You can contribute to 3 main missions: the nursery with babies, after school for children aged 7 to 15, and farm work.
The family running the farm welcomes you in a warm and friendly environment in the heart of a wildlife reserve. You will be fully immersed in South African culture.
In addition to the community projects, you also have the opportunity to join the big 5 project to discover the animals of the reserve!
Open to families, teenagers, groups, and adults, this reserve project begins with 2 nights in Soweto, the historic district of Johannesburg.
After this cultural introduction, you will live in the heart of the African wilderness in a wildlife reserve about 1 hour from Johannesburg.
For this part of the program, you will join a nursery welcoming abandoned babies from 3 months to 2 years old. The host family and the local staff take care of the children until they are 2 years old so that they can either return to their biological families or be adopted.
You will assist the local staff in their daily work with the babies.
Your missions are as follows:
Many projects with children are available. You can combine the projects according to your interests and local needs. You will work Monday to Friday.
The second project is to support the local staff during after school hours. You will be working with children aged 7 to 15.
The center hosts between 40 and 50 children from Monday to Friday, from 1pm to 4pm. The children need academic support, and you will help with homework.
Your missions may include:
Finally, you can get involved in the farm project. The host family owns and manages the farm where many activities await you.
The farm has 2 horses, milk and egg production.
Many construction projects are planned, and you will be able to take part in them:
Your missions are broad and varied, here are some examples of tasks to complete:
For example, in the recycling project, wood is recycled to create wooden animals.
Regarding families, the program can be adjusted according to the children’s ages. Working in the wildlife reserve is only open to children from 10 years old, while the nursery project can host children from 4 years old. We can also adapt the program duration to 1 week for families and select missions according to the children’s ages.
Begin the program with a full cultural immersion by visiting Soweto. 2 nights in the city to explore the surroundings and the historic district of Johannesburg.
Soweto bike tour: explore the surroundings of Soweto and discover its fascinating history.
Traditional beer tasting ceremony “The Circle of Unity” to discover traditional crafts and local drinks such as sorghum beer (Umqhombothi) and sweet corn drink (Mageu).
An optional project particularly suitable for families or groups wishing to enrich their experience.
You have the opportunity to live like a ranger, alternating between observation outings and conservation work. You have the opportunity to take part in an immersion with the animals and to participate in conservation efforts.
Please contact us for more information about this optional project (additional activities, rates, etc.).
This program is available year-round. Please contact us for a customized project.
Duration during the week | Budget total mission |
|---|---|
2 weeks | 2090 € |
3 weeks | 2980 € |
4 weeks | 3870 € |
5 weeks | 4760 € |
6 weeks | 5650 € |
7 weeks | 6540 € |
8 weeks | 7430 € |
10 weeks | 9210 € |
Volunteers are housed in the heart of the reserve, in the volunteer house. You share the daily life of the host family and eat with them.
Rooms are shared (maximum 2 people), and families will stay in a private room. The volunteer house is organized around common areas such as a living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
Volunteers must arrive at Johannesburg International Airport on Thursday – they will be welcomed and transferred to their accommodation in Soweto the same day, then taken to the reserve. Conservation and early childhood projects begin on Monday.
For all international projects, Realstep requires participants to take out travel insurance covering accidents, illness, and repatriation, as well as civil liability for professional activities abroad.
For complete protection while studying or interning abroad, you can take out Cap Student insurance online by following this link Student insurance abroad | Chapka Assurances, which will give you a 5% discount.
If you take out another insurance policy, we will ask you to send us a copy of your certificate in English.
Achieve the language level required for your international project with tailored support. The Clic-campus method Free Packers X Clic Campus foreign language training courses combines videoconference lessons and an innovative e-learning platform, offering complete flexibility from the comfort of your own home.
Our projects are selected to ensure safety. Families benefit from a reassuring environment and supervised activities. The days are designed to include both children and adults, with a flexible pace and shared moments of discovery.
Yes! For families who want to travel together, we offer programs specifically designed to welcome children from 4, 10, or 15 years old, depending on the project. Our program pages indicate whether they are family-friendly, or you can contact our team to learn more.
You’ll stay together in accommodation with private rooms, in shared houses, or in comfortable local hostels.
