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13 Reviews
86%Overall
Rating
Program Description
SASTS: South Africa Volunteer Program
Description
SASTS believes that international voluntary services help empower local communities by developing self reliance and sustainability, whilst providing guidance and support on global issues such as poverty alleviation, skills training and development. We aim to help improve the quality of life of many local South Africans, whilst uniting groups of people with a common cause, and empowering them to make a difference in society.
Ratings and Reviews
9 of 16 people found this review helpful
Nothing but love
90%Overall
Rating
8 of 16 people found this review helpful
Volunteer Overall Experience
80%Overall
Rating
My name is Memory Manyimo,come from Zimbabwe and i was the first Zimbabwean ever to volunteer with SASTS.My placement was at a preschool and it was eight weeks long.
The overall experience was very rewarding and enjoyed every bit of it.Cape Town is a beautiful city and during the weekends i had plenty of time to sight-see and enjoy the beautiful scenery. The preschool i was placed had a mixed group of both middle and lower class to the children were bit of a challenge as i had to learn each one's individual needs but i enjoyed playing and teaching them.Am sure i made a difference in their lives.
My host family were such lovely people who made me feel at home, Charlene the host mum was a very good cook and i looked forward to her every meal ,she was always full of surprises.i do not mind going back to volunteer again in a different country though to explore and travel other places. The SASTS staff did support me during my whole stay except noone came to pick me up on the last day, the host family had to cater for that expense.
The experience changed me in a very positive way, i realised my passion for working with children and right now am in the process of opening my own preschool. The neighborhood i stayed was not a very safe place , this one time the host mum's car which was parked outside was stolen when we where wide awake sitting in the lounge. Shooting happened during the day and innocent people where caught up in the gang fights.
The program costs were not appropriate for what was offered as i still had to pay money for accommodation at the volunteer house and had to cater for my own meals.I would have appreciated it better if i was told beforehand that the money i was paying was for Monday to Friday, i would have come prepared financially.The local community were nice people and staying with a host family was also great, as i got to live with 3 more volunteers from different countries. I brought a sleeping bag in the hope of going out camping but did not manage.Socially i had fun with other volunteers and visited most of the 'must see ' places of Cape town. One event i attended that i enjoyed immensely was the Cape Town Carnival festival. i would without regrets recommend this program to a friend.
7 of 15 people found this review helpful
Living the dream in Cape Town
100%Overall
Rating
when i first arrived in cape town, i was so nervous with it being the first time i had every volunteered abroad alone. everyone was so kind and caring and i really felt appreciated.
the sasts group really looked after everyones wellbeing, my project was based in a school and after being there a few days i felt like i had known all the children and teachers all my life, i was really sad to see them go and I'm already planning my visit this year!
while in SA i did the worlds highest bunjee, did a shark cave dive to mention a few of the amazing things that i did!
14 of 22 people found this review helpful
Wonderful Experience!!!
70%Overall
Rating
The only thing I didn't quite love was the fact that I was told I would be doing the Sports Education program, but then I was told a week prior that I would be teaching instead.
Also, I was told I would be staying in a home stay, but when I got there I found out I would be staying at the SASTS house.
Both of these things were okay, I just wish I knew ahead of time instead of last minute.
11 of 23 people found this review helpful
Volunteering In Kayamandi, Stellenbosch. Truly Amazing!
90%Overall
Rating
I spend 5 weeks volunteering in a Township near Stellenbosch, had an amazing host family and my project was also very fun. Helping those kids in second grade was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It was an experience which I will never forget nor will I forget about any of the amazing people I've met, like the other volunteers, my host family, the teachers and the kids. I also had some great weekends in Cape Town, partying & sightseeing with the other volunteers. It was a life changing experience!
Thank you so much to all the people of SASTS for making my experience truly amazing!
7 of 23 people found this review helpful
Even a short trip can make a difference
100%Overall
Rating
I went through SASTS to volunteer at a preschool in Athlone for two weeks last summer. Everyone at my school embraced me and we stay in touch still. I had a bit of a problem with my host family, but SASTS responded immediately and pulled out my roommate who was supposed to stay there longer. They also informed us that our family would not be used again, because of our complaints.
