Volunteer in South Africa

Discover a country of stunning beauty and help the disadvantaged with our affordable and meaningful programs.

From Table Mountain to God's Window and with mountains, forests, coasts and deserts, South Africa will feast your eye and lift your spirit. The cultures of different races that have settled in South Africa over hundreds of years make the country a very colorful and a fascinating place to visit. South Africa also has one of the strongest economies in Africa and it is also one of the strongest democratic countries in African with free press and independent judiciary. Despite all this, South Africa has gone through a series of racial and social struggles and this has created many socio-economic problems including the huge economic gap that exists between the rich and the poor. Many grassroots communities are very active in trying to tackle this problem. Join RCDP's program in South Africa and volunteer to help the disadvantaged. You will gain an extraordinary experience and return home with memories that will stay with you forever.

The Fee and Dates

RCDP South Africa volunteer program starts Wednesdays of each month.

Every year hundreds of volunteers arrive in South Africa to volunteer from UK- and US-based organizations and end up paying up to R2500 to volunteer for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, only a small portion of that money actually goes to host projects and host families. The local host projects (orphanages, school, and local NGOs) in South Africa are poor and need external support to run their programs. In our program, you will pay your fee directly to host families and projects upon arrival in South Africa.When you join our program, we will make sure that all of your money goes to the projects and host families. Part of your fees also helps us cover our expenses. The program fee is divided into a registration fee ($279) and weekly fee for room, food, coordination, and project donation.

Weekly fees are divided between room plus 3 local foods a day (50%) and project donation/support of local project staffers (50%). This allocation may differ depending on location, project type, etc. Our coordinator will explain these issues before you pay the fee. Below is the breakdown of costs in a weekly basis.

• Comprehensive Travel Insurance $3.49/day ( below 28 years) and $4.49/day ( above 28 years) »

The weekly Fee Does Not Include: Airfare, daily transportation, visa and visa extension fees, airport drop-off, airport taxes, personal expenses on food and travel, water and soft drinks, laundry, telephone and immunization.

Accommodation/Meal/Supervision:

RCDP is responsible for looking after the accommodation and the meal of the volunteer during your program in South Africa. Volunteers will stay either in a hostel (volunteer house) or with host family as decided by our local coordinators. The volunteer house provides a home base type of environment where you can mingle with other volunteers. It is also a safe and secure place for our volunteers to stay. You will get a dormitory accommodation and volunteers will get 2 meals a day (Breakfast and Dinner) but not on weekends. Volunteers working in central Cape Town will stay in a volunteer house, but the house does tend to fill of fast.

In a host family, volunteers will get the opportunity to experience local culture. Our host families will have hosted many international volunteers beforehand. You will have a private room with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Many host families may not have running hot water. You can ask someone to do your laundry for a small fee. The arrangement depends entirely on you and the host family.

During the project, we will constantly monitor your progress and inquire if you are happy with the project or not. Our local coordinator lives close to the project and you will have access to his mobile phone number 24 hours.