SASTS Global Adventures

South African Students’ Travel Service (SASTS) is a not-for-profit (section 21) student and youth travel organisation. SASTS is dedicated to providing high quality, affordable international educational and work exchange programmes to students and young people in Southern Africa. SASTS has played an integral role in facilitating student and youth travel for more than 38 years and is well equipped to hep students realise their travel dreams.

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Snack time! One of our volunteers helps kids while they have their snack at a creche in the suburbs of Cape Town

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This is what Cape Town look like at night. Why wouldn't you want to volunteer here? www.sasts.org.za

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The future of South Africa lies in the hands of its youth, but many of these young people never reach their goals and dreams due to a lack of quality education and less than desirable home conditions.

Most of the children you would encounter on our Education Programme come from poor backgrounds and have to travel to and from school without any adult supervision. Some of their parents work all day and night to provide for them and therefore they do not receive any attention at home.

You will get the opportunity to really make a difference in your school by getting involved in school activities and implementing your ideas, whether it be a sports day or an after school art club. You will gain the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve changed lives!! Apply today and make dreams come true. http://sasts.org.za/index.php/volunteer-south-africa/education

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Weltwarts volunteers program

Government sponsored German volunteers that will be staying in the country for 9 months. They have been placed in various projects from Education, Childcare to Environmental projects.  They will be staying at home stays around Cape Town. They will also be joining the Hotspots 3 Day Western Cape WOW tour.

 The idea behind the Weltwarts volunteer service is the successful formula of “learning by serving” and its aims are twofold: to achieve added developmental value for the partner projects in terms of help towards self-help, and to spark new interest in development issues in Germany.

The Weltwarts programme is basically a government funded programme and the volunteers are in country for 9 months. There isn’t much difference between this and our other programmes except that these volunteers get a 3 day tour, extra orientation sessions and a mid-way session to find out how things are going. Volunteers on this program need to write reports as well about their volunteer experience in South Africa as part of the program requirements.

So we welcome our German volunteers and trust they will fall in love with Cape Town and make the most of their stay in Cape Town

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Prochorus Micro-Project in Kayamandi

A group of 8 volunteers from Spain have arrived in South Africa on the 7th of August and have joined a 21 day micro-project programme for 3 weeks in the Kayamandi township. They will be doing Computer Training for the unemployed in Kayamandi and to the younger learners as well. They will also be doing childcare, literacy classes and upgrade of a local church. They will be staying in the local community.

The project aims to empower, train and develop skills on various levels from crafts to computer skills and childcare (training carers). They also facilitate social development and skills development among the residents of Kayamandi Township.

The Micro-Project aims to assist the local community with the help of enthusiastic, skilled and non-skilled volunteers that have a desire for making a meaningful contribution to the poor.

Here are a few pictures of Kayamandi

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What’s included in your volunteer fees

Placement in a suitable project and with a Host Family/Volunteer House in the City

Placement inventory information prior to arrival in South Africa

Transfer from the airport to the SASTS house

Dormitory accommodation in the City for 1 night during Orientation

Transfer to SASTS office for Orientation

Orientation Programme, including Welcome Session, Orientation Session and a walking tour of Cape Town

Transportation to Host Family after Orientation

3 meals a day and accommodation at Host Family/Volunteer House

24 hour in country staff support

You can either be placed in a Home stay in one our local communities in the greater Cape Peninsula area or have the option to be placed in the city for your duration of your programme and be accommodated at the SASTS House (dormitory accommodation, subject to availability). The House is situated minutes from the beautiful Sea Point Promenade, WIFI access etc. and is a great option should you be arriving in our warmer months. You will still be placed at a public school in the city where help is needed.

Refer to the image at the bottom of this page to see a picture of where the SASTS volunteer house is situated.

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Cheers to SASTS for turning 40!

This year is quite a big achievement for SASTS as we're turning 40! 

SASTS (South African Student Travel Services) was set up in 1972 to provide affordable travel opportunities for South African students. It was the travel division of NUSAS, the National Union of South African Students, whose activities took root in the days of Apartheid. During the past few years SASTS Working Adventures has branched out to include exciting opportunities for foreign travelers to experience South Africa by implementing Work South Africa, Volunteer South Africa, Groups and High School South Africa.