The SASTS staff was always willing to help us out and on the weekends, staying at the volunteer house was perfection. We were surrounded by other volunteers, who were easy to trust and created a safety net so that I would not have to go anywhere by myself. I have recommended this program to a bunch of friends already and encourage everyone to look into it.
9 of 24 people found this review helpful
Misleading, Unorganized and Did not feel my time was a Valuable Experience
70%Overall
Rating
I volunteered through Volunteer HQ who placed me in South Africa with the SASTS organization Jan-March 2011. Although I was told I would be doing a surfing outreach after-school program, a week before departure I was informed this program no longer existed and could choose between a teaching program or to work at an orphanage. I chose to do orphanage work and didn't find out the details of my program until I arrived in South Africa. I was placed at a daycare where the children spoke no English and the teachers were annoyed by my presence. I asked to switch to the community school where I had a much better experience due to a lovely teacher, however I was not really needed and felt they were doing me a favor rather than actually contributing in any constructive way. The SASTS office did not seem to care/nor aware that I had not been placed at an orphanage and I wanted to switch programs and did nothing to try to assist a change in program. I also found out that my host family only received a very small portion of my costs to stay with them, and think its ridiculous that SASTS makes so much profit from "organization". Their job is to place volunteers in a program that they want to do and feel is valuable and that is the service they failed to provide. Fortunately I was placed with a great group with other volunteers and decided to make the best of the experience, however I do not credit SASTS with this.
Please note that I am not simply an angry participant, I have volunteered with many programs overseas and have taken a masters in International Development, I am very aware of what I am talking about and the complex issues of volunteer work. Although good intentions may be there, this company does not provide what it says it does. However it is much cheaper (or was) than many other programs and perhaps you get what you pay for. I would recommend staying at a hostel (even the SASTS hostel which is great) and trying to contact a program yourself that you would like to work at. Its not as hard as you might think.
12 of 24 people found this review helpful
SASTS Cape Town
90%Overall
Rating
I had a fantastic time volunteering for SASTS and am planning a revisit to South Africa to catch up with friends i have met whilst volunteering.
I was picked up from the airport by a minibus, which came just for me and had more than enough room for my bags. The SASTS house is in a fantastic location, less than a minute’s walk from the sea, a 7/11 and half a dozen pubs and restaurants.
The SASTS house is always full of volunteers, newly arriving as well as those who return to the SASTS house for the weekends. There is always something to do, whether it is hiking Lions Head, chillin out at camps bay or organising a tour to the garden route.
My second day was spent making friends with other volunteers, organising future trips and getting ready to hit Long Street.
The following day the volunteers were transported to the SASTS HQ to attend an induction talk, before being taken to our host families.
I had so much fun on my placement. I feel that the work i did in the schools really benefited the children, i got to live with a real family, not in a fancy hotel and really emerge myself in their culture. If you get the chance just go it barely costs anything as well...
10 of 24 people found this review helpful
SASTS Volunteer
100%Overall
Rating
My volunteer experience in Africa was way beyond what I expected. I enjoyed my placement with the kids at the school and cottage. I also was placed with a really nice and welcoming host family. MaSimba and Howard from SASTS were also helpful. Overall I really enjoyed my time there. I would recommend this program to anyone thinking of volunteering in South Africa.
12 of 25 people found this review helpful
A great and challenging time!
80%Overall
Rating
I'm a primary school teacher back home and I made great experiences teaching abroad. It was quite a challenging though.
I worked in a school where many stundents in my class had major problems in counting, writing and reading. I think it would have been more helpful to give a systematic coaching to them. expl: one to four stundest per hour or extra lessons for them. Unfortunatelly I wasn't that long in the school to develope this kind of coaching. Eventhough I had the feeling that some of them really improved a bit and finally got the basics.
Living in a hostfamily was a great experience and the food was good. Well I gained a bit of weight because it was oftern quite greecy.
The area where i was living (Athlone) was quite calm. I didn't felt save all the time, but it was really ok. If you have a bit money with you and no bags etc, I think you are quite save. Its just different from the place where I am from...
