Gender Issues Volunteering in Zanzibar

I am beyond grateful for my 1-month volunteer experience with African Impact in Cape Town. From the moment I arrived, the warmth and professionalism of the team made it unforgettable. When I first arrived at the airport, Thulani, the program manager, was already waiting, and ready to give us an engaging introduction to the history and scenery of Cape Town. After a 20+ min drive we arrived at The Lenox hostel. The Lenox became my home for the month, and the staff made sure it felt that way. Everyone was very kind and welcoming at all time. I got a bunk bed in a shared room with four amazing fellow volunteers from different countries. The room was very spacious and comfortable. The facilities were bright and welcoming, with breathtaking views of Lion’s Head and Table Mountain from the lounge balcony. I joined the Early Education program, which I highly recommend if you love working with children and creating engaging learning experiences. Through this program I worked with four different nonprofits located in Khayelitsha, their work is centered around fostering children and youth development. Our schedule was almost the same every day; breakfast with all the volunteers, then going out to support an org. in the morning, coming back to the Lenox for lunch (amazing fresh and delicious food by the way) and then going back to support another org. in the afternoon. Our day concluded around 5 pm, after documenting our experiences, and preparing for the next day. Then dinner time, a great time to get to know the other volunteers and share stories. The rest of the afternoon was free time for us to unwind and enjoy visiting places around Cape Town or do a sightseeing activity planned by the staff. The most rewarding part was getting to work directly with nonprofits like Ikasi Soccer School and foster care homes like Fikelele. My favorite task while on project was to sing and play with the kids. Witnessing the impact of our efforts and the joy on the children’s faces are core memories from this experience. I don’t think I can put into words how fulfilling this experience was for me. This experience taught me so much about collaboration, creativity, and the joy of giving back. Volunteering with African Impact was life changing. It’s a core memory filled with friendships, personal growth, and unforgettable moments. I wholeheartedly recommend this experience to anyone looking to make a difference while exploring the vibrant culture of Cape Town.

African Impact responded to this reviewDecember 30, 2024

Love your video Maria! Really captures the essence of volunteering with us in Cape Town :)

My time in Livingstone, Zambia was unforgettable! I volunteered at the teaching project during school holidays. African Impact organised a holiday club for the children in Libuyu for keeping them busy during school holidays and keeping them off the streets. The children were divided in two groups: 1-4th grade and 5-7th grade. However, the groups were very big (40 children each) it was really fun to work with the children. Annie, the teaching and sports coordinator, did such a good job! During the first days you can choose to assist her to get introduced and used to the teaching methods, and if you're ready for it you can take up more responsibilities. There is also the opportunity to switch between teaching and sports. The sports project is organised together with a local staff memeber, Chiza, who is doing an amazing job with the children. Everyday there is another subject, for instance history, geography, maths, english, eco-art, etc. In the afternoon, there is a wide range of community projects and Sjeel, the project manager, makes sure that you can get a taste of each of them. If you have any preferences you can just let her know. I really enjoyed reading club, art club and the stretching exercises we've implemented at the old people's home. During the weekends you're free to do some travelling or activities. The staff of the hostel will give you the information you need and will help you by booking these activities as well. A visit to Victoria Falls is obviously a must do, and they arrange a free shuttle every morning. The volunteering staff as well as the hostel staff are such lovely people and I'm so glad I got the chance to get in touch with them all. Same for the volunteers! Everyone comes with the same goal and mindset, so you will definitely make some friends from all around the world. This is definitely a life-changing experience!

I had a fantastic experience, there wasn't anything that the staff didn't want to help with and the guides were amazing at their job. I feel that with a few simple changes the experience would be even better. Improve lounge area to make a better social and comfort area. Base alcohol consumption on age.

Being at Dumela for just 2 weeks when the volunteerships are created for longer stays, I obviously didn't get the full experience. That being said I had an amazing time, staff are great and helpful. was great, lodge comfortable

