Volunteer in Sports Development in South Africa

From the beginning, I felt very prepared and confident that I was going to be taken care of. The local team did such an amazing job and were always available for support and guidance. Meeting people from all around the world and being able to have the experience with them was my favourite part of the program. Experiencing a new culture and being able to have fun with the kids everyday was a blast! I felt that I made at least a small difference in some of the kids lives everyday. Volunteering is such an amazing opportunity that you won’t regret.

The website was very helpful with preparing for the trip, and they listed everything I needed and more. The local team was amazing and always helpful when we needed, and made sure we all had a good time. I felt like I was able to really connect with the kids, playing sports with them was a great time. The house was amazing, the other people there were awesome, it felt like one big family. The best moment was teaching the kids how to play basketball, which for most of them was a game they had never tried before. This was definitely a humbling experience, made me feel like I was part of something bigger than myself. That was a great experience and way more fun than I was expecting.

My third day of the program was when I felt fully immersed in what I was doing. The kids I was working with asked me to play soccer with them and from that moment on every break period we had was spent playing with those same 10 kids. I truly felt a connection with them. I love seeing how much the kids want to be with volunteers. You expect going in to help in many ways but I was not expecting to be so welcomed by the kids and for them to not shy away from introducing themselves. Make the leap into the unknown. The experience is one of a kind and you get out of it what you put into it.