: Improve the public healthcare system while experiencing the unique rhythm of Kenya
