DON’t HESITATE
Responsible volunteering
Responsible volunteering projects are based on the needs, priorities and aspirations of communities where they take place, and delivered in collaboration with the community, with sustainability in mind. They are responsibly managed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community as well as of volunteers.
Humanitarian Projects
SAVE aims to develop self-sufficient and thriving communities. Further to liaising with local authorities, SAVE ensures that each project goes through a rigorous assessment to identify the needs of each particular community and school, as well as how to best assist them in achieving their goals. SAVE aims to do more than provide band-aid solutions to broader issues, but instead, work alongside locals to assist with adaptable development initiatives that will continue to positively impact the community as milestones are reached.
SAVE provides responsible volunteering opportunities by ensuring that:
- Projects are developed with the community; for the community, therefore ensuring the maximum impact on the beneficiaries of each programme.
- SAVE’s flagship projects are run and managed by locally employed staff as project leaders and 24 hour support for volunteers.
- Volunteers receive thorough training upon their arrival to prepare & equip them with the skills needed during their placement
- Volunteers do not replace paid employment opportunities for local people, they work alongside local staff to assist with day-to-day operations
- SAVE evaluates programs on an ongoing basis assessing both needs for improvement/assistance and areas of growth
- Our aim is to contribute to the self-sufficiency of struggling communities by teaching valuable skills and educating the citizens to empower themselves
- Once a program/school is successfully up and running, the local staff can be upskilled by being encouraged to run the operation on their own. New programmes in need of assistance are then identified, expanding the reach of our work.
- We assist schools in achieving a high standard of education in order to obtain official government registration
- We encourage the dissemination of resources and education, rather than only donating funds and goods
- SAVE takes a developmental approach to poverty reduction by working with communities in need at all stages of life, from education and care in preschools to empowerment through business and skills development for adults.
- SAVE ensures the protection of children by screening each volunteer prior to joining, as well as providing 24 hour support for emergency contact and backup.
Wildlife Projects
SAVE is committed to providing ethical volunteering opportunities that follow all regulations and guidelines to ensure the conservation and protection of wildlife in Southern Africa. Our wildlife projects focus on conservation and rehabilitation of endangered, injured, and/or abandoned animals. SAVE strives to educate volunteers, providing insight & knowledge on the conservation and protection of wildlife, as well as guidance on ethical practices, allowing them the ability to make informed decisions surrounding future wildlife endeavours.
SAVE provides responsible volunteering opportunities with wildlife by ensuring that:
- Wildlife projects are in possession of all relevant international, national and provincial legal permits for homing wildlife.
- All our projects have an up-to-date record of all animals in their care, including their history and destination or death.
- SAVE will not associate itself with any organisations involved with cub-petting or any questionable practises that could be related to illegal & unethical activities – such as canned hunting.
- No wildlife animal interaction (touching) with volunteers or visitors is permitted on any of our programmes
- All projects subscribe to the Five Freedoms associated with good animal welfare: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to express normal behaviour, and freedom from fear and distress.
- Animals are not treated as a tourist attraction; no animals are trained to perform in front of an audience
- Breeding is only supported at projects that are designed explicitly for re-population purposes or declared conservation objectives which are verified by a recognised, independent conservation authority
- Wildlife projects should not have obtained animals from the wild, unless for a demonstrable and justifiable conservation need, or for legitimate rescue purposes.
- The animals at our projects receive attentive veterinary and handling care by trained professionals.
- Supported projects have the aim of releasing all animals back into the wild, when capable of doing so.
- The projects act as a safe haven for orphaned, injured, and/or traumatized animals
- Each enclosure provides adequate space for the animals to roam freely
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have to pay to volunteer? Isn't that the wrong way around?
It’s the most common question we get – and it’s a fair one. The short answer is: your programme fee is what makes the work possible.
SAVE Volunteering is the operational arm of a registered non-profit organisation. We do not have a commercial business funding our operations. Every project we run – the ECD centres in Dunoon, the wildlife conservation work in Botswana and Namibia, the community programmes across Cape Town – is funded through a combination of donations, grants, and volunteer programme fees.
