Giraffe photo courtesy of Animals are Happiness FB page
Our Service Learning tours to South Africa include a safari at the end to ensure our students have an amazing experience viewing game. While it’s unlikely they’ll get a photo like this one, they will certainly get up close and personal with many of the animals, including the Big 5 (African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard and rhinoceros.)
GVI, who run these NGO and community sanctioned projects, are with each project for up to 15 years. They have two projects running on an ongoing basis in South Africa; a conservation awareness program in Limpopo and a community program in Capetown.
Travel to iconic South Africa for the Conservation Awareness Program and gain insight into wildlife research and conservation activities, as well as critical community development initiatives. Living on GVI’s expedition base in the Limpopo Province and with the incredible backdrop of the African bush, the week will be a mix of classroom sessions on African wildlife conservation and experiencing life in the bush first hand, under the guidance of our safari guides. Students will learn how to track and may even develop some bush survival skills! GVI’s teams are also working with local communities to further educate on environmental issues. Additionally, they are supporting teachers who are under resourced and are providing reinforcement to struggling pupils. Students may have the opportunity to assist with activity based English lessons.
Your group may prefer to join a Construction Project in iconic Cape Town’s surrounding township areas, working to improve infrastructure and the general learning environment for disadvantaged children. This is a culturally immersive experience while supporting long term projects and interacting with local community members. As a group you will work alongside one of GVI’s local partner organisations, including under resourced Educare centres, assisting with much needed hands-on, practical construction projects. These centres typically take care of children from abusive and neglectful families, providing them with a loving, caring home. The exact work will depend on our partners’ needs at the time, but often involve some basic maintenance and renovation work, or painting and brightening up the space with murals or other artwork.
Alternatively you may wish to find out about our other great locations and long term projects. If so, contact us if you have a school group – or any group – wanting to undertake a service learning program. We can offer many locations, programs and specialised curriculum suited for IB, Week Without Walls, International Award, Round Square Ideals, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and much more
