Wine Show Jo’burg, May 29-31 Johannesburg

Wacky Wine Weekend, June 5-7, Robertson

Cape Town Book Fair, June 13-16, Cape Town

InniBos, July 1-5, Nelspruit

Knysna Oyster Festival, July 3-12, Knysna

Stellenbosch Wine Festival, July 30-August 2, Stellenbosch

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Our 2009 spring offer is a 30% discount on a 4 week volunteer programme on the following to 2 projects.

Pretoriuskop Project in Kruger National Park:

Volunteers at the Pretoriuskop project concentrate their efforts on ongoing biodiversity monitoring and field survey programmes. South African National Parks, Scientific Services, want to gain a greater understanding of the biological diversity across Kruger National Park. The Pretoriuskop Project is an invaluable hands-on experience and provides not only a realistic insight into the practical elements of field research, but also the many challenges and rewards of practical game reserve management.

Special offer valid for projects starting: 4 May and 1 June 2009
Discount Code: KNP05.

Addo National Park Project:

Volunteers at Addo work closely with local reserve management and park rangers. They are treated as full time staff and engage in many different field excursions and practical duties around this world renowned elephant park. Addo provides true hands on experience and volunteers benefit from staying in the staff village within the park, where they can share information and learn a great deal from these dedicated conservationists.

Special offer valid for projects starting: 1 June 2009
Discount Code:Addo06

Availability on these projects is limited, so snooze and you will lose out !!!!!

For more information contact conservation@worktravelsa.org for more information regarding the projects.
Please include the discount code relevant to desired project in your email header.

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Step 1 : Avoid Getting Bitten

Step number one of Malaria prevention is that if you don’t get bitten you won’t get malaria. Unfortunately the female Anopheles Mosquito that transmits malaria is a silent little mossy and doesn’t buzz to warn you of its presence. Mosquitoes can bite at any time of day, but are usually their most active at dawn and dusk. Use repellent sprays and wear long-sleeved shirts and long trousers in the mornings and evenings. Mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing and it is therefore important to spray Insect Repellent on covered skin as well as non covered skin.

Step 2 : Taking Anti Malaria Tablets

Please be aware that no Malaria Prophylactic is 100% effective as Malaria parasites do become resistant to various drugs. It is therefore vital that you consult your local GP or travel clinic to advise you on the best prophylactic for you. Travellers should take prescribed Prophylactics regularly and continue to take the prescribed dosage of tablets even after they have left the Malaria Area.

Chloroquine, Proguanil and Maloprim : are not recommended as in certain parts of Africa ( north of South Africa ) have become Chloroquine resistant.

Mefloquine (Larium): Larium is a very effective Prophylactic but it needs to be carefully dispensed as patients with a history of psychiatric disturbances can get unpleasant side effects.

Malarone : This prophylactic has virtually no side effects and with a simple daily dose it is becoming increasingly more popular choice for travellers. In addition, Malarone has now been launched in the UK in a children’s formulation and is the first ever malaria tablet designed just for kids. The children’s version is chewable once daily dosage that only needs to be started one day before travel commences.

Our recommended choice of Prophylactic is Doxycycline – but would urge you check your personal suitability with your doctor prior to travel.

Doxycycline : This is an antibiotic and for many people it provides a perfectly good alternative to taking the traditional anti malaria tablets. However, Doxycycline can make you particularly sensitive to sun, and the effects of antibiotics on contraception tablets are well documented.

Step 3 : Look out for symptoms and complete your course of prophylactics!

If on your return or during the remainder of your trip, you experience any flu like symptoms (nausea & vomiting, chills, fever, sweating, headache or muscle pain) you should have a malaria test just to be safe. Malaria responds well to early treatment. Remember to complete your prophylactic course - even after leaving a malaria area.

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WorkTravelSA.org has compiled a couple of abroad safety travel tips that will hopefully be of some use to any new travelers or volunteers.

1. Research

It’s always a good idea to do a little online reading on the country you planning to visit. A simple Google.com news (news.google.com) search on the country will also help in getting a better understanding of any possible political/government instabilities in your destination country.

2. Theft

Cellphones
Unfortunately this is a reality in any country and it’s a good idea to be prepared
for this. What we recommend is to make a list of important contact numbers that you will need to cancel cellphone contracts. A extra tip - it’s good practice to make use of password protection on your cellphone, which can prevent high phone bills. Each cell phone also has a unique identification code known as the IMEI code (pressing *#06# on your mobile will show it’s IMEI number) - keep record of this number in case your cellphone provider requires it.

Credit Cards
Credit cards are very useful when traveling but can also be a threat. Once again it’s a good idea to keep record of some contact numbers in case the credit card gets stolen.

3. Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is a must for anyone leaving there country. What is important to note is that gap year /volunteering travel insurance is different to your normal annual vacation insurance. It’s vital that you make sure your travel insurance company covers you while performing your gap year or volunteering tasks.

Highlight any health issues that you might have, these are all factors that can effect your insurance and if not mentioned it could prevent insurance payouts. Remember when you in a foreign country you don’t want to have unnecessary hassles, especially when it comes to your health. So communicate as much as possible to the travel insurance people.

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It’s become highly more acceptable for young people across the globe to volunteer in foreign countries. Majority of these volunteers are young people and I’m sure you as a possible volunteer might be asking the following question…

But Why? Why not just go on a holiday or have a gap year?

Generally the most common reason is to give something back. Wanting to help others, wishing to do good and hoping to make a difference are all important reasons to volunteer. But let’s be honest - this isn’t always the convincing factor that makes you feel you’ve spent your time well, there is more reasons. Volunteering is an excellent way to get under the skin of a country and come to grips with a difference culture. The cultural-exchange element in volunteering abroad is a key part of both you and your hosts will get out of the whole experience. Plus, you can build volunteering into almost any segment of your travels, whether you decide to arrange it formally or just turn up and find a placement yourself.

The educational aspect of volunteering is equally crucial. In almost every placement you’ll have the opportunity to learn a foreign language or to brush up on one. And many of the new skills you’ll acquire or develop can be used back home in your profession.

Many volunteers have found that international volunteering has either helped their career or given them the necessary experience to change careers. International volunteering helps to increase the understanding of development issues, consolidate practical skills, and gain first hand-experience of working in the field.

WorkTravelSA.org has various volunteer programs available for you to start your abroad volunteering walk. Volunteer programs range from wildlife conservation, orphan outreach programs, community development to township development. There are so many arenas where you can make a difference and more importantly where you learn about other cultures that make differences in your own life and career.

Get started, get volunteering today!

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Volunteering abroad is more than just about getting away from home or being on the road - it’s about getting in touch with other cultures and giving of yourself, getting to live from your heart and experiencing life from a complete different perspective. Quite simply volunteering changes lives!

Lettie Mckie from England was a volunteer at one of WorkTravelSA.org’s affiliated African aids volunteer programs in 2007. Lettie visited Kayamandi , a local townships and was inspired to write a poem about it.

Kayamandi Beats
Come child and I will take you
Through corrugated streets
And together we will flicker
Through corrugated beats.

Come woman let me take you
Cos our time is running short
Take your coca cola body
Now my pepsi heart is caught.

Come you whose heart is burning
From an ache beyond your years
We will walk in dappled sunlight
I will wipe away your tears.

Come child and I will take you
Through Kayamandi streets
And together we will flicker
Through Kayamandi beats

Lettie Mckie
Stellenbosch 2007

10 out of 10 to Lettie Mckie for this poem and we want to thank her for contributing to Africa and sharing what she experienced.

If you want some more information on getting involved with various African volunteer programs than click on the ‘Volunteer Programs’ image below.

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Did you know about Elephants…

• By flapping it’s ears, an elephant can lower its body temperature by 3ºC
• A baby elephant has nearly perfectly Africa-shaped ears
• As elephants mature, their ears get nicked and torn, giving them very distinctive identifying characteristics
• If an elephant charges with ears flapping, it may only be a mock charge, but if the ears are folded back against the head, the charge is for real!

Ever been interested in working with elephants?

Well WorkTravelSA.org offers interesting wildlife volunteer programs. Volunteer programs where you get to experience international expeditions in Africa and get to assist nature conservationists protect wildlife while making many new friends. So if you looking for some adventure this summer be sure to check out our abroad volunteer programs.

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Firstly i want to welcome everyone to WorkTravelSA.org’s first blog post. WorkTravelSA.org has come a long way and we finally getting our online presence a little more active. We are all very excited about this blog and planning to share all our exciting news with the rest of the world!

Who is WorkTravelSA.org?
WorkTravelSA.org has been running for about 3 years in South Africa and since has bought in over 1800 volunteers into the country - volunteers that have been making a difference in South African communities, helping conserve the wildlife and learning more about the African culture.

The purpose of this blog?
To make people out there aware of exciting volunteer and travel opportunities that we offer @ WorkTravelSA.org. Volunteers are constantly coming into the country to assist with various projects and we would like to show the rest of the world what good these volunteers are doing. WorkTravelSA.org is more than just about getting volunteers to help Africa - we also involved with various wildlife projects like animal tracking, nature conservation and continuous development in HIV/AIDS education.

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