Your fee covers accommodation, meals, airport transfers, in-country transport to project sites, project support, and a direct contribution to the project you are working on. It also pays our local staff – the drivers, coordinators, and project leaders who make the work happen 365 days a year, not just when volunteers are present.
What you are not paying for is a profit margin. Between 2023 and 2026, SAVE directed over R1.4 million directly into the community schools and projects we support – audited, verified, and available on request. Your programme fee is part of what makes that number possible.
Think of it this way: you are not paying to work. You are investing in impact – with an organisation that has a nearly twenty-year track record of using both your time and your money responsibly.
Why is volunteering not free to run?
Volunteer projects need people, systems, and resources to operate safely, responsibly, and sustainably. Even when volunteers are giving their time for free, the program itself still has costs.
These often include:
- accommodation
- meals
- airport transfers
- local transport
- orientation and support
- project materials and equipment
- staff supervision
- safety procedures
- coordination with local partners
If these costs are not covered, the burden falls directly on the project or community, which is neither sustainable nor ethical.
How does my payment help keep the programme running?
At SAVE Volunteering and SAVE Foundation, we are committed to making sure that program fees directly support the work on the ground.
SAVE Foundation has never taken any admin fees, and the founder, Carla Ferreira, has never taken a salary. The fees paid by volunteers go towards the real costs of running the program, including:
- food
- accommodation
- transport
- and donations towards the ongoing running of the projects
This support is essential in helping us continue our work in communities, schools, conservation projects, and animal welfare initiatives.
Why is ethical volunteering not free?
One of the biggest misconceptions about volunteering abroad is that the local project should absorb the cost of hosting international volunteers.
In reality, hosting volunteers takes time, planning, resources, and support. If a project has to pay for a volunteer’s food, accommodation, transport, and supervision without contribution, it can place pressure on already limited community resources.
That is why responsible volunteer organizations charge fees. The goal is to ensure that volunteers add value to the project, rather than creating an extra financial burden.
What do volunteers receive in return for their programme fee?
Volunteering is about giving back, but it is also an experience that gives something back to you.
Many volunteers receive:
- practical experience
- structured support
- cultural immersion
- training or mentorship
- accommodation and meals
- exposure to a future career path
- personal growth and confidence
For many people, volunteering is also part of a gap year, internship, or learning journey.
How transparent is Save Volunteering about programme costs?
Not all volunteer programs are the same. The important question is not only whether you pay, but what your payment supports.
- Before joining any program, you should ask:
- Is the organization transparent about costs?
- Does the money support the local project?
- Are there hidden admin fees?
- Is the program ethical and community-led?
At SAVE, we believe in being clear about why fees exist and how they help sustain the work.
How is SAVE Volunteering different from a volunteer agency or booking agent?
This is an important distinction. SAVE Volunteering is not an agency. We do not take a booking fee and send you to a third-party project we have no direct relationship with or control over.
We own and operate our own projects. The ECD centres in Dunoon are run by community members SAVE Volunteering has worked with for years. The Botswana Wildlife Project is managed by our on-the-ground conservation partners. Our project leaders, coordinators, and drivers are SAVE Volunteering staff – people whose names you will know within your first day on the ground.
When you volunteer through volunteering.org.za, you are joining an organisation – not booking a product.
SAVE Volunteering is also a registered member of ATTA® (the African Travel & Tourism Association) under the ATTA for Action category – an independent, third-party verification of our legitimacy within the African tourism and conservation ecosystem.
How long should I volunteer for? Is one week enough to make a difference?
Honestly – one week is better than nothing, but longer placements create more meaningful impact. Here’s why.
The projects SAVE Volunteering works with – especially the ECD centres – are built on relationships. A teacher who sees a new volunteer face every single week eventually stops investing, because she knows you’ll be gone before she has figured out how you can help. Consistency is currency in community work.
We recommend a minimum of two weeks for first-time volunteers. Four weeks or longer allows you to genuinely embed in a project, build trust with community members, develop skills that are actually useful, and experience enough of daily life in Cape Town to understand the context of the work.
That said, we work with what we have. A one-week volunteer who is present, engaged, and committed still contributes meaningfully. Whatever your timeframe, contact us at volunteering.org.za and we will find the right fit.
