44 volunteer and professional opportunities in Africa

Great informations. Thank you so much for putting this out there for Matador readers.

You bet!

Also, if anyone out thinks I missed an important one, please add it to the comments section.

Best, Bernie

This is great information! Thanks so much for making this available

Unfortunately most of these listed are the “big” groups that charge upwards of $1500-2000 for two weeks of volunteerism with them. There are many options out there that charge minimal fees (a couple of hundred per two weeks or per month) that are just as good! Googling “orphanage, botswana” or “animal shelter, tanzania” can yield results of smaller, local organizations that offer volunteer opportunities without charging out the wazoo!

http://www.serveyourworld.com/articles/264/1/Free-Volunteering-Abroad is also good

Hay everyone,

The list is a gud one, and yes for some people it might not be that affordable, so can we get some places/organization that we can provide services to, for free of course, and we do not have to pay for the expenses??..if someone knows, please do let us know kaz i do want to volunteer in Africa…

I am working in the development sector for some 5 years, and m currently working in IRC in Pakistan…

This is a great list. However, I refuse to pay to volunteer. Organizations can have my time, but not my money.

Hi, we have just set one up in Nepal to help fund orphanages across Nepal. I spent 3 years there working & gathering informtion to do this and we only charge £200 a month which includes food & lodgings. And being closely connected with them we actually have talked and set up a target for each orphanage in terms of volunteers and we have a sponsorship scheme that pays straight to the orphanage.
I feel we are different to every other organization in Nepal because when we achieve our target in volunteers then we should work to improving the quality of life for the children.
if anyone has help and advice please contact me as all this has been done by me in between working full time because people kept telling me i couldnt do it.

The past few years I have spent time in South Africa volunteering with Edge Of Africa, and it was the best thing i have ever done. When I first decieded to do it, my first thought was to find something cheap, being a student I didnt have a lot to work with towards paying a large sum to volunteer. But with Edge it gives you a home, not once did i ever feel unsafe, I was always well taken care of and Dayne and Roger were like my african parents there when I needed them. You pay for this extra safety, and they certainly make it worthwhile, with nights out, weekend day trips and adventure tours so you get to volunteer yet still have fun and experiance South Africa.

Like the previous commenter, I volunteered with Edge of Africa for a month last year, helping out in an HIV clinic in Knysna. When the idea of going to South Africa was first suggested to me, I’ll admit I was terrified! But as I researched it more and and talked to Dayne and Roger (the two super-humans who run Edge of Africa) my apprehension turned to unbridled excitement. Words cannot explain the feeling you get when you board that first plane to South Africa, knowing what you’re going there to do. Or what you think you’re going to do, because every day there will surprise and amaze you. At least it did me.

Although I’ve not volunteered with other organisations outside the UK, after talking to friends who went with other volunteering groups in various African countries, Edge of Africa really set the bar with their passion, their caring attitude, and the range of options offered. Certainly worth every penny!

I think that I am in a unique position to comment on GVI, having just returned from 10 months of traveling and doing 3 GVI projects in a row. My aim was to take some time to see the world, immerse myself in cultures and to try and give something back to the world.
My first project was “Teach English to Buddhist Novice Monks and Local Communities in Laos”. The support here from both the GVI staff and the other volunteers was amazing. Living in a guest house with our own rooms gave the best of both worlds in that we were able to spend as little or as much time together as we each wanted. I went into the project with no teaching experience but by the end I was taking smaller groups of novices for lessons on my own. To have a young novice monk grab my arm and say “You are a very good teacher” was as rewarding as anything I have ever done.
For anyone wondering how your contribution is spent on these projects the blog for the Laos project at http://gvilaos.blogspot.com/ lists some of the things that they have been able to do.
My second project was “Teaching and community work in Nepal” and it was a completely different situation to Laos. Here I was on my own in a small village and looked after kids in an orphanage. Support was from the manager of the hotel where I was staying and eating and he was able to quickly and easily supply me with anything I needed. Working with children was completely new to me as well but it was hard not to fall for them and to be able to live the life of a local with such enthusiastic guides gave me a view of Nepal that couldn’t be matched by any standard trek.
The third project was “Wildlife Research Expedition in South Africa” and here the emphasis was on animals rather than people. Early starts, long days and mind blowing close up wildlife encounters were the norm. Living was in communal style and it was a bit of an adjustment after being so independent in Nepal to have to fit in with a group again. As in most communal situations the cooking and cleaning was a group effort with some meal noticeably superior to others.
The emphasis here was learning about the local environment, fauna and flora and regular lectures gave us a deeper understanding of what we were seeing along with the practical lessons in maps, telemetry and reptile handling etc. Many of the other volunteers had biology backgrounds or an interest in going into the field but I feel, even though I was only there for the “experience”, that I came away with a far greater understanding and appreciation of the work being done than I thought I would.
In the end I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of the projects that I did or GVI as an organisation. I had great communication and assistance throughout and have seen firsthand what they are managing to achieve in the field.
Ask questions. Volunteering may not be for everyone and it is important to be aware of the field conditions before you go but I can say from the unique position of having done 3 of them that a GVI project will change your life in ways that you can’t even guess now.
I also want to let everyone know that I have created an Unofficial GVI Volunteers forum at http://www.gviforum.com .

