Volunteer in South Africa at Cape Town Community Projects

Free 3rd Week Grant – Get the 3rd week free when you sign up for two weeks or more. Limited grants available for start dates in December 2024. Schedule a call to apply.

Join us in beautiful Cape Town to create sustainable community projects to empower the local low-income communities. Provide local children with an educational advantage and the tools they need to succeed.

Program Highlights:

Empower the local families of the Cape Town settlements
Volunteers have a choice of placement
Provide educational resources to local children or assist in a preschool
Provide assistance at a unique farm school
Explore the beauty of Cape Town and its surrounds during free weekends
Enjoy a group tour of Cape Point, including visits to the 12 Apostles, Hout Bay and Boulder’s Beach to see African penguins

Your Schedule at a Glance (Minimum two-week commitment):

Arrival Day, Saturday: Arrive at Cape Town International Airport (CPT). You will be picked up by the local team and taken to your accommodation in Cape Town. After everyone has arrived, there will be a welcome dinner for all the volunteers, and free time for sightseeing.
Day 1, Sunday: Continuation of your orientation, which includes tours of the major sights around Cape Town.
Day 2: Monday: Introductory tour of the Townships and Schools in the communities volunteers will be working. Weekly volunteer meeting day – comprises training for new volunteers, administrative tasks, preparation for the program for the rest of the week.
Days 3-6, Tuesday-Friday: Rewarding volunteer work at a local community school in a local township.
Day 7, Saturday: Enjoy a group tour of Cape Point! Pickup from your accommodation is between 8 and 9:00 AM. En-route to Hout Bay you’ll stop for a tourist must-have – a picture of the “12 Apostles.” Your next stop will be Cape Point Nature Reserve – home to an abundance of flora and fauna, as well as baboons and ostriches, to name a few animals found roaming the streets. There are two lighthouses and the most southwestern point of the African continent to be seen here, and you will spend some time in the reserve. Simons Town is your lunch stop and also home to the South African Navy and a colony of penguins. Boulders Beach was set up for the penguins to roam free and is your last stop for the day before returning to the accommodation. Please note the itinerary for the tour day is flexible based on local conditions and weather and is subject to change.
Day 8, Sunday: Free day for volunteers to rest or explore Cape Town and its surrounds.
Remaining Weeks: The remaining weeks will follow the schedule of volunteering Monday-Friday, and having weekends free. Departures are on a Saturday.

Location of the Project: Cape Town, South Africa

Project length: Minimum 2 weeks – Maximum 12 weeks

Arrival Airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT)

Volunteer Work:Education, community development

Age: 18 – 80. Volunteers aged 17 may apply with parental consent to join independently. Families with young kids are also a great fit.

Important Note: Daily transfers between accommodation and project site and a donation made to the local organization are all included in the placement fee.

What’s Included

Accommodations: Shared room in a volunteer house or shared dormitory

Food: On your arrival Saturday a welcome BBQ is provided. A stocked kitchen is available for independent breakfasts,and hot lunches and diners are provided on the week days.

Airport Transfers: Airport transfers are included on both arrival and departure days

Orientation: Three-day orientation (Sat-Monday) in Cape Town included upon arrival that includes tours of the area, a welcome BBQ, and free time for sightseeing. Volunteer work begins on Tuesday.

Support: Comprehensive and professional pre-departure travel guidance, 24/7 GoEco emergency hotline, experienced local field team.

What’s not Included

Flights, visas (if required), travel health insurance, personal expenses, meals during the weekends.

Location

Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa and is referred to as the “Mother City” by locals. It has a cultural heritage spanning over 300 years and world-renowned, breathtaking scenery, from the iconic Table Mountain to the glorious Cape beaches. It is a modern city with cosmopolitan areas boasting nightclubs and trendy restaurants, as well as rustic and unique suburbs with quirky markets and cafés. With a comfortable Mediterranean climate, Cape Town is a great place to volunteer all year round.