What is township life really like? Is it safe for volunteers?
Townships in South Africa – including Dunoon, where SAVE Volunteering’s community projects are based – are often described in terms of what they lack. That description is accurate but radically incomplete.
What it misses is the density of community life that exists within these constraints. Dunoon is a neighbourhood where people know their neighbours, where churches are full on Sunday mornings, where women’s groups and stokvels operate as informal financial safety nets, and where the ECD principals SAVE Volunteering works with have dedicated decades of their lives to the children in their care.
Volunteers are always accompanied by SAVE Volunteering staff or experienced project leaders when working in township communities. You will not arrive alone. Over time, as you become a familiar face, you will be welcomed in ways that no tourist ever experiences – because you are there to contribute, not to observe.
Like any urban environment, specific areas require awareness. SAVE Volunteering will brief you fully on safety protocols before your first project visit. The overwhelming experience reported by our volunteers is not fear – it is humility, connection, and the recognition that resilience looks very different from what they expected.
Where will I be staying? Do I live in the township?
SAVE Volunteering accommodates volunteers at our volunteer house in Tableview, Cape Town – a safe, comfortable base in the Northern Suburbs, approximately 15–20 minutes from Dunoon and the community project sites.
Volunteers do not live inside the township communities they work in. This is a deliberate and considered ethical choice. Township accommodation for volunteers raises genuine questions about displacing community members and creating artificial tourist infrastructure in residential areas. Our model keeps that boundary clear.
The Tableview volunteer house gives you a home base with fellow volunteers, easy access to Cape Town’s coastline, mountains, and city on days off, and a place to debrief and process your experiences – which matters more than most people expect going in.
For our Botswana Wildlife Project, accommodation is provided on-site at the project location. Full accommodation details and photographs are available for each specific programme on volunteering.org.za.
Is Cape Town safe for volunteers? What about crime?
Cape Town has a global reputation for crime that is both accurate and often misapplied. The city has significant inequality, and violent crime is real – but it is concentrated in specific areas and typically linked to gang activity and socioeconomic pressure that is unlikely to directly affect a volunteer following basic awareness protocols.
The areas SAVE Volunteering operates in – Tableview, the Northern Suburbs, and the project sites in Dunoon – are well-known to our staff. We have been operating in these communities for nearly twenty years without a serious safety incident involving a volunteer.
We provide a full pre-arrival safety briefing, clear protocols for different areas, emergency contact information, and 24-hour staff availability. We will always tell you honestly which areas to avoid and why.
The most important safety factors are common sense: do not walk alone at night, do not display expensive equipment, follow your project leader’s guidance, and use SAVE Volunteering transport rather than navigating independently until you know the area well.
Most volunteers are surprised by how comfortable and enjoyable daily life in Cape Town is – a world-class city with extraordinary natural beauty, incredible food, and a warmth in its people that is hard to find anywhere else on earth.
Why don't we get to interact directly with the wildlife? I thought that's what volunteering in Africa was about.
This question gets to the heart of what ethical conservation volunteering actually means – and it is one of the most important conversations happening in the industry right now.
Direct hands-on interaction with healthy wild animals – holding lion cubs, walking with cheetahs, petting wildlife – is almost never legitimate conservation work. In the vast majority of cases, it is a commercial experience that uses the language of conservation to charge visitors for something that is actively harmful to the animals involved.
Lion cubs available for petting have been removed from their mothers. Facilities that charge for cub interaction are overwhelmingly part of the captive lion breeding industry, which has no conservation value and significant animal welfare concerns that are well-documented by wildlife organisations including Blood Lions and the EMS Foundation.
SAVE Volunteering’s wildlife work focuses on what genuine conservation actually requires: monitoring, data collection, habitat maintenance, anti-poaching support, and the rehabilitation of animals that are genuinely injured or orphaned – not bred in captivity for visitor interaction.
On our Botswana Wildlife Project, you will track and monitor wild animals – lion, cheetah, leopard, wild dog, rhino, giraffe and more – in their natural environment in and around the Central Kalahari. On rehabilitation projects, you may assist with care of animals that cannot survive in the wild unaided. In both cases, the welfare of the animal comes first, always.
