Stories - Africa

During her gap year Laura took a teaching placement in Malawi.  She fell in love with her students and the country.  Her experience helped her to decide her career path and she is now at university training to become a teacher. In January 2011, I embarked on the adventure of ... [ Read more... ]

Ishaq Mahmood is an undergraduate with a strong interest in Human Rights and inter-faith relationships.  In August 2011 he spent two weeks in Accra, Ghana on a human rights placement arranged with Year Out Group founder member Projects Abroad. "I decided to choose Projects Abroad after finding that they would be ... [ Read more... ]

Christina Coppola from America relates her experience working with female street children in Ethiopia on a gap year placement arranged with Projects Abroad.  Her time in Ethiopia certainly had an impact on her and she made a difference to the lives of the girls both inside and outside the classroom."I ... [ Read more... ]

Rachel Savin spent four months of her gap year teaching ‘underachieving' children in Tanzania on a placement arranged by Africa & Asia Venture.  She found it a rewarding experience. Read her story.Teaching these kids is like nothing else. Of course, when people ask you at home "ohh, are they really ... [ Read more... ]

I've been to the most amazing places, seen the most amazing things, and met some of the most amazing people. From teaching Maths to eager eyes in classrooms in Kenya to reaching Machu Picchu after 4 days of trekking the fabulous Inca Trail in fancy dress, I have had some ... [ Read more... ]

Well Tanzania... where to start! Arrived late at night, so in the morning Joe took me for a great walk around the area and introduced me to some locals and the adorable kids. Felt really welcomed by everyone in Uchira, and they really do appreciate the work we contributed to ... [ Read more... ]

Taking dala dalas (public transit buses, similar to a VW bus in the States) in the initial days in Dar Es Salaam prepared me well for the month long Ultimate Tanzania trip. The strangers on the bus also didn't seem to mind as they quietly sat and my new ... [ Read more... ]

  For many of Africa & Asia Venture's (AV) volunteers their time on project is often the start of something much bigger, igniting a spark of inspiration to get involved further - whether it be returning to their school time and time again, starting their own charity or becoming involved with ... [ Read more... ]

First arriving in Ghana was incredible; I have done some travelling before but never for so long. Stepping off the plane and the first thing to greet me was a great gust of heat. I was slightly nervous and apprehensive because I have never been to Africa and I ... [ Read more... ]

When Lauren Queen completed an environmental law module during her degree course, she knew that this was the path she wished to follow.  She realised also that she needed practical experience and so took a voluntary work placement with Lattitude Global Volunteering and was also grateful for Lattiude's graduate ... [ Read more... ]

Before leaving for my project I had no plans to really be involved that much in the classroom as I probably had the same thoughts as many people - I'm not experienced enough to teach a large class of children in England, let alone in Kenya and would I ... [ Read more... ]

I taught at a Primary School in Livingstone, Zambia and from the first day I knew I was going to be happy. Every single person from the nursery children right up to the owner of the school gave me an incredibly warm welcome! The children were amazing as ... [ Read more... ]

Gina Rizzo Bishop, who is a dance instructor in Los Angles, wanted to use her skills as a volunteer in South Africa.  Travellers representative in Knysna was happy to oblige and set up this placement. I spent the last month in Knysna, South Africa working at a Youth Development ... [ Read more... ]

GRAPHIC DESIGN, ADVERTISING, PUBLISHING & WEB DEVELOPMENT WITH 2HEADS, KNYSNA 2010 Where to start? Let me see... I had been working full time as a Digital Designer for about 3 years when I decided a change was needed. I always wanted to work overseas so casually I started looking ... [ Read more... ]

December 2009: Just thought I'd leave a little message about how much Travellers changed my life! I took a gap year in South Africa back in 2005 and took part in two placements (one in Knysna and one in Port Elizabeth). Loved both immensely! My first placement was ... [ Read more... ]

Amanda graduated from high school in Pennsylvania in 2010. She spent months searching for the right program and figuring out exactly what she wanted to do and where. She decided to spend 3 months teaching in Tanzania with a charity called Village Africa through the volunteering organisation PoD. "In searching ... [ Read more... ]

I write this one year to the day of arriving in Ecuador with the excitable VentureCo Inca and Amazon 76, anticipating new experiences, culture and excitement. My time in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru absolutely exceeded those expectations. I decided to do my gap year with VentureCo who ... [ Read more... ]

Sean Walsh graduated from Newcastle University in 2009.  His first attempt to secure a graduate job was unsuccessful so he decided to take a gap year placement teaching in Kenya arranged through Africa & Asia Venture (AV).  On his return he got the first graduate job he ... [ Read more... ]

Well I've only managed to write one thing that comes close to putting into words some of my feelings for Yamba... But I'm afraid it's not a short paragraph ;-) I wrote it in the Village Africa visitors' book, just as I was leaving:Last night I wrote this in my ... [ Read more... ]

Waking up and going to bed under the African sun is a completely different experience from waking up and going to bed under an English one, there is nearly always both stunning sunrise and sunset. This August I travelled to South Africa with a company called African Conservation Experience (ACE), ... [ Read more... ]

Volunteering at Yamba Primary School through PoD was an awesome experience. It was important to me to find a short term volunteering project that was valuable to the local community and not just convenient for volunteers. Village Africa is perfect for both short and long term volunteer projects. The village ... [ Read more... ]

"I never took a gap year in the traditional sense of a year out.  Instead each summer since my A-levels and through university I have gone away on a project.  My projects have taken me from Kenya to Thailand, back to Africa for a three month expedition and then to ... [ Read more... ]

I will never forget the day when we darted a cheetah who had escaped into the next farm and bought her back. We had to get the vet in and I was able to go in the helicopter to try and locate her. It had no doors and the views ... [ Read more... ]

I've just returned from spending 6 amazing weeks in South Africa, with some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life!  I went away to South Africa with the Leap, who were so helpful and friendly, unlike other Gap year companies that reel off automated emails, the ... [ Read more... ]

The idea for the trip came about from my current college course, Fdsc Sports Science.  Part of the course is to find a WBL (work based learning) project, a lot of students look at locally based work related situations but as I am an older and have experience in the ... [ Read more... ]

Helen Taylor is now a Sub lieutenant in the Royal Navy.  Here she recounts how her gap year experience enabled her to demonstrate that she had the skills that the Navy look for in their officers.I graduated from Exeter University in 2008 and now I am a Sub-Lieutenant in the ... [ Read more... ]

I decided to take a gap year at the beginning of my 3rd year at university.  I didn't really know what I wanted to do as a career and wanted to see somewhere different.  Others I know that travelled were off to Australia to work and it just seems a ... [ Read more... ]

The idea for the trip came about from my current college course, Fdsc Sports Science.  Part of the course is to find a WBL (work based learning) project, a lot of students look at locally based work related situations but as I am an older and have experience in the ... [ Read more... ]

Becky Towers didn't plan to take a gap year but after 4 months in Uganda teaching with Africa and Asia Venture she realised it was an experience not to be missed!When did you decide to take a Gap Year and how did you choose what to do?"I hadn't originally planned ... [ Read more... ]

Firstly I want to apologise for not replying to any of the emails you sent me while we were out in Kenya! I haven't been ignoring them, it's just that on the very few occasions I managed to get online I didn't think I could do justice to telling you ... [ Read more... ]