A new study reveals hidden benefits of volunteering in South Africa with more than 95 percent of volunteers returning home happier and more confident with major gains in areas of personal growth.
Results of an independent two-year study into the personal impact of volunteering overseas have far-reaching implications for voluntourism, the largest growth area in youth travel and responsible tourism.
Volunteers from a variety of countries, including the United States and Canada, booked their experience with AVIVA, a Cape Town-based organization that specializes in coordinating wildlife and community volunteer projects in South Africa.
Researcher Zoë Alexander of Buckinghamshire New University commented, “The international volunteering experience significantly benefits the volunteers. After volunteering in South Africa, they are happier, more positive, adventurous and confident, and certainly more in touch with their feelings than they were before their trip.”
According to AVIVA Director Ed Scott, many volunteers sign up for projects without thinking about what they will gain personally from the experience, but there is no doubt that self-growth, new-found confidence and new friends can be ranked amongst the many benefits that volunteers take home.
“When volunteering at organizations such as the SANCCOB rehabilitation centre in Cape Town,” says Ed, “volunteers have the added benefit of working hands-on with African penguins and a rare chance to do meaningful work toward saving a species in danger of extinction.”
One volunteer said, “My confidence has grown dramatically, and I take up every single opportunity now,” while another summed up her experience by saying, “Living and working abroad has helped me develop personally and professionally. I know I have become a more confident and caring person and finally know what career I want to go into.”
Volunteers contribute to a wide range of grassroots projects in South Africa and make a significant contribution to the South African economy each year. They also address some of the key challenges put forward by South African Tourism by taking part in projects, cultural experiences and adventurous activities in areas outside the traditional tourism routes.
Ed commented that South Africa has emerged as one of the top destinations for international volunteers in recent years, with many volunteers returning again and again. “In these tough economic times, volunteering overseas is particularly relevant for anyone looking to give their résumé an impressive boost,” says Ed, “and an increasing number of students and professionals are seeing their volunteer experience as a useful way to test-drive a future career in conservation or community work.”
About AVIVA
Based in Cape Town and founded in 2002, AVIVA supports sustainable community, wildlife and conservation projects while providing international volunteers with life-changing experiences in South Africa. Eighty-three percent of AVIVA’s volunteers are females with 60 percent of them being between 16-25 years old.
Among the projects available, volunteers can choose to work with lions on an African game reserve, assist care workers at a world famous children’s home in Cape Town, teach disadvantaged youngsters to surf, help rehabilitate African penguins or track and monitor endangered wildlife including black rhino, wild dog, leopards and cheetahs.
Since 2002, AVIVA-SA volunteers from 56 countries have contributed more than 500,000 hours of voluntary service to projects in need in South Africa.
To learn more, please visit the site.
