About VACorps Internships

A closer look at the Volunteer Adventure Corps South African internship program

It is now widely acknowledged by both students and employers that internships (in Cape Town or anywhere around the world) are an essential part of any professional resume. The advantages of interning are innumerable. Internships give students exposure to real-time experiences that transcend the comfortable, theoretical boundaries of the typical classroom setting. Interns work alongside established professionals and meet mentors. Most importantly, interns get to preview a potential profession that they would otherwise be committing to without any prior experience.

The Volunteer Adventure Corps was founded, in part, to satisfy a growing demand for practical internships in Cape Town, South Africa. As our motto goes, by interning in South Africa, you are doing ‘something exceptional for your resume.’ Any one of our diverse selection of VACorps-sponsored internships is guaranteed to catch the attention of a potential employer. Yet, we felt it necessary to offer our participants more than the basic internship placement services offered by other placement agencies. Considering that Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, we also wanted to ensure that our participants experience all that the city has to offer. So we challenged ourselves to create a curriculum that combines professional exposure with an African adventure. Under our guided watch, no participant will waste a single day in South Africa.

VACorps is also the proud partner of IE3 Global Internships, a program based in the Pacific Northwest. If you are a student at one of the following schools, please refer to the IE3 homepage to learn more about how you can receive a semester's worth of credits by participating in one of our VACorps-sponsored internships in South Africa. Schools affiliated with IE3 include:

University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, Southern Oregon University, Portland State University, Eastern Oregon University, Lane Community College, University of Washington, Central Washington University, Western Washington University, University of Utah, and University of Alaska.

Visit the IE3 Website here:

We are also members of NAFSA: The Association of International Educators. NAFSA is the leading professional association promoting the exchange of students and scholars to and from the United States.

In 2007 we formed an academic partnership with the Pacific University School of Occupational Therapy. Should you be a student enrolled in this program and be interested in a summer internships abroad, then please contact Academic Fieldwork Coordinator, Sandra Pellham-Foster, to learn more about how you can receive credit by participating in our professional internship program.

But who are the individuals behind the Volunteer Adventure Corps?

Oliver Hagan
Director of Applications and Outreach

Oliver graduated from the University of Oregon in 2005 with a BA in Journalism and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society. Oliver’s path to Cape Town originated when he decided to spend his junior year studying abroad at the University of Cape Town through CIEE. From his first few days in the country, Oliver fell in love with his surroundings. It is for this very reason that he feels so strongly about providing VACorps participants with the necessary support and information to have a memorable overseas experience. His personal volunteer experiences include teaching English to fifth graders in the Khayelitsha Township and working as a writing tutor for students speaking English as a second language. Oliver has a working knowledge of several South African languages, including Xhosa and Afrikaans. When not engaged in VACorps affairs, Oliver can be found surfing one of Cape Town's many amazing waves.

Contact Oliver at: oliver@vacorps.com


Sean Walpole
Director of Placement and Operations

Sean Walpole graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2002 with a Bachelor of Social Science in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Sean is a South African with extensive experience working with international students and university professors and describes his position at the VACorps as his dream job. Sean has a passion for travel and an insatiable desire for exploration. Since 2001, Sean has organized and led trips to Mozambique, Zimbabwe and along the Garden Route in South Africa. He provides all logistical support for university faclutly-led programs in South Africa facilitated by VACorps (see our Faculty-Led South Africa website for more information). In his spare time, Sean has also managed to teach more than 150 people to SCUBA dive! He is one of the most enthusiastic, hard-working individuals you will ever meet!

Contact Sean at:  sean@vacorps.com

Jon Wilson
Director of Local Support

Jon is a South African who has lived in Cape Town his entire life and has a comprehensive undertanding of the city. He is responsible for overseeing finalized internship placements and heads up our on-the-ground support network. Jon is a reservist in the South African Police Service (SAPS) and gives the safety and security briefing during each new participant's arrival orientation. In his leisure time, Jon enjoys SCUBA diving and hiking.

Contact Jon at: jon@vacorps.com

Joan Leavens 
Program Assistant/ Applications

Joan grew up in Seattle and graduated from the University of Virginia with a BA in History, Spanish, and Foreign Affairs.  She has a passion for travel, and spent her junior year studying politics and learning Spanish in Argentina and Peru. Joan became interested in South Africa through her studies, and she came down to Cape Town after graduation intending to volunteer for a few months.  She has since fallen in love with the city, and cannot bring herself to leave.  In Cape Town, Joan has interned for an AIDS advocacy organization called the Treatment Action Campaign.  She joined the VACorps team in April 2009, and is currently volunteering at a health clinic in Hout Bay.  She loves traveling, outdoor activities, and adventure.

Contact Joan at: joan@vacorps.com

Sly Nyelimane
Program Assistant/ Transportation Logistics

Sly is the first and last face you will see in South Africa! He responsible for the coordination of all our participant airport transfers and also assists with special program transportation arrangements. Sly was raised in Bloemfontein, South Africa before moving to Cape Town as a teenager. Prior to joining VACorps, Sly worked in the South African film industry as a Production Manager with Magic Mountain Film Productions. He enjoys going to gym and encourages any future VACorps participants needing a gym buddy to contact him.

Gabriela Farias

Program Assistant/ Applications & Marketing

Gabriela is a graduate from Vanderbilt University with a BS in Human and Organizational Development, concentrating on International Leadership and Development.  Originally from Ohio, Gabriela first came to Cape Town in January 2008 as a student participating in a service-learning program that gave her the opportunity to work in Khayelitsha teaching subjects including English and Arts and Culture.  These experiences resulted in her developing a deep passion for the city.  Her determination to return led to her participation in a service trip resurrecting a library in Manenberg Primary School in March 2009, and has resulted in her recently joining the VACorps team! She enjoys music, volunteering, and the great outdoors, and looks forward to reimmersing herself in all that Cape Town has to offer!

Contact Gabriela at: gabriela@vacorps.com

Andrew Ndwanya
Program Assistant/ Community Outreach & VAC FC soccer coach

As a native South African, Andrew will become your guide to Cape Town. In addition to giving interns a public transportation orientation when they arrive, Andrew is also the VACorps soccer coach and events planner. He is most famous among interns for coordinating weekend trips to Mzolis and other places in the townships. Andrew has a very easygoing and hospitable personality, and will go out of his way to make interns feel comfortable in his home country.

Ivy Ndwanya
Program Assistant/ Language Teacher & Cultural Development

Ivy was born and raised in Cape Town, and is proudly South African! She is famous among VACorps interns because of her amazing cooking skills, especially when it comes to preparing authentic South African meals. She is the coordinator of VACorps cooking classes and serves as the chef during VACorps faculty-led programs in South Africa. In addition to showing interns how to make fabulous South African cuisine, Ivy teaches VACorps Xhosa lessons (

Xhosa is one of South Africa's 11 official languages), hosted on a weekly basis at the VACorps office. Ivy's great personality is contagious and she inspires every intern to dive into South African culture!

Brittany Rice

Program Assistant/ Multimedia

Brittany grew up in Chicago and is currently studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She arrived in Cape Town in January 2009 is studying abroad at the University of Cape Town until the end of 2009. She is studying African Dance and Psychology. Brittany came to Cape Town to gain more dance experience after studying drumming and dance in Ghana, West Africa in the summer of 2008. In addition to studying at UCT and working with VACorps, Brittany has a passion for hot power-flow vinyasa yoga.

Contact Brittany at: Brittany@vacorps.com

Learn more about Internships in Cape Town, South Africa and become part of our African experience.