If any volunteer organisation offers hands-on interaction with healthy wild predators as a selling point, treat that as a serious red flag – not a benefit.
What is included in my volunteer programme fee? What do I need to budget for separately?
SAVE Volunteering programme fees include: airport pick-up on arrival, accommodation at the volunteer house in Tableview (or on-site for the Botswana Wildlife Project and Nambia), daily breakfast and dinner, all in-country transport to and from project sites, project materials and tools, a full orientation on arrival, and 24-hour staff support throughout your stay.
Not included: your international flights, travel insurance (compulsory – we cannot accept volunteers without it), lunches on project days, personal spending money, optional day tours or weekend trips, and your visa if required for your nationality.
South Africa does not require a visa for citizens of most Western European, North American, and Australasian countries for stays of up to 90 days. Check current requirements for your specific nationality before travelling.
Travel insurance is non-negotiable. Your policy must cover medical evacuation, trip cancellation, and personal liability. World Nomads is widely used by our volunteers but any reputable policy covering your activities is acceptable.
For full, up-to-date programme pricing and payment options, visit volunteering.org.za or email bookings@volunteering.org.za.
What should I pack for my SAVE Volunteering placement?
Pack light, practical, and for a wide range of conditions. Cape Town weather is famously variable – warm and sunny one day, cold and wet the next. The Kalahari is hot during the day and cold at night.
For community placements (ECD centres, soup kitchens, school projects): comfortable, modest clothing suitable for working with children – nothing expensive that you would be upset about getting paint or glue on. A small daypack. If you have specific skills in music, art, or sport, bring supplies you are happy to leave behind as a donation.
For the Botswana Wildlife Project: long-sleeved shirts and long trousers for sun and insects, closed-toe shoes or light hiking boots, a wide-brimmed hat, high-factor sunscreen, a headlamp for early morning tracking, binoculars if you have them, and a good reusable water bottle. Neutral earth tones preferred – avoid bright whites and blues in the field.
For all placements: a universal travel adaptor (South Africa uses Type M three-pin plugs), a basic first aid kit, and any prescription medication accompanied by a doctor’s letter. South Africa has excellent pharmacies – toiletries and basics can be purchased in Cape Town on arrival.
Leave expensive jewellery and non-essential valuables at home. Common sense, not paranoia.
Do I need qualifications or experience to volunteer with SAVE Volunteering?
No formal qualifications are required for most placements. What matters far more is attitude: a genuine commitment to showing up, doing the work, being respectful of the communities and environments you are entering, and approaching the experience with humility rather than the assumption that you are there to fix something.
Specific skills are always welcome. Teachers, healthcare workers, social workers, builders, IT professionals, photographers, and media creators all have specialist knowledge that can be channelled into specific projects. Tell us what you do at volunteering.org.za and we will find the best fit.
For the Botswana Wildlife Project, no previous conservation experience is required – but reasonable physical fitness helps, as early morning field work can be demanding. A genuine interest in wildlife and ecology is the only prerequisite.
For ECD and school placements, a love of working with children goes a long way. You do not need to be a qualified teacher.
All SAVE Volunteering participants working with children complete a mandatory safeguarding orientation on arrival. This is non-negotiable, takes approximately two hours, and is part of our commitment to the safety of every child in our programmes.
Can families or school and university groups volunteer with SAVE Volunteering?
Yes – and this is one of the most rewarding ways to experience the programme. Families who volunteer together build something that no holiday can replicate: a shared experience of genuine contribution in a place that is genuinely unlike anywhere they have been before.
For school and university groups, SAVE Volunteering offers structured group volunteer days and longer placements that can be tailored to curriculum requirements, service-learning credits, Life Orientation hours, or gap year programmes. We have hosted groups from schools and universities across Europe, the UK, Australia, the United States, and South Africa.
Age requirements: volunteers under 15 must be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Volunteers aged 16–17 may participate in projects with written parental consent and accompanying adult supervision. The Botswana Wildlife Project is recommended for volunteers 16 and over due to the physical demands and remote location.
