Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Vacation and Volunteer in Africa

I was having dinner at a friend's house the other night. His daughter who lives in South Africa was in for a visit. She is involved with an organization which combines vacations and volunteering for South Africa.. It is called Volunteer Africa 32 degrees south . This link goes to the home page.

Volunteer Africa 32˚ south (VA32) was formed in 2005 in response to the need to consolidate and expand on various humanitarian outreach initiatives, conservation drives and social development projects in the southern Wild Coast area of South Africa. Under the leadership of Sean Price and Michael Denison of African Heartland Journeys cc, an eco-tourism business specializing on the Wild Coast and involved in rural community tourism initiatives and small business empowerment projects, VA32 was introduced to the market. VA32 provides the vehicle through which the above initiatives continue to grow by accessing the international volunteering market. This market provides the much needed human resources and skills bank for the attainment of our stated objectives.

To answer some frequently asked questions click here The biggest question is why pay to volunteer. I remember when I was younger paying to volunteer to work on a very old hotel in Cape May, The Chalfonte. We were helping the owners get the hotel ready, keeping an historic structure in shape and in business and having fun as well as learning about life in the process. A multiple win situation for sure.

With VA32 it will be the same thing - learn about life, yourself and help others. Good luck.

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