memories for a lifetime
Bush school and wildlife project
The Bush School & Wildlife centre was opened in 2006 with the mission of educating and inspiring local children to value their environment and stimulate community development. Through the different programs, more than 4,000 children have been reached, hundreds of animals have been cared for and dozens of youth have been given help to find employment.
Every Monday, eight new students come to the camp to spend the week building their knowledge of the environment and wildlife. They attend lessons, activities, and interact with the animals in the wildlife orphanage.
The volunteering program is designed to give volunteers the opportunity to teach local children, care for injured or abandoned wildlife, and fully immerse themselves in the South African bush. Volunteers are vital to the success of the programs and really make an impact on the communities. You will spend your days teaching children and helping the staff care for the animals around camp. This can be anything from feeding an animal with a bottle to cleaning their enclosures or picking up a hammer and renovating their homes.
Details about the project
What's included
During your two week Community Project you will be collected and dropped off at the airport or local town. You will stay at a local BnB which is also a homestay.
Guidance
24 hour support and supervision
Accommodation
Shared rooms with other volunteers
Food & Beverages
Three meals a day, coffee & tea included
Details about the project
Bush School and Wildlife project details
- Arrival Day – Thursday
- Time – Your flight can land anytime on Thursday
- Airport – O R Tambo (JNB) International Airport
- Jo’burg Orientation – Thursday – Friday
- Project Starts – Saturday
- Departure Day – Saturday
- Departure time – You must take a late evening flight out of JNB as the shuttle will only arrive back to JNB in the late afternoon/evening (+/- 18h00)
- Min Duration – 2 weeks (including 2 day orientation)
- Min Age: 17 (With Parental consent)
- Max Age: N/A – Medium level of fitness & in good health
NOTE: We can also collect you at any hotel or place of accommodation on your arrival day, should it be within close radius of the city centre or airport.
Monday through to Friday you will be teaching a group of eight children, ages 13-16, about the environment, the importance of protecting wildlife, and about social issues like safe sex and substance abuse. Your day starts at 7 am and lessons begin at 9 am. Classes are finished around 4:30 pm when you will have group discussions with the children about social issues. You will play games with the children, join them in the pool, and dance around the bonfire to their favorite songs. You also work with the kids to feed and care for the animals. These projects change according to needs of the animals and farm and you might not help with all of them while you are on the program.
Please note that from time to time there can be unavoidable changes to projects. These can be caused by weather, conservation priorities, materials supply, or because ongoing projects have progressed more quickly or slowly than originally planned. We ask you to accept the changes – we are sure that you will enjoy the replacement projects just as much.
Your day starts at 7 am and finishes around 5pm. Dinner and free time follows.
Monday:
Walk dogs, stabling, school activities, tracks, game night, etc.
Tuesday:
Walk dogs, stabling, game reserve, school activities, shower duty, etc.
Wednesday:
Water testing, school activities, feeding lions, anti-poaching, shower duty, etc.
Thursday:
Bush walk, stabling, school activities, fire building, social talk, etc
Friday:
Walk dogs, stabling, rubbish collection, school acitivities, big cleanup
Saturday:
Stabling, town outing
Sunday:
Off day
- Completed Application form
- Basic level of competency in English
- Copy of return flight itinerary
- Travel Insurance
Located in the middle of the bush, the camp is rustic and the project does their very best to make sure everyone is kept clean, comfortable, and well fed. You will enjoy hot showers, running water, and solar-powered lights in your traditional chalets. You may be sharing your chalet with up to 3 other volunteers but everyone has their own bed and space to store clothes and personal items. The rooms are cleaned every day. Chalets are equipped with towels, bed linens, and a mosquito net. The accommodation is safe, the chalets have locks on the inside and all the windows have mosquito gauze in front of them. Volunteers are often pleasantly surprised at the nice conditions when they arrive. Living and working at the camp is very safe. The camp is fenced in and the farm is in a protected area. You won’t need to worry about crime as much while staying on the project as they take precautions to make sure that staff and children are safe from the predatory animals and danger.
6
Activity level
6
Education level
8
Involvement level
7
Independence level
Our Recommendation