I'll start by saying that you have the most patient, professional, welcoming and caring employees I've ever met. Unfortunately, we had a particularly bad volunteer with us during our time, who took a particular disliking to me (for reasons I will never know) and was exceptionally rude, nasty and abhorrent at times to mostly myself and others, particularly Caroline and Francis. I am a very patient person, just as they are, but she was a real test to that, I am proud of all of us that despite her attempts to rubbish everything about the project and be aggressive and insulting to us we did not rise to her provocation, we simply ignored it, and continued to enjoy our time. It became very clear early on that her expectation of the experience was way beyond what any company would be able to provide for her, and her reaction to that was to simply be aggressive and awful to others, which was never going to fix anything. There was no engagement from her, there was no respect for the fact that this is a project, not a resort, and that when you are in the presence of wild animals, you may not always find them, because they are not here to serve you. There was no respect for other people and there comfort, and no respect for the fact that this is not a "Come look at cats every day'. This is a wildlife project, you are so lucky to see what you see, across all taxon, and you are here to work and give back, not the other way around. Caroline went so far as to allow her to break rules such as staying away from base during the week and not take part in working activities because of the manual labor, and still she was not satisfied, her contribution to the project overall was monetary, that's it, the rest of the time she complained that it wasn't good enough, despite people bending over backwards to provide for her. It was incredibly sad to see, but I believe this is a very sad and unfulfilled person whom isn't satisfied no matter what, it's simply a shame that we had to be exposed to her. Your guides are exceptionally knowledgeable and accommodating to all interests, we saw big cats almost every day, and when we didn't, the majority of us were simply pleased to be present in this incredible landscape, myself and a fellow volunteer were particularly interested in birds, which we understood was not everyone's interest, so we only asked that we be allowed to spend a few seconds looking should a particular species make itself visible to us, we didn't take pictures, we didn't waste time looking for things that weren't there, we were simply happy to check off a few from our list while we could, the rest of the volunteers, bar one, were more than happy to accommodate that. Just as we were happy to accommodate anything they requested. Our primary focus was the big 5, as that was everyone's focus, and we saw everything, more than I expect a lot of people have seen during their time here, it was incredible. I never felt in danger while I was here, I am fully aware that the guides have spent their lives in this landscape, and know better than anyone what is safe and what is not. As well as where these animals like to be and what they like to eat. They worked so hard to provide for everyone, which sadly for a select 2 was never good enough, because they simply did not appreciate the meaning of the word "wildlife". For myself, I was awestruck by their dedication to the landscape around them, and the species that dwell within it, I learned things I never expected to learn, and I'm coming away a more knowledgeable, well rounded person from my experience. You have two excellent chefs in your employ, who sadly were also subject to insult from our unsatisfied guest about the budget being too tight, their food apparently being "disgusting" and uncooked, it's not true at all. The rest of us are in complete understanding that there is a budget, and a finite amount of food here at any one time. I never went hungry, I was always satisfied, and I was always grateful for their effort. I even went as far as to say the food is better than at Eagle View, because it is! Ben and Michael are a credit to your project, they are warm, welcoming and provide excellent meals three times a day, I was hoping to lose weight while I was here, that has definitely not happened! I have identified certain needs for the project during my time here, things you need that I understand you don't necessarily have the budget for or access to, it's my intention when I return to England to write a proposal to my superiors to provide you with what you need, because you more than deserve to have the right equipment and plenty of it to do your work, because the work you do here is incredibly important, and it should continue for as long as it possibly can. In conclusion, my only complaint from this project is having to endure the abuse I endured from someone whom is quite possibly the worst person I have ever met during my 26 years on the earth, despite my attempts to reconcile and ask what the problem was, I never got an answer, I simply got further abuse, and we were all subjected to blatant lies being made up about ours and her conduct in an attempt justify her behavior towards us. However, that is not something that is in your control, and I understand that, I was sad to learn that this isn't necessarily uncommon either, you deserve volunteers who are here because they believe in the heart and soul of the project, not ones who are here because they think it's a cheaper way to have a safari holiday. Despite that, I've had an incredible two weeks, I am so glad I chose this project, I've met some of the most amazing people, seen and heard and learned things I never expected to, and I'm leaving a better person than when I came. I really appreciate Caroline being so comforting when Elle got to me and made me cry, and telling me how much she appreciated my patience and understanding. She is a manager worthy of the name, I know very few people in her position who would have handled the situation so well. I implore you to please take in the feedback from the other volunteers that have been here for this time, and be careful when considering hers, because knowing her as I do I believe a lot of what she will tell you will be fabricated to try and justify her cause for being so aggressive to us and perhaps even to you. This project is exactly as described, and her own ignorance of not reading any literature before she came meant she lacked preparedness and had no intention of admitting that in fact she was the problem, not myself, Caroline, Francis, Collins, Ben, Mike or any of the other volunteers. Finally, I will be coming back to this project, and I intend to send as many people as I can in my profession. As an ecologist, I have been utterly amazed by the conservancy and the people working within it, and I will continue to support the project in any way I can for as long as I possibly can using my skills and connections. Asante Sana, you have literally changed my life.

I had the time of my life at AP! I met loads of new friends and the experience with the lions was insane. I’m coming back here one day! The people working at AP was so much fun to hang out with. To experience the African life was so much fun.