11 of 20 people found this review helpful
Cape Town Thornton Road Primary
90%Overall
Rating
During my stay in SA I worked for 9 weeks at a small primary school in the cape flats and stayed at a host family close to my project. My host family was outstandingly nice and really integrated me into their family. The work at school was demanding but interensting.
SASTS really cares about its volunteers and if there's a problem you'll receive immediate and professional help from them. At least, that's what i heard from other SASTS volunteers in Cape Town. I, personally never had the need to contact them, since i was absolutely happy with my host family and my work at school.
Many people at home were a little worried when I told them that I was gonna go to Cape Town because of criminality and stuff. But, quite honestly, if you act a little "street wise" you won't have any problems. Try to stick to the locals. In my case, I learned a lot from my host brother who introduced me to the capetonian night life ;)
22 of 36 people found this review helpful
Great Program good value, met heaps of people
80%Overall
Rating
an overall good time, learned alot about myself and enjoyed the diversity of the City and the people.
Always lots to do over the weekend and the sites where great, I had a wonderfull host parent, and the kids at the school where amazing.
Thanks to all the hostel Staff and Howard and his Wife, I miss you guys
25 of 42 people found this review helpful
A truly memorable emersion experience.
90%Overall
Rating
"Thank you SASTS for making this experience even better than I had expected. I wanted an immersion experience. I was looking to truly become a member of the community that I was volunteering in. You set me up with the most amazing host family who took me in as one of their family and taught me to live as a South African. Nuri stopped in every other week and checked in on me at my project to make sure that things were going smoothly and would coach me when they were not. On the weekends, Howard and Simba were amazing at advising me on the best ways to see this beautiful country and even helping me do it in the most economical ways possible. I can honestly say that SASTS under-promised and over-delivered. Thank you."
Alumni Interviews
Interview with Irene Oudhuis, SASTS volunteer alum
GO: Tell us a little about yourself and your trip.
Will: I volunteered in sports development for The Future Factory in June and July of 2011. I arranged this by booking with IVHQ and received in-country support from SASTS.
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with SASTS in South Africa?
Will: I had to do a 6 week work experience as part of my University degree. SASTS offered an affordable option for me to do this abroad.
Will had a great time volunteering with children in South Africa with SASTS
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Will: On an average day I would take a mini-taxi to my school with other volunteers. We would spend a few hours teaching curriculum lessons, then head out to the college to meet and chat with local coaches and apprentices at my programmes headquarters.
When we get home, usually we sit and chat with our host family about our days. There was no TV but we never got bored, someone always had a new story and time flew by. In the evenings we would either hit the pubs, go meet up with friends or spend the night playing card games. There was never a dull moment.
On the weekends we would stay in Cape Town, walk along the seafront, climb mountains or chill out in a pub. We would often end the night on Long Street and spend the next morning piecing together what happened.
GO: What advice do you have for future volunteers?
Will: Go with an open mind, don't be afraid to try new things and remember you are not alone.
GO: How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?
Will: Currently I am in the states coaching soccer, the experience gave me the confidence to do this. I learnt to trust and rely on the kindness of others and discovered who I really am.
Interview with Andrea Borrelli, SASTS volunteer alum
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer in South Africa with SASTS?
Andrea: I never used to do anything spontaneous, but last summer was the summer before I graduated. I knew I had to do something to really make the most of it. I had saved up a good amount of money from my various college jobs and decided to actually use it (which was a very hard decision to make!)
I knew I wanted to go back to Africa (I had traveled to Ethiopia the summer before), but this time I didn't want to just be a tourist. A friend of mine had told be about IVHQ earlier in the year and in June I decided I would go with their SASTS program in Cape Town for August. I basically found the program and booked it only a month and a half before I scheduled myself to leave. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made and now I am a bit more spontaneous because of it!
