“I came to Africa as my first time leaving the US with the thought that I just wanted to help underprivileged children. We have more than we could ever need in the States, and I felt like I needed to go somewhere that I could share my love and passion for kids. I fell completely in love with my babies at Sarah Fox. However, I didn’t expect to completely fall in love with South Africa, its people and all the interns in VAC. This experience is so hard to wrap up in words, but if I had to give it one it would be unbelievable. Looking back over the last two months I’ve done so many things I never thought I would possibly be able to do. I took care of HIV/Aids babies in Africa, touched elephants, bungeed the largest bridge in the world, rode an ostrich, dove with sharks, pet cheetahs, went cave crawling, climbed mountains, road tripped South Africa, and made so many friends and memories along the way. My life is forever changed by this beautiful country and the amazing people in VAC who made this experience a possibility. Leaving South Africa now is not goodbye, it’s see you later. One day (hopefully soon) I will be back. Until then, I will forever carry this place in a special spot in my heart.”
-Courtney Streiker, pictured at her internship site in Cape Town.
“People aren’t kidding when they call South Africa the Rainbow Nation. My eight-week internship with VAC added more colour to my life than I’ve ever experienced. My Canadian roots found the fences and walls and barbed wire daunting at first,...
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I volunteered in South Africa in college and it was the first place I thought of when considering a conservation internship. As an aspiring conservationist, Cape Town is a great place to intern due to the uniqueness of the area....
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Nicole is studying animal science at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. She joined the VACorps program in 2019, where she participated in a conservation internship in the unique and beautiful country of Zimbabwe. “I could not have asked for...
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