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Get Free Quotes From 7 Best Cheap South Africa Volunteer ProvidersAre you planning on volunteering in South Africa? Are you open to reading about the most highly rated and affordable volunteering opportunities in South Africa, offered by trustworthy and credible companies?
South Africa is the southernmost country in the African continent. This multiethnic country has various religions, dialects and, of course, cultures. Volunteering and visiting in this awesome country is indeed an amazing chance to work with great African wildlife projects, help children and witness the magical 'big five'. There are also opportunities to dive with great white sharks at Hermanus, and more.
While joining a South Africa volunteer program is an eye-opening opportunity, it can be quite daunting to find the best, safest and affordable provider. A quick search on the internet will have you overwhelmed as hundreds of volunteer providers will pop-up on your screen, all claiming to be as good as each other.
There are plenty of organizations offering South Africa programs with prices ranging from several hundred to many thousands of dollars. It could take you several weeks just to compare different volunteering providers.
At TravellersQuest, we don’t want to see you paying super high costs for your selfless work and ruining your experience. We want to see you joining a reputable, safe and affordable volunteering program in South Africa where you can be sure to create meaningful impact and make a real difference in the country.
So, our research teams went through hundreds of volunteer providers and narrowed it down to the 7 best, in terms of being both - inexpensive and highly rated.
| Company Name | Sample Price USD | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| International Volunteer HQ | $604 |
Go overseas: 2,219 Reviews Go Abroad: 1,657 Reviews |
| IFRE Volunteer | $599 |
Go Overseas: 116 Reviews |
| Love Volunteers | $748 |
Go overseas: 140 Reviews Go Abroad: 271 Reviews |
| Global Crossroad | $599 |
Go overseas: 93 Reviews |
| Naturally Africa Volunteers | $885 |
Go Overseas: 14 Reviews |
| GoEco | $1,020 |
Go Abroad: 729 Reviews Go Overseas: 89 Reviews |
| A Broader View Volunteers | $1190 |
Go overseas:890 Reviews Volunteer Forever:178 Reviews |
Table updated: April 3, 2024
International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) is quite popular in the international volunteering industry. This top-rated humanitarian organization was founded in 2007 in New Zealand and has more than 42 volunteer abroad destinations all over the world. They offer several meaningful and inexpensive opportunities to volunteer in South Africa. When you join their overseas volunteer program, you’ll get to create meaningful, real-world impact in needy communities while earning some invaluable experience regarding volunteering and social service.
IVHQ offers volunteers the opportunity to choose anywhere between 1 to 24 weeks for their inexpensive volunteering experience in South Africa. You need to be 18 years or over to participate unless you’re with your guardian. You also require travel insurance and a criminal background check report.
If you’re interested in the education field, we recommend the volunteer teaching program in South Africa. You’ll help teach English, organize educational activities and help teach life skills to primary level children.
The sports development program is the perfect opportunity to encourage fitness among young children. If you have experience playing one particular sport, such as soccer, this will also be of great help. You will be responsible for creatively planning and delivering sports lessons to the kids.
If you are someone who has a knack for taking care of young children, you should consider IVHQ’s childcare program. There are many daycare centers in Muizenberg for kids from poor and broken families. South Africa childcare volunteers will share their love, passion and several other life skills.
The animal welfare program is a great opportunity to care for abandoned and sick animals. You’ll help care and feed animals, monitor their behavior and support local animal welfare efforts. Also get a chance to discover South Africa’s diverse wildlife through this program.
IVHQ has hundreds of positive reviews from volunteers from all over the world. The biggest pleasure for South Africa volunteers was to see the eyes of happy children whom they had helped by sharing their knowledge and skills. You can go through some excellent testimonials given by past volunteers. IVHQ has 2,219 reviews on Go Overseas and 1,657 reviews on Go Abroad.
Read all reviews of IVHQ on Go Overseas.
Read all reviews of IVHQ on Go Abroad.