Volunteer Work

Arrival and Orientation in Cape Town (Included):
Prior to your volunteering, you will be provided with an orientation. This occurs Saturday-Monday at different times and includes a dinner and a guided tours of your immediate surroundings, Cape Town, and the townships where the schools are located.

Schools and Educare Project: Volunteers will be placed in one of seven schools in the community. Six of the schools are preschools for children from 1 to 5 years old who speak Xhosa or Afrikaans. The preschools focus on early childhood development and preparing the children for regular schools by teaching basic English and cognitive skills. The other available placement is at a farm school for grades 1–7 where you’ll be assisting with older students in their school programs.

Volunteer tasks include but are not limited to the following:

Teaching classes and/or assisting teachers
Teaching computer skills
Familiarizing children with English in formal lessons and through fun activities
Organizing fun days and sports activities
Assisting in after-school programs and daycare after school is finished for the day
Educating children in life lessons such as HIV and drugs
Helping with feeding programs and/or tending to the vegetable gardens used by the local schools

Holidays: The holidays are a time for the kids to have fun, so the programs are less structured and may change depending on the amount of children that arrive on the day. During this time, the Settlement & School and Educare Projects will only run from 8:00 am – 2:00 pm and will be limited to sports days, game days, outings to the beach or pools, etc. Depending on the funds available, you could also be involved in building or renovations projects. During this time, school days are likely to be shortened and more focused on sports, games, outings, etc.

During the period from Christmas to New Year’s, there will be little to no volunteer work available. It is therefore not recommended that volunteers book short-term stays during this time. However, food and accommodations will still be available and therefore volunteers booking a longer stay will remain at the project during these dates.

Living Arrangements

Internet icon Internet: WiFi is available at the accommodations. Please note that South Africa does experience electricity outages frequently and on an organized schedule.

Laundry icon Laundry: Laundry services are available for a small fee.

Accommodations icon Accommodations: You will stay in a volunteer dormitory, which has shared mixed-gender rooms of 2-10 people per room, a communal lounge, and a kitchen. Upgrades to private rooms are available in both the hostel and the volunteer house. Most South African buildings do not have heat so be prepared with appropriate clothing for the time of year you will be visiting.
Families:
Families traveling as a group of 4 or more can upgrade accommodation at no extra charge in a family room.
Families traveling in a group less than 4 upgrade fees will apply for a family room (subject to availability).Larger families, being a group of 6 or more, can be placed in a private house and be accommodated at no extra charge (subject to availability).
Families traveling in a group less than 6 who have private house preference, upgrade fees will apply (subject to availability).

Food icon Food: During the work week, we will provide you with food to use for preparing your breakfasts and lunches. There will be options like cereals, fruit, yogurt, eggs, and bread for breakfast. Lunch will have options like fruit, sandwich meats, peanut butter and pasta for you to prepare. Pre-packaged dinner meals for supper will have a meat, starch, and a vegetable.

Travel Highlights

Cape Point Tour (Included):
On your second Saturday of your volunteer program, you will take a group tour of Cape Point. En route to Hout Bay, you’ll stop for a tourist must-have – a picture of the “12 Apostles.” Your next stop will be Cape Point Nature Reserve – home to an abundance of flora and fauna, as well as baboons and ostriches, to name a few animals found roaming the streets. There are two lighthouses and the most southwestern point of the African continent to be seen here, and you will spend some time in the reserve. Simons Town is your lunch stop and also home to the South African Navy and a colony of penguins. Boulders Beach was set up for the penguins to roam free and is your last stop for the day before returning to the accommodation. Please note the itinerary for the tour day is flexible based on local conditions and weather and is subject to change.

Travel Extras (Not Included):
Make the most out of your time in Cape Town by signing up for any of these activities for your weekend or days off. You may sign up following registration. Please note there is an additional fee for these activities.