My experience as a volunteer for CWBR

When I graduated and had to choose which road to take, my 18-year-old self didn’t know. So, I decided to take a gap year and do something that I had been meaning to do for a while: go volunteer somewhere in the world. Then, I came across Athénée Actions Humanitaires in Luxembourg and to CWBR in South Africa.

I spent six months in Franschhoek at the biosphere. This experience was very interesting and rewarding for me, as I was discovering a new side of life.

I got to teach English to kids in the nearest township and take them outside the school to see their environment, teach them about nature, biodiversity, and gardening. But I also got to see their faces when they saw the animals on the farm, when they picked tomatoes from the garden and when they played with the water on hot summer days. So, it was indeed, a rewarding experience.

I also got to accompany on camps or hikes for the youth, paint a massive map the of the Eastern Cape for educational purpose, organize field trips and organize activities for disadvantaged kids at a canoe club. My job for the biosphere was very diverse, and I could help with any project that I wanted to.

At the biosphere, I also could come up with a project, and then totally run it with the help I needed. As volunteers, we weren’t only following orders, we could make something happen if we wanted to.

With CWBR, I got to meet amazing people from all around the world, I got to see myself growing up and I got to help people and nature in many ways.