When I was first trying to find out info about GVI and its projects I found facebook was not a real good way to create a long term discussion. It’s too easy for responses to get lost in the crowd if you’re looking for questions that have probably already been asked. I always thought that they should have had a proper discussion forum set up.
I ended up doing 3 projects in a row with GVI and kept asking other volunteers what they thought of my idea. They all said that it would have been handy when they were looking for information so, now that I’m home, I’ve set it up. It is unofficial though, so all posts are the opinions of the person making them.
I don’t work for GVI, I am just an ex volunteer who saw a need for a place where questions could be asked by those wanting to know and answers given by those who have actually been there. The GVI site will always give you the official details regarding a project but the forum is where you can go to find out the really important stuff, where’s the best coffee in town, is there wifi, should I bring my own shampoo or can I get it there. Like I said, this just an ex volunteer doing something so there will never be any advertising and I’m getting nothing out of this apart from the idea that I may encourage others to volunteer like I did.
So please check it out, sign up and participate. I only put it online today and it’s looking a little bare at the moment.

Dear Sir/Madam,
Greetings from the country of Mt. Everest.

Nepal is a mountainous country with breathtaking beauty, abundant wildlife, and fascinating traditional cultures. This country is known as “Land of Paradise” and the country of Mt. Everest.

We are non-governmental organization (NGO) registered with Nepal government and affiliated with Social Welfare Council of Nepal working in the field of Agriculture emphasizing on development of Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal. Our program makes a positive difference in the lives of the deprived society by providing volunteering opportunities to international volunteers. We provide support to committed volunteers who have an understanding and respect for all races, religions and cultures and we aim to accommodate all interests, needs and budgets.

We provide Nepali culture and training for foreign volunteers who wish to render their services to Nepal in the field of organic agriculture in our demonstration organic farms surrounding Pokhara city which is one of the main tourist destination of the world. The farms are located in beautiful locations with diverse culture. Beside this they can work in the field of Education, Health, Community Development, Orphanage, Disable, Agro -Forestry, Environment and Ecology, Poverty alleviation etc.

We, also make visit to surrounding villages for cultural exchange program as Nepal is widely rich in diverse culture. Nepali culture is distinctively friendly and open and volunteers are made to feel as though they are part of the family. They can enjoy traditional rural villages especially in Dari/Kumal/Bote/Gurung/Magar and other community. Hot spring water bath will be additional attraction during their visit. During this period, volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in local festivals and to learn more about Nepali culture and exchange their culture.
Volunteers also have a chance of adventure, such as white water rafting which they can do paying extra cost. Annapurna trekking of the famous trekking rout of the world, a visit to Royal Chitwan National Park and elephant safari are other attractions. The birth place of Lord Buddha the Lumbini also can be visited in the same time. To enjoy diverse culture they can visit Kalesti valley where there is our organic agriculture resource center.

The volunteer program is available to individuals or to groups of up to 10 people at a time for the period of one week to three months. We would like to invite school groups, university students, adult groups and professional organizations who are interested in organic (eco) agriculture to create and run custom programs for cultural visits, service projects, volunteer works and internship works in our farms. Newly established Govardhan Organic Agriculture Resource Center and Baniya Eco Farm are also attractive venue for volunteering or to dirt their hand working in the farm which is under construction. Placement can be made in village school who are interested to teach in the schools. Where, volunteers can enjoy diverse culture of different communities and a mixture of natural beauty in this area.
We therefore would like to work together with your organization to bring volunteers in Nepal to share their skill and knowledge to reduce poverty in this country.
Hope to hearing your kind response,

“Healthy Soil Healthy Life”

Volunteer Work Africa has 24 projects in 6 African countries at the moment but opportunities are added each week to give volunteers a wide choice of projects and enables them to contact the grass roots organisations directly. Also more and more free volunteering projects are available.