Programme details
| Programme length | Start | End | Price | Age on departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community Service Programme | June 2008 | Deccember 2008 | $8,250 + $300 | 19 - 30 |
| Community Service Programme | January 2009 | June 2009 | $8,250 + $300 Visa | 19 - 30 |
South Africa’s passion for nature preservation dates back to 1898 when the government established the forerunner of today’s Kruger National Park, the continent’s oldest safari preserve, where visitors can see all of Africa’s most popular animals. By contrast, the government is striving to erase any legacy of apartheid, the obsolete social policy that suppressed South Africa’s native black majority and gave power to immigrant Europeans through racial segregation.
Though South Africa still struggles with social and economic disparities, opinion polls reflect widespread optimism that integration is headed in the right direction. The challenge remains daunting, however.
South Africans, who speak 11 different official languages (one of which is English), include nine black ethnic groups, Europeans, Malays, Indians and Chinese. In today’s Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city, stock traders leave their glass-and-steel offices talking on cell phones and pass medicine shops selling jars of lizards’ feet and crocodile fat. South Africans come together, though, in a cross-cultural enthusiasm for soccer.
Family life
Population diversity in South Africa is reflected in the diversity of host families, which can differ one from the other in language, race, culture and religion. It is therefore hard to identify a single lifestyle, although families are generally warm and curious about visitors. It is common in South Africa to hug and show your feelings, talk sincerely but remain polite and concerned about moral behaviour. South African society is generally conservative, valuing a commitment to family, and a vast percentage of the population is active in one of the many religions.
Community Service in South Africa
There are a range of community service projects in South Africa, including environmental, education, working with street kids, caring for the elderly, working with youth and women’s issues, working in community health centres. Some others include working with people with disabilities, within human rights media and public relations and business development.
AFS South Africa does not accept smokers and vegetarians are difficult to place.
