Africa volunteering as a family

[Urbangiraffe74]

Hi. Has anyone tried a volunteering holiday in Africa as a family with teens? Our kids will be 15 and 19 by then. We would like to do some animal or agricultural volunteering for a few days then go on safari. Just not quite sure where to start or how to tell where would be safe, interesting and suitable for the kids.
Thanks

What sort of family volunteering do you do locally (ie in the UK)? I'd suggest something similar so you already know how it works in general terms to be most useful.

I think you need to start by working out what skills you have which aren’t readily available in Africa. Those are the only ones where there will be a real demand for ‘volunteering’.

All the ones I've ever seen I find quite distasteful, unless you and DC have a specific required skill set. The worst are the ones who fundraise to go. A charity would benefit far more from donating the thousands of pounds rasied to go and they volunteered locally.

My DC benefitted greatly (now adults) helping with fundraising events for a small local charity on a consistent monthly basis with me for years. They helped run stalls, tombolas, were elves for Father Christmas, packed bags, etc.

I do wonder about the motives for taking such trips. I'm not saying you're going to be virtue signalling on a poverty tour, but the fact you want to take a 16yo isn't a good look.

Do you think Africa actually needs your help in person? It is a big place and not homogeneous! If you want to help it would be better to save the carbon emissions and stay at home and donate the cost of the flights to a well-run charity. Plenty of volunteering options here! Or if you just want to go on holiday do that. I think the days of ‘white saviour’ style holidays are over tbh, and most people realise they are just holidays with an added feel-good factor. In teen language it’s a bit cringe.

Just no, OP.

If you want to volunteer, do it in your own patch. If you want a holiday, do that. Combining the two is yuck.

Volunteer with the National Trust. Lots of opportunities there.

It would be use volunteering locally, it is not a tourist thing

I think your tourist $ spent there is worth more than volunteering, if you find a local run safari company rather than a corporation ?

No matter where you spend your tourist $, UK, Europe, Africa, it benefits the local economy.

Luxury African safaris that support local communities - The Points Guy

Unfortunately, most short term “volunteering” for tourists is just nonsense. They ask the volunteers to build a wall and then pull it down so next week’s volunteers can build it. Or the volunteers feed the goats which a local person could have done better and got paid for.

do a regular holiday. Spend money to support local businesses. Talk to your guides and ask them what matters to their community. And that is enough.

Such short term voluntourism really achieves nothing of note. You need to have a regular holiday instead and spend money in the local community.

Do you have any experience in the areas you specify?. If none then ditch this idea. Also well meaning but useless intentions do more harm than good.

can do nor harm than good