African Impact

African Impact is the largest African-based volunteering organisation, having placed over 2,000 volunteers since they were founded back in 2004. Their recent short-listing at the African World Travel Awards as 'Africa's Leading Conservation Company' proves the international recognition that they are receiving for their work. With projects ranging from working with deprived children to wildlife conservation, all of the volunteers are placed into a 'real' role where they ae contributing to 'real' causes. The experiences are well organised and well supported by an experienced ground team - many of whom are previous volunteers themselves.

Interview with African Impact

What inspired you to start African Impact

African Impact was started out of Antelope Park in Zimbabwe, in the hope of sourcing sustainable support for conservation and community development work through voluntourism. Our Antelope Park lion rehabilitation project was our first voluntourism initiative, which led to the foundation of our ALERT trust, and consequently The Happy Africa Foundation and our expansion into a substantial organisation which is now involved in exciting development work throughout Southern and East Africa.

What part of your business are you most proud of?

Of our project managers who show unwavering commitment, innovation and enthusiasm for their work and the communities and conservation areas in which they work, and our fantastic community relations which have ensued as a result.
Allow one of our past volunteers to speak on our behalf:
“The whole experience was absolutely incredible. It was uplifting, rewarding, challenging, grounding, heart-breaking and soul- destroying in equal measure. To see the absolute joy on the faces of the children when we arrived to spend time with them, or their excitement at being given some new clothes, a piece of chocolate cake or the opportunity to do something creative, was incredible. This is why I WILL do it again and why I would encourage anyone who is thinking about doing this sort of thing to stop thinking about it, and go and do it.’’
Stuart Neath,UK
Rural Pre-School and Orphan Care Project in Vilanculos, Mozambique

What gets you or your guides excited when on a trip?

Our pride: In the last 5 years we have placed over 2000 volunteers who have contributed approximately 300,000 hours of making a difference in Africa.
Our people: Our experienced office and field teams are made up of people who are inspired by Africa and proud to be changing the face of this continent.
Our projects: are assessed for sustainability on a quarterly basis to ensure that they are making a realand meaningful difference.
Our place: Our footprint in Southern and East Africa extends through 24 projects in 11 countries and will soon expand into West Africa as our short-term focus shifts to project developments in Ghana.

Food, accommodation and transport. Luxury or no nonsense?

Absolutely, definitely, no nonsense. Practical, comfortable and safe but not luxury. Wholesome and hearty meals are always the order of the day and we endeavour to train up and employ local staff as far as possible.

Paint a picture of both the ideal traveller & the nightmare traveller?

The Ideal Traveller would be someone who is driven by passion, by adventure and a 'try anything' attitude but ultimately respects the cultures within which they choose to immerse themselves, and don't draw ethnocentric comparisons that different equals inferior. People who are inspired by tangible results but get excited about sowing seeds at the same time, and who have a profound desire to be impacted by what they are doing.

The Nightmare Traveller would be the know-it-all, “I am above everyone and doing this to better my CV” and nothing more types, who don't respect local customs or cultures, who refuse to experience any discomfort whatsoever without complaining e.g. limited electricity supplies or communications in some areas - all add to the adventure and not the inconvenience which is sadly not the way they might choose to see it!

What role do you think tourism businesses should play in the environment and local communities?

First and foremost I think that it should be a collaborate role - not just about organisations stepping in to 'save the day' and help but to really seek out the relevant needs and wants of local communities through dialogue, and to draw up structured and sustainable plans to meet these goals. All our projects are required to submit carefully logged quarterly development reports which reflect on achievements in the last quarter, including the involvement of local community liaisons, and which plan ahead for the next quarter with realistic and measurable goals.

African Impact experiences available

African Impact customer reviews

1. I had a wonderfully warm welcome in St Lucia. The volunteer house where I stayed was spacious and all the staff friendly and helpful. The food was also very good and the cook catered for all our needs. Being a more mature person, I was concerned whether there would be a range of ages amongst the volunteers and I was pleasantly surprised that there were people of all ages from different parts of the world. I was one of three people on the photographic and conservation project and this started with a fantastic but intensive 3 days with a professional wildlife photographer who was inspiring and great fun. The programme was well organised and there was always plenty to do from game drives, bush walks, volunteering at the Crocodile centre, visiting the other projects in the local village such as the Creche and orphanage and of course editing all those photos. The area is fantastic with many different eco-systems from beautiful beaches, sand dunes, lake and wetland etc. I also enjoyed the conservation project in the local village and with the local High school where we helped the children create a garden and build a compost. The local people were very welcoming and very happy to have our support. There were great opportunities for weekends away too and I went to Kosi Bay and saw turtles hatching and also to Mozambique swimming with dolphins, but you could also relax at the house and pool and explore St Lucia. I had wished that I had not been a complete beginner in photography as I feel I would have gained much more from the 3 days with the photographer and on reflection I would have chosen to do a course or two before embarking on the trip. Also for me as a beginner it was a slight frustration that there was only a limited amount of photographic support for the rest of the month. Overall though I had a fantastic time, met some wonderful people, saw some amazing wildlife and took a some great photos. I would rate my experience at 4.5 out of 5.

   Judy reviewing Wildlife Photography volunteering holiday in South Africa