School and university coordinators: contact us directly at bookings@volunteering.org.za with your group size, preferred dates, and project interests. We will build a bespoke programme around your group’s needs and schedule.
What is there to do on weekends and after project hours? Can I explore Cape Town and beyond?
This is one of the best parts of volunteering in Cape Town – and it is one of the reasons so many of our volunteers extend their placements or come back.
Weekends and afternoons are your own time. SAVE Volunteering’s reservations team can book day tours, weekend trips, and longer excursions on your behalf – at competitive rates and through vetted operators. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer:
IN AND AROUND CAPE TOWN: Table Mountain cable car or hike, Cape Peninsula day tour (Cape Point, Boulders Beach penguins, Chapman’s Peak), Robben Island, wine tasting in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, shark cage diving in Gansbaai, whale watching in Hermanus (June–November), Boulders Beach, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, surfing lessons at Muizenberg, and kayaking on the Waterfront.
WEEKEND ESCAPES: The Garden Route is one of the world’s great road trips – Wilderness, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Tsitsikamma National Park, and the Storms River Mouth are all within driving distance of Cape Town for a long weekend. Many volunteers combine a Garden Route trip with a stop at Addo Elephant National Park near Port Elizabeth.
FURTHER AFIELD: Kruger National Park is accessible by flight from Cape Town (approximately 2 hours to Hoedspruit or Phalaborwa). A 3–4 day Kruger safari is one of the most popular add-ons for volunteers with two weeks or more. Our reservations team can arrange self-drive or guided options, and accommodation from bush camps to private lodges.
BOTSWANA EXTENSION: Volunteers on the Botswana Wildlife Project are already in one of Southern Africa’s most extraordinary wilderness areas. The project can be extended with a visit to the Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park (famous for its elephant herds and river safari), or Victoria Falls – all within comfortable reach of the project location.
Ask Sandy in our reservations team at bookings@volunteering.org.za for current pricing, availability, and personal recommendations. She has been in the industry for 16 years and knows exactly what is worth doing and what to skip.
How do I know my volunteer work is actually making a difference?
This is the question that separates responsible volunteer organisations from the rest – and one you should ask of any organisation before you commit.
SAVE Volunteering’s answer is audited financials, nearly twenty years of verifiable community presence, and named, long-standing partners. Between 2023 and 2026, we directed R1 420 883 directly into the ECD centres and community projects we support – every rand accounted for in annual audited accounts available on request from volunteering.org.za.
Our community partners – Phumeza at Footsteps Educare, Elizabeth at Nyakallo Kidz Academy, Esteline at Harare Kidz – have worked alongside SAVE Volunteering for eight years or more. They are not anonymous beneficiaries. They are named members of our governance structure and our community.
We also believe in honest impact reporting. Volunteers do not transform communities in two weeks. What you provide is meaningful, specific support – an extra pair of hands in a classroom that is understaffed, data collection that a small conservation team cannot do alone, the energy and attention of someone who chose to show up.
The cumulative impact of thousands of volunteers over twenty years is measurable and real. The impact of your individual placement is also real – and modest. Both things are true, and any organisation that tells you otherwise is selling you something.
What is "orphanage tourism" and how is SAVE Volunteering's work with children different?
Orphanage tourism is a documented and growing problem in the volunteer travel industry. Children – sometimes not actually orphans – are placed in residential facilities partly funded by paying volunteer visitors. The more visitors a facility attracts, the more income it receives – creating a perverse incentive to keep children in institutional care rather than family or community settings.
SAVE Volunteering does not operate orphanages or residential childcare facilities. Our work with children is conducted exclusively through community-based ECD centres – preschools and after-care programmes that are owned and run by community members, where children go home to their families every afternoon.
The difference matters enormously. Children in SAVE Volunteering’s supported ECD centres are part of their community, with their families, in settings run by women who have been serving those communities for over a decade. Volunteers support the teachers and the educational programme – they do not become the primary attachment figure for vulnerable children.
If any volunteer organisation offers you the chance to live alongside or care for resident children as a primary carer, ask direct questions about the organisation’s child safeguarding policy, the children’s family situations, and how volunteer turnover is managed. These are not hostile questions – they are the right ones.
