Whether it’s building a greenhouse for growing vegetables, putting up a community pole, painting an orphanage or planting trees at schools, local and international visitors to the Cape can now make a short-term, but meaningful contribution to the upliftment of historically impoverished communities.
 
Combining travel with charitable work has become known as “voluntourism”, a clever concept that allows the modern, socially responsible tourist to engage with local communities while providing a much-needed service.
 
Now Cape Town-based non-profit organisation, Heart, has captured a niche by developing half-day volunteer programmes for tourists. The initiative is known as ‘Love to Africa’. It develops and markets voluntourism experiences for local and international tourists through tour operators, hotels and B&Bs. It also caters for the corporate, group and incentive markets by facilitating team building activities for companies within disadvantaged communities, explains representative, Candice May, who joined Love to Africa recently after many years with Flight Centre.
 
“Love to Africa looks at business solutions that have a social responsibility impact,” she explains. “Often people who do township tours feel they are not involved enough. Love to Africa allows them to work on an upliftment package where they help empower people to run their own businesses or begin a community upliftment project.”
 
A morning tour participating in a volunteer programme costs R385 per person and includes return transfers from city centre/Waterfront/ Sea Point hotels. Corporates can become sponsors of the food tent programme, which involves erecting greenhouses and planting vegetables at a school, crèche or orphanage they already support, or at one of the beneficiaries on the Love to Africa list. 
 
May says the benefits of the programme are three-fold. Participants have the satisfaction of “giving back” while on holiday, interacting with local communities and gaining an understanding of the issues facing the less fortunate, often resulting in a renewed appreciation of their own privileged lifestyle. Corporates derive increased company pride, motivation, team spirit, better staff morale, improved corporate image and long-term engagement opportunities with beneficiaries. And communities gain access to free or subsidised resources, new income streams, teams of volunteers for major tasks and improved understanding between the business and volunteer sectors.