My experience in Zambia with African impact was more than i could have ever asked for. The team here was outstanding and made my experience in Africa very welcoming and friendly. Overall the medical project was brilliant and is a very much needed project in this community.

I expected to see a few animals and meet some nice folks and find something to do that will help preserve endangered animals. What I got was more animals in 24 hours than I've seen in a lifetime. I came when the animal were birthing and saw baby giraffe, elephant, lion, hyena, cheetah, wart hog, and even the hyena pups were adorable. These babies would have been extinct if this conservancy hadnt been available to them.

My experience with African Impact went beyond my expectations. Amazing Staff and Volunteers, meaningful communal activities and great social events! The guides on drives were interesting and informative. Our Photography coordinator Sam was Amazing and taught us a lot from his experience. Thank you so much for everything and see you next time!

Volunteering at African Impact Naboisho is an insightful and rewarding opportunity to learn about and contribute to one of Africa's leading conservation efforts. The daily game drives are spectacular!

My stay in Antelope Park has been great. It has been interesting to work with animals such as lions and elephants. The work does include cleaning a lot of enclosures and preparing meat for the lions, but that is just part of the experience. You also get to know a lot of new people from all over the world. The staff here is very friendly and knowledgeable as well.

It was an amazing experience to meet new people from all over the world! I haven’t expected that you can get so close to people that you only know for 2 or 4 weeks! It‘s incredible! Also the locals here are absolutely amazing, always in a good mood and friendly! Hakuna Matata, you know ;) It was such an honor for me being the teacher of kids and adults aswell, and I really hope that I have the chance to meet my students again some day! In general I can say: will never forget this 4 weeks in Zanzibar and the people I met! Thanks for all african impact!

I went to the Safari Stables on placement as part of my veterinary degree to learn more about the keeping and husbandry of horses. I had the most amazing experience which included being within feet of giraffe and zebra on horseback, an overnight safari, an incredible horse swim and of course getting to look after the ponies at antelope park. I also got the opportunity to walk with the lion cubs and with the orphaned elephants as well as visiting a wildlife orphanage. I can honestly say the whole trip was the best experience of my life the activities were incredible, the people were so friendly and the cause this all goes towards is so worthwhile. I cannot wait until I get the opportunity to volunteer at Antelope Park again and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

If you are reading this I hope it means you are excited to volunteer with African Impact. My experience was outstanding in so many ways. It was not so great in others but overall it gets a big thumbs up. If you keep in mind that this is a volunteer experience and not a luxury vacation than you will be fine. There is definitely a lack of comforts and plans and time schedules change on the fly, but the overall picture is that you are helping out in a great way. I highly recommend adding antelope park to your schedule if you are looking for semi-rustic volunteer experience and are happy with less than perfect accommodations (ie. cold showers) while you are abroad. Make sure you review your program details fully and prepare yourself for the opportunities that await.

Dumela lodge is truly one of the best wildlife based centres for conservation and knowledge. Among the many things I ve seen here I now have a much wider scope of understanding with the rhino situation. African impact helped me make an impact on wildlife and helped make an impact on me.

Enjoyed every minute at the dumela lodge. I have seen every animal I wanted to see. Even an Aardvark whites absolutely amazing. Klasserie is one of the most incredible things I have ever seen in my life and I will definitely go back to this place. The hard work that everybody is doing here is amazing and I think it s good tat the community is involved too.

The most incredible 5 weeks. So much happening, so well organised and so much on offer. Rosa and Abbie were both brilliant and there was an amazing feel about the place. Came for 4 weeks and stayed an extra week, best decision. The option of Victoria Falls was fantastic and park life was so much fun. Lion walks and elephant herds were incredible and the setting of the place was beautiful. The only problem is once you go you will never want to leave.

My experience was amazing! Wish i could stay longer. Everybody (Staff) was so nice and caring. I felt welcomed all the time and the projects were amazing! Kanga ladies is a very heart warming experience. For people that love the beach and love teaching, is the perfect combination.

I was on the community project for two weeks at Antelope Park. It was my second time here at Antelope Park, last year I was on the lion project but this time I wanted to try something different. The community project was amazing and I got to do so many different things, teaching at Julena, a remote school in a rural area was without a doubt my favourite! Interacting with the children, cooking traditional foods when on home visits, helping out at the orphanage, just a few examples of the everyday life on the project. I loved meeting people from around the world and especially the community staff members were so nice and made the whole experience even more fun! I really enjoyed my time here on the project and I really look forward to coming back once more!

I had a great experience here in Livingstone at the backpackers. The volunteering was fun and I learned a lot more about myself. Also the weekend activities are amazing. the backpackers is a great place to meet new people from all over the world.