IVHQ offers inexpensive but highly rated volunteer in South Africa programs. The program fees are set based on the destination and the length of stay. All IVHQ program fees are divided into an application registration fee ($329) and weekly fees, starting from $275.
However, the fees do not the cost of visa, travel insurance, in-country trips and tours, vaccinations, flights, transfer back to the airport, souvenirs, and any additional spending.
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IFRE Volunteers is a top-tier charitable organization founded in 2006 in Texas, USA that has dedicated all of its efforts in helping the poor and the needy. Since its creation, the organization has organized more than 22,000 volunteer placements in over 200 projects worldwide. Their affordable prices and insistence on fees being paid directly to the project or host family creates a great level of confidence amongst potential volunteers. IFRE’s volunteer work in South Africa has helped to bring happiness and joy to many impoverished and struggling families.
IFRE organizes several volunteering programs in South Africa to help both children and adults in need and help improve their lives in some way. To meet these goals, their projects mainly focus on basic needs such as education and health
Are you someone who has a deep love for children and a willingness to make people smile? When you join their childcare volunteering program in Cape Town, you will work with abused children and orphans. You will mostly share your love and passion with physically and mentally challenged kids.
South Africa English teacher volunteers will work in the kindergarten, primary, or secondary schools. The nature of the work depends on the level of teaching. Volunteers who have skills in art, music and sports may also give additional classes and can contribute to the recreational programs.
Are you someone who knows a lot about sports, health and fitness? Check out IFRE’s physical education program! Volunteers will be placed in a coaching position at a local school or work at a soccer camp in the area. Their responsibilities will involve helping with basic sports coaching and fitness training, promoting a healthy lifestyle awareness program, and organizing team building exercises.
Are you a healthcare or medical student looking for some more experience to add to your repertoire of skills? As a medical volunteer in South Africa, you’ll work in local clinics and help with HIV/AIDS awareness programs, dressing wounds, measuring blood pressure and more.
IFRE offers some of the best volunteer abroad programs, and consequently have many positive reviews from their alumni. Those that volunteered in South Africa praised the open-minded and friendly homestay families and also elaborated on how their experience changed their life. If you don’t believe us, you are very welcome to check out IFRE volunteer reviews on their website. IFRE Volunteers has 116 reviews on Go Overseas. Read reviews of IFRE Volunteers on Go Overseas.
IFRE offers low-cost but highly reviewed South Africa volunteering programs, with all of their program fees being tax-deductible. Costs depend on the length of stay and the trip destination. You can check their South Africa program fees here. There is also an initial registration cost of $299.
The good news is volunteers pay fees directly to host families and projects. The weekly fees include food and accommodation, the cost of local tourist/sightseeing sites, language and cultural training, training materials, the cost of recreational activities, as well as comprehensive travel insurance.
Love Volunteers is an affordable volunteering organization which was founded in 2009 in New Zealand. This volunteering organization is one of the most affordable when it comes to volunteering opportunities in South Africa. Their focus is to help build connection and empathy in people and also to contribute to the development of poor countries. All of their abroad operations are up-to-date because of local parties that continuously improve and refine their services.
All of Love Volunteers’ programs are based in either Cape Town or Port Elizabeth. You’ll get a glimpse into the unique South African culture while helping the locals prosper and develop their localities.
Love Volunteers currently runs an excellent social welfare program that you can be a part of. The program encompasses projects in the areas of helping orphanages, daycares, and caring for differently able children, and abused children. This project requires volunteers to be 21 years old or more and is suitable for couples.
Are you passionate about education and passing on valuable knowledge to the younger generations? On this education volunteer program in South Africa, volunteers assist teachers in educational institutions such as primary or high schools. Also, you get a chance to teach basic computer skills to the underprivileged children.
Take active part in saving the environment and resources on the environment conservation program. Educate the younger generations on how-to preserve and care for their environment. Your other tasks may involve gardening, physical labor and general outdoor work, as well as construction.
