Overview
Since 2009, Good Hope Volunteers have been aiming to make a difference through supporting a wide range of community and conservation projects in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania including Zanzibar.
Their projects provide help where it is needed the most. Governmental institutions are often overwhelmed by the number of issues. HIV and social inequality because of apartheid are just two issues their social volunteering projects tackle.
Poaching, species extinction and canned hunting are some issues of many that their conservation volunteering projects are dealing with. NGOs cannot solve these problems; however, they play an important part in minimising their negative effects.
It is the love for South Africa and the international travellers that pushes Good Hope Volunteers daily, to provide the best possible meaningful experience and to support their projects with what they need to do their jobs and grow into a brighter future.
Today, they support more than 25 projects in southern Africa. If you’re looking for a life-changing experience, they can assist you in finding the most suitable project on their website and beyond.
Mission and approach
Developing countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania rely on thousands of NGOs to help where governments fall short. They all compete for funding and volunteers.
Determining which projects are suitable for foreign volunteers is one of Good Hope Volunteers’ core competence. Their projects must provide a work environment which is safe for a foreign traveller. The projects must also be reasonably organised. Volunteers can only work for projects that have at least a basic level of organisation.
An important feature is that there is no commercial aspect behind the project or at least the volunteers purely assist in community upliftment or conservation. Also, where the projects are outside their own base in Cape Town, the projects must reliably provide adequate accommodation and other infrastructure to be able to host foreign travellers.
Having said all that, one of the most important aspects for them is that the projects and the volunteers must be able to learn and benefit from one another. Some projects receive volunteers from a number of organisations. This is necessary for the projects to be able to have a solid number of volunteers throughout the year.
Their staff are committed to practicing openness, transparency, inclusivity, equality and tolerance whilst making a meaningful contribution to the development of the volunteering industry in Southern Africa.
Through well researched project selection and thorough client communication, they work to ensure that participants leave Southern Africa having had an unforgettable experience within the country they serve, its environment and its people.
Good Hope Volunteers spare no effort to place themselves at the forefront of further developing Southern Africa as an internationally acclaimed centre of excellence within the global volunteering industry.
What they do
Good Hope Volunteers provides an all-encompassing, high-quality volunteering experience to individuals and groups from all over the world.
They focus on providing real and sustainable experiences for their volunteers, offering a variety of programs in Southern Africa, allowing volunteers to engage in meaningful work that contributes to the well-being of animals and communities.
The organisation is dedicated to providing a safe and organised work environment for volunteers, ensuring they have the necessary support to succeed in their volunteer endeavours.
Expedition and participation opportunities
You can choose from more than 25 volunteer projects. It is important that you choose a project you find worth your passion and efforts.
Their website offers a lot of information including photographs and videos about each volunteer project to give you an idea of what the organisation does and the day-to-day experience of volunteering there.
The four volunteering categories Good Hope Volunteers offers are:
- Social volunteering: perfect opportunities if you love working with kids or the elderly.
- Conservation volunteering: working with wild animals and nature conservation is what you will find in this group of volunteering projects.
- Medical volunteering: if you have experience in the medical field, then this might interest you.
- Voluntourism: projects that allow you to learn about nature or communities, while exploring new countries and cultures.
Last updated: January 2026.