SASTS has played an integral role in facilitating student and youth travel for almost 40 years and is well equipped to help students realise their travel dreams. Working with reputable and internationally recognised partners and being members of international associations such as the Federation of Experiment in International Living (FEIL) and the World Youth Student and Travel Confederation (WYSTEC), SASTS programmes are run in accordance with guidelines put in place by these international organisations.

Now that the formalities are done we can get down to the real stuff. It’s quite exciting to be celebrating 40 years in the travel and tourism (and now voluntourism) industry. It’s a very big achievement when there are 100’s of agencies in the same market, we can be proud to belong to an organisation such as SASTS, who has such a rich and long history.

I’m not going to go on in detail about how great our company is but instead decided to post pictures of SASTS over the years and let you get a feel of how the organisation has grown into what it is today!

The SASTS team is quite tight knit and is extremely proud to be celebrating 40 years.

So here's to turning 40! Happy Birthday SASTS 

These are just a few of the pictures from the SASTS archive of our past staff, EIL group of 2007, volunteer work in the townships and our work abroad programs.

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Last month we welcomed one of our biggest groups of volunteers. We had a group of friends coming directly from the UK who were referred from a past SASTS volunteer.

Then we had a group of about 10 volunteers from the US who had come through one of our fairly new partners.

We had 2 volunteers from Netherlands and the last 2 from Ireland.

So it was a nice mix of volunteers and everyone seemed fired up for their volunteer stint in Cape Town.

As you can imagine it must’ve been quite daunting for the SASTS staff to give an orientation presentation with so many new faces in the room, but they handled themselves pretty well.

After the presentation, Bill our tour guide from the US (who now resides in Sunny Cape Town) gives the volunteers a short presentation about the history of South Africa and specifically Cape Town and then takes the group on a 2 hour walking tour around Cape Town.

The volunteers thoroughly enjoy this part of the presentation as they get to learn and see Cape Town’s rich history and natural beauty.

Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we do!

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Laurel arrived in Cape Town a few weeks back an yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting up with her again to find out if she's enjoying her time and having a great experience so far.

She's been placed at a Primary School project within a community in Cape Town and is staying with a host family (and 2 other SASTS volunteers) in the same community.

She was thrown into the deep end a bit when she was asked to take over a Grade 3 class of 30 8-9 year learner's because the school is understaffed.

She's taken in her stride and has completely made the role her own, she's so at ease in front of the class and the kids absolutely adore her!

I must admit I would've been a bit frazzled, but she's a complete natural, even offering extra tutoring to kids struggling with math after school!

Laurel's only been here a few short weeks and she's already made such an impact at the school and the kids - a real role model for future volunteer's. 

She seems t be settling in really well and loves Cape Town. In her own words "Its a terrific experience and I'm really enjoying it."

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Roos (affectionately known as Rosie by her students) has been in Cape Town since March and has been livening up her Primary School with various sporting activities.

The kids play games and do various physical activities to keep them fit, active and healthy.

I’m sure all her students will miss her energy and games when she leaves.

Keep up the good work Rosie!

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Night life in Cape Town

As in all the big cities/ towns you will need to be more careful at night. Leave all valuables behind in your accommodation. Do not take a rucksack out with you. If you take a camera keep it in your pocket out of sight. Do not take large sums of cash, foreign or domestic, as you will not need it.

Going out at night can be great fun but be careful and use your common sense. If you go out at night, always take metered taxis back to your accommodation. Ensure that you have cab service number stored on your mobile as cab's are not easy to hail in the city.

If something does happen and you are challenged you should always give up your bag or valuables. It's not worth putting yourself at risk for the sake of a bit of cash.

  In the event of a crime you should report it to the police immediately and always request a police report for insurance purposes. Generally speaking in rural areas, after reporting a theft to the police, you should be prepared to follow up the incident and pester the police to resolve the situation.

Fiction

81 Bennet Street

Cape Town

This bar is themed with classic works of fiction including comics and movies. Resident to some of Cape Town’s most talented Drum&Bass DJ’s.

Cafe Caprice

Camps Bay strip

Favourite hangout for locals and international visitors.  The original eat, drink and play venue in Cape Town.

Assembly

61 Harrington Street Cape Town

The latest and greatest live music venue to open its doors in Cape Town. It’s everything a live music venue should be with awesome bands and live acts lighting up the stage regularly.