Wildlife conservation volunteers in Port Elizabeth will work up-close with South African Big Cats. Your duties include monitoring and tracking wild animals, mending fences, removing alien vegetation, animal counting, and even animal feeding.
For those volunteers that are passionate about sports, you can share your passion with needy African children through the sport development program. Coach young kids, develop training programs and help youths develop their fitness and physique.
Love Volunteers has earned many great reviews from past volunteers that worked with them. Most praise their immediate support, quality services and a professional way of handling things. Past volunteers in South Africa have shared their volunteer experience on Love Volunteers’ website. Love Volunteers has 140 reviews on Go Overseas and 271 reviews on Go Abroad.
Read all reviews of Love Volunteers on Go Overseas.
Read all reviews of Love Volunteers on Go Abroad.
Love Volunteers do their best to ensure that volunteers pay the lowest possible fees. All of their programs have a starting registration fee of $299. Their weekly program fees start at $449 and covers food, accommodation, transport, orientation, and in-country support staff during volunteer placement.
Volunteers are supposed to pay for their own flights, visas, travel insurance, and vaccinations, as well as bring some spending money.
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Founded in 2003 and registered in Dallas, Texas, Global Crossroad is a well-reputed non-profit organization known for providing excellent and affordable volunteer abroad opportunities. Although Global Crossroad started as a small company, they quickly grew and now their reach spans to over 18 countries and 200 projects! The company aims to ensure that their programs remain sustainable and have a high value. Through their persistent efforts, both volunteers and aid recipients get a life-changing experience.
Global Crossroad offers highly flexible programs and affordable volunteering work in South Africa from 2-12 weeks. The main focus of their program is on helping underprivileged children and women, and supporting healthcare and education projects.
Global Crossroad’s underprivileged children program in Cape Town has been a long running operation where you get to work with abused children and orphans, care for them, feed them and play with them. You will also help them with homework, tidy up the orphanage, and other related activities.
GCR’s teaching English South Africa Volunteer program is indeed an amazing program for volunteers who love teaching. You will assist local teachers in a community school and at times, teach a subject of your choice. Volunteers with additional skills in music, art, and sports can introduce these recreational activities to the students.
On the wildlife volunteer program, volunteers will care for animals, maintain and repair enclosures and learn about diverse South African wildlife. You’ll help restore the ecology of a game reserve and combat poaching and illegal trading.
Global Crossroad has garnered hundreds of positive reviews and experiences from their past volunteers. Volunteers note that the team is responsive to questions during all steps of the journey, and many commented that they get more than they could have ever expected from the trip. Global Crossroad has 93 reviews on Go Overseas.
Read all reviews of Global Crossroad on Go Overseas.
Global Crossroads offers affordable volunteer in South Africa programs and every effort is made to maintain these low prices. The fees are divided into two parts, a registration fee that costs $299 and weekly program fees, starting from $300. The weekly fees cover main meals, accommodation, the cost of in-country coordinator, pre-departure information, a certificate of completion, and fundraising ideas.
GoEco is a leading eco-tourism company and volunteer provider that started work in 2003. They have over 150 extraordinary community, wildlife and environmental initiatives all over the world. Their programs range from aiding local community groups to working on large-scale projects with renowned global organizations. All of their projects are carefully vetted to ensure your experience is safe and impactful. As a volunteer provider in South Africa, their contribution to wildlife and nature conservation has been quite impactful in the country.
Let’s just cut to the chase and get straight into GoEco’s most influential volunteer programs:
GoEco offers a unique opportunity for volunteers to immerse themselves into diverse African wildlife through their Wild Cat Sanctuary Project. Your main tasks will be promoting the health and welfare of all animals living on the grounds. You will work with a diverse range of animals and also, you’ll be taught how to care for each animal as they all have different needs.
The Teach, Surf and Skate Project is a bright initiative where volunteers work to teach underprivileged children valuable life lessons and skills through sports and adventure activities. They work on specific activities like surfing and swimming to develop leadership, teamwork, coordination and more.
