The Project
Southern African Explorer

Wildlife Research Expedition in South Africa - In South Africa’s spectacular Limpopo province, Global Vision International runs this fantastic wildlife research expedition on the Karongwe Game Reserve and Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve. Expedition members participate in wildlife monitoring projects, to assist research on predator/prey interactions by radio tracking, and spending one week in five in smaller satellite camps to help with conservation and biodiversity studies of mountain habitats in the vicinity of the conservation expedition base. Experiencing Africa’s famous animals like lions and elephants in a unique and simple way as they hunt and fight is an experience never to be forgotten.

Expedition Members collect vital behavioral data on reintroduced predators and larger herbivore on reserves where they do not have the manpower, time or resources to carry out intensive monitoring. GVI spends up to 12 hours a day following large predators such as lions, leopards, cheetah and wild dog to determine their feeding ecology spatial use, competition and behavior. The information gathered is used to give an accurate picture of the predators impact on prey populations, determine social structure, genetics, and spatial movement. This vital information helps maintain a healthy balance of these natural resources and ultimately conserve some of Africa’s natural heritage bioregions.

Teaching English and Childcare in South Africa - Volunteers joining this project will teach at local primary schools or work in orphanages and childcare centres in South Africa. Most of the work takes place in the Immizama Yethu township in Cape Town, as it has a number of under-resourced and under-funded crèches, care centres and primary schools that urgently require volunteer help. These provide care and education for disadvantaged children, many of whom are from broken families as a result of the AIDS pandemic.

A number of state primary schools in the region also provide structured education for disadvantaged children who will depend on their education to escape from poverty. Due to the high number of students in each class, volunteers perform an important role in assisting the teachers to carry out their lessons.

South Africa is emerging as a rainbow nation, despite its apartheid past. The country boasts some of the world’s most exciting attractions ranging from natural scenery, beaches and wildlife to bustling cities rich in cultural diversity. With its dramatic mountain backdrops and white sand beaches with an amazing diversity of cultures and associated urban life, Cape Town is hard to beat as a city worth visiting. Yet it also faces some of the greatest social challenges with sprawling townships that are poverty stricken and ravaged by HIV AIDS. Our teaching and child care projects hope to alleviate some of these problems.

Volunteer Work with Desert Elephants in Namibia - This project takes you to Namibia, and the north-western regions of the Namib Desert, traditionally known as ‘Damaraland’. Here in this harsh tribal wilderness that runs parallel to the Skeleton Coast National Park, a small population of desert-adapted elephants have come into conflict with the local human population, and it is the aim of this volunteer project to manage the conflict and assist in its resolution. The majority of the volunteering will require you to help local farmers with community work, building protective walls around their water points and teaching them the skills they need to manage the conflict with the resident elephant populations. You will also assist the project staff with research by following and monitoring the movements of these elephants.

Desert elephants often damage unprotected windmills leaving communities without access to water. This angers locals and makes it easy for elephants to be labelled as a problem and then shot. Volunteers solve this problem through a simple solution – a wall is built around the windmill which protects it but still allows the elephants to drink. The patrol week is important as you will GPS herd movements which display which farms are visited and require protection. The research provides invaluable information for the government on Elephant numbers and identifications - all integral to the successful management of the Desert elephants.