Neighbourhood

Long Street

Restaurant, bar and cocktail lounge with a wrap-around balcony overlooking the vibey long street.  Great social venue.

Bronx Action Bar

22 Somerset Street Green Point Cape Town

Cape Town’s longest running gay venue.

Jade

Greenpoint – upstairs from the restaurant Manos

This stylish venue, furnished with leather sofas and chandeliers, is perfect for a laid-back night out.

Zula Sound Bar

194 Long Street

From the comedy evenings on Monday nights, to the acoustic sets on a Tuesday, month-end poetry slams, and rump shaking hip hop, soul, funk and rock beats on the weekends.

Oblivion Wine Bar

22 Chichester Road, Harfield Village

A funky, friendly, European style Wine Bar for the over 23s.

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We've got such an amazing Sports Development program and our volunteers are so awesome with the kids at these projects. We had the pleasure of attending an Inter-House Sports Day earlier in the week and these are a few snapshots we took. The stadium was filled with such intense energy for everyone competing for the top spot.

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Why pay to volunteer - Your Program Fee Covers Your Costs and Supports Communities in Need

*SASTS is a nonprofit that works hard to keep its costs and its fees as low as possible. Still, we know that it is a challenge for many of our volunteers to pay for their programs. We want you to know that your money is spent as effectively and efficiently as possible, and we are always working to make it more affordable. 

Many ask, “Why should I have to pay to volunteer?” The answer is that volunteering in another country requires a lot of resources and preparation. Volunteers abroad need accommodations, food, emergency health and evacuation insurance, in addition to in-country transportation and orientation to ensure their safety.

Since *SASTS places volunteers with host families, we need to help our host communities and partner organizations cover their costs. We focus much attention and respect on the local community. We believe sending volunteers to live with host families helps boost the local economy, and does a great deal to increase cross-cultural understanding and assist the community in the long-term.

This article was taken from http://www.unitedplanet.org/volunteer-abroad/why-pay 

*Replaced with our company name

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Why should you volunteer with SASTS?

Volunteering is not for everyone.  It requires strength of mind, compassion, patience, empathy and desire to help those who need it.  Our volunteers are young people who have made a choice to come to South Africa in order to volunteer on various projects in Cape Town and its surrounds.  Their enthusiasm and creativity really make a difference to the communities in which they are volunteering.

At times a volunteer may lose sight of the reason why they chose to work on these projects as they could feel that they are contributing enough and making a significant difference.  What you need to keep in mind is that every bit helps.  Mending a broken fence, planting a few seeds for a new vegetable garden, teaching a child a new soccer skill or simply making a child laugh will have huge positive impact even if you don’t see it.  

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Last week one of our Social Welfare volunteers, Caroline Poell invited SASTS along on her trip to the Castle of Good Hope trip. The kids from the home where she volunteered cam along and were a pleasure to be around. Their ages ranged between 5 and 14 years old. These kids come from disadvantaged backgrounds and they all live in the home, they are smart, they funny and very pleasant and grateful for everything. Each and every one of those kids touched my heart in a different way. If you'd like to get involved and help the social welfare project please contact us at [email protected] 

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Last week we had an arrival of German students who will be a part of our High School SA program. The students will stay between 3 and 10 months.We wish them all the best and fun times ahead! We know they'll love South Africa and will be back sure enough!

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The centre was started 20 years ago as a creche for children from the Phillipi farming community and neighbouring townships. In 2008 it was inspired by an educational NPO - the Children's Campaign Trust - to develop in a new and exciting way.

It has embraced the Montessori philosophy of pre-school education which develops a child's natural interest and activities, fostering learning through experience

Every time I go visit this creche, it warms my heart. From the caring staff to the most adorable little kiddies you've seen. What I love about these kids is their spirit. They rush out when they see a new face (like ours whenever we visit) and give you their undivided attention, and all they want in return? Some attention, a few laughs, to touch but what they love most is getting and giving hugs. This school is truly special and needs all the help it can get, they essentially need teachers to be reskilled, classrooms re-equipped and building refurbished

If you'd like to be a part of this transformation please contact Helen Diedericks, the principal on 021 370 0039 or email [email protected].

Or if you'd like to volunteer visit www.sasts.org.za