You can also be a part of the Cape Town Community Projects where you will be placed in one of seven schools in the community. You’ll be working on enhancing early childhood development and preparing the children for regular schools by teaching Basic English and cognitive skills.
Work with expert marine biologists to help preserve marine life around Cape Town on GoEco’s Big 5 Conservation Project. You’ll assist with daily diving operations; monitor various shark species around the area, help in handling a penguin and seabird sanctuary and other several activities as per the project’s requirements.
GoEco has established itself as a key figure in several environmental conservation projects. Past volunteers in South Africa are pleasantly surprised at the amount of experience, services and memories they gather through their trip. GoEco has a separate reviews and awards section on their webpage that you should check out. This prestigious organization has 89 reviews on Go Overseas and 729 reviews on Go Abroad.
Read all reviews of GoEco on Go Overseas.
Read all reviews of GoEco on Go Abroad.
GoEco’s program fees are a bit pricier than other companies on this list but, their services are absolutely wonderful and their experiences cannot be beat! Most of their conservation volunteer programs in South Africa require serving for a minimum of 2 weeks with prices starting at $1,020.
A Broader View (ABV) is a registered non-profit charity founded in 2007 and based in Pennsylvania, USA. The organization offers more than 345 volunteer travel programs in 32 countries across the world. Their motto is to provide you with amazing travel and culturally immersive experiences while also helping to make this world a better place. A Broader View’s volunteer experience in South Africa is an extremely eye-opening experience for volunteers of all ages and groups.
A Broader View Volunteers’ programs are located in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape of South Africa. The city’s natural beauty, amazing wildlife and the rich culture will give you ample of lasting memories to cherish all your life.
Their orphanage volunteer program in South Africa is a wonderful opportunity for volunteers who have a deep passion to change the life of disadvantaged children. You will work in a care center called Creche, which is home to over 30 underprivileged children.
The community development program is yet another very enriching and fulfilling program. As per your experience and preference, you can contribute in preschools, primary schools, sports activities, swim and dance activities and more.
A Broader View has impressed its volunteers through and through with excellent placements and high quality services. Volunteering opportunities in South Africa are plenty but with ABV, you truly get to experience something wonderful. A Broader View has 178 reviews on Go Overseas.
Read all reviews of A Broader View on Go Overseas.
A Broader View’s South Africa volunteer programs are all fairly priced without any hindrances to service or quality. The program fees start at $890 for a 1 week program. The price you’re paying will include accommodation, meals, and transfer during the program’s working hours, in-country emergency support and 24-hour in-country support.
Volunteers can help in many different ways in South Africa. You can either take part in humanitarian aid efforts that include teaching, healthcare, and childcare or, take part in wildlife and nature conservation projects.
It is absolutely safe to volunteer in South Africa. South Africa is a stable country and you needn’t fear any political upheavals. We do recommend that you avoid areas that have a high crime rate.
Yes, foreigners opting to volunteer in South Africa must acquire a valid Volunteer Visa. You can obtain your South Africa Volunteer Visa by contacting the South African embassy in your home country. The visa will last for 3-6 months and can be renewed again.
If you’re a tourist or somebody that is visiting the country for business, you can stay up to 90 days. However, if you’ve come to South Africa for volunteering purposes, you need to gain access to a valid Volunteer Visa.
The best place to volunteer in South Africa is definitely Cape Town. From community development projects that include teaching, sports and art to conservation projects regarding various marine and land wildlife, there are plenty of first-class volunteering opportunities in Cape Town.
Some readers of this article have probably already had great experiences with one of the organizations covered here, or perhaps with another company offering volunteer in South Africa programs.
Others may make their decision based on what they read here. Either way, we'd love to hear about any experiences you have had, so be sure to get in touch with us if you end up going to South Africa, or you have experienced any of these programs already!
Share your experiences and let us know which organization you use. If you didn’t, then tell us which one of these organizations made you interested in impactful opportunities in South Africa.