Andrea had an amazing time volunteering children in South Africa
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Andrea: I was only in South Africa for two weeks and I wish I had had the money to stay longer, but because I had such a short trip I made the most out of my days. Tuesday - Friday of the first week, I went to work at a pre-school right by my host family's house with my roommate, who was also working there. We would get there about 8am and leave for lunch (when the kids were napping) around 11. Then we would return at 1 and stay until 5. Most volunteers arranged shorter days, but I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my school. The teachers I worked with took me in as if I had been there for years and I actually just got a letter from them with updates on all the kids, but back on track, that was my week.
The weekends were spent at the SASTS house in Sea Point. My roommate, a couple of other volunteer friends of mine, and I would spend every moment we could site seeing or shopping or going out and enjoying the city. I only had one weekend to do this, but I know if I had stayed longer I would have continued in the same pattern. The second week I was there was pretty much the same as the first, except I did get one day off from working to go on a safari before I had to leave.
GO: What made this experience unique and special?
Andrea: Definitely the people. The SASTS staff at the Sea Point house made me feel like I had known them for weeks instead of days. Also, like I said before, I had the most amazing school. The teachers were so welcoming and I still think about my children there everyday - actually, my office at work is covered with their pictures. The other volunteers were also important parts to my experience volunteering. My roommate and I still stay in touch and we were able to reconnect in New York a month ago, which is incredible seeing as I am in Washington, D.C. and she was coming from Germany. I truly mean it though when I say every person I met in South Africa affected me. I still talk to a lot of them and think about all of them all the time. Even though I was only there for two weeks, I feel like I will always have a place in my heart for South Africa and my children from the pre-school.
GO: How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?
Andrea: I am applying to the Peace Corps now, mainly because of this experience. I learned that I could handle traveling alone. Even though it was a short time, I learned how I handle a transition and myself in another country. I finally feel like I can handle the Peace Corps and maybe I'll be placed close enough to Cape Town so I can visit.
Andrea Borrelli, 22, volunteered in South Africa from August 14-26, 2011. She is from Fairfax, Virginia ("close enough to D.C. to just round up").
Interview with Andrea Capers, SASTS volunteer alum
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer in South Africa with SASTS?
Andrea: I was looking for an interesting organization that offered community development in SA to volunteer with and they included a tour in the package. I also saw their online videos and was excited to volunteer in SA.
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Andrea: I would get up in the mornings and ride with my host to my volunteer project. In the mornings I volunteered at the Zonnebloem Boys School. I would grade assignments and help the teacher with other task. In the afternoons I volunteered at the Zonnebloem Cottage with the six children that lived there. I would fetch the youngest two from their schools. I would make sandwiches for the children when they arrived at the cottage from school and help those who needed help with their homework. I took the younger three children to the park on some days.
GO: What made this experience unique and special?
Andrea: This volunteer experience was unique and special because I got to experience a whole new culture and meet so many nice people. I also got to see and do so many different things. I am so glad that I got the chance to visit SA. It was much more than I expected. I didn't want to leave. People said I would have to boil my water and couldn't eat certain food, but the food was so good there!!!
GO: How has this experience helped you grow personally and professionally?
Andrea: As a result of this experience I will return to SA and I will volunteer in other places around the world.
Andrea Capers, from Charleston, SC, volunteered with SASTS from October 15 to November 22, 2011.
I arrived in South Africa with a mind full of thoughts. How would my family be? How would I get along with the children, the teachers and my tasks??
I am from Germany. That means: Two completely different cultures had to live and work together, hand in hand.
I was told a lot of security stuff by my organization especially concerning night time and the care of health. Too much, if I am honest...
Unfortunately I only spent five weeks in SA but it was the time of my life in the end.
I loved everything beginning with the children, my host family, the whole mentality, the food and the people.
Everyday was special in its own way and this was just magic.
I learned a lot about life and the things you need and which are nice to have but unnecessary to survive...
The children are full of love and next to a simple pencil they mostly just needed a hug and nothing more.
The african lifestyle is easy, sometimes too easy when you are told to be picked up at 2 p.m. and no one arrives till 3.30 p.m..
So this is one point that could be improved for forthcoming volunteers.
So if you love working with children and if you are prepared to give a lot of your personality to someone who gives it back twice to you than participate in this program and I promise you'll definitely have the time and experience of your life.