Volunteer Abroad Blog - Experiences and Articles

Every day was amazing and full of incredible experiences and new people. The days flew by as we were so busy working on the farm, hanging out and making new friends, and learning about the wildlife in a very hands on manner.

Hard work pays off, and this doesn’t go unnoticed by the amazing crew. I managed to go onto an exclusive boat trip which had less clients on board, giving me more opportunities to capture some great footage of the sharks who displayed incredible activity, breaching around six times in the space of two hours.

The African Wildlife Orphanage’s main goal is to care for orphaned or injured animals until they are able to be released back into the wild. If that’s not a viable option, they’re lovingly cared for the rest of their lives. These animals are also used for educating young local children about the creatures that share their environment. Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, so many of the children living there have never had the opportunity to see or touch wild animals.

The biggest shock for me was when one volunteer mentioned that we had the opportunity to spend the night with a cheetah—Zena was rescued from a family who kept her as a pet and therefore she is unable to regulate her own body temperature. At night, she either sleeps with the project leaders or two volunteers. Sleeping with Zena was like sleeping with a dog-sized cat; she purred, cuddled, and gave kisses.

Whether you are a medical professional seeking to get international experience, a pre-med or nursing student wanting to enhance their CV or just wondering if the field of medicine is for you, a healthcare internship may be just what you are looking for. 

Teenage volunteers who want to give back and do good during the summer have five fantastic opportunities to do so with GoEco. Whether your high schooler is searching to build community structures in Costa Rica or to research and protect an endangered species in the Mediterranean, GoEco has the perfect opportunity! 

Where should I volunteer? Where can I travel? What should I do with my life?

There are a few different types of children living on the streets, including those that have families to whom they go back to in the evenings, and those that are on their own, either because they have been orphaned or are runaways. Learn how we can help them!