| There is increased interest in volunteering abroad | | | | There are, of course, organized school expeditions |
| rather than just spending your vacation on a | | | | to Africa for children in their teens but these are |
| beach and Africa is a top volunteering destination. | | | | quite separate from volunteer programs which |
| In part this is because of the variety of | | | | might place people in wildlife conservation areas in |
| volunteering programs available and in part it's to | | | | Zimbabwe or teaching or medical support |
| do with mixing in some of the adventure tourism | | | | situations in Kenya or Zanzibar. For young adults it |
| that Africa has to offer. It's a destination with | | | | is the opportunity of a lifetime for personal |
| wide appeal then, but what about teen | | | | development and to experience different cultures. |
| volunteering in Africa? Are there any restrictions? | | | | Although there have been occasional stories of |
| Any dangers to be aware of? | | | | teen volunteers not being well looked after, and |
| Any reputable African volunteer organization is | | | | indeed some of the large companies have been |
| going to have some age limits. It just wouldn't be | | | | criticized for a lack of attention to safety |
| appropriate for young teens to be confronted | | | | matters, the better organizations pride |
| with certain medical volunteer programs in the | | | | themselves on intimate knowledge of the areas |
| slums of Nairobi. Same with Cape Town. It's not | | | | where they place people and strict adherence to |
| about the safety aspects, it's more to do with | | | | safety guidelines. A teen volunteering in Africa will |
| some of the scenes of deprivation that would be | | | | always be met at the airport, never asked to find |
| encountered. Maasi or Zulu children might be seen | | | | their own way. They will be accompanied by |
| as "adults" at twelve or fourteen years old but | | | | knowledgeable support staff on work placements |
| most of us in the west consider eighteen to be | | | | and will stay in secure accommodation at night, |
| the age of adulthood and we don't know of any | | | | whether that's in the bush in Zimbabwe or the |
| teen volunteer options available below seventeen. | | | | outskirts of Cape Town in South Africa. |