“The iSimangaliso Wetland Park (formerly known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park) must be the only place on the globe where the oldest land mammal (the rhinoceros) and the world’s biggest terrestrial mammal (the elephant) share an ecosystem with the world’s oldest fish (the coelacanth) and the world’s biggest marine mammal (the whale)” – Nelson Mandela.

St. Lucia is situated within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a beautiful area that was declared as South Africa’s first Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and which is called by many “Africa’s premier bush-and-beach destination”. Encompassing almost half a million acres, it is a stunning and ecologically diverse area, where five different eco-systems join, and where you find savannahs, wetlands, swamps, beaches, and a great wealth of wildlife.

The area is home to the Zulu tribe; a group of people with a very lively and colourful culture. It is within this impressive setting, we offer you the opportunity to gain a unique insight into the rural South African medical field, and to make a positive impact on the local community through our specially structured Medical and community assistance programme.

Project Highlights:

• Improve your photography skills through a course taught by an experienced wildlife photographer.
• Spend many hours in the bush, taking pictures of animals such as rhino, elephant, and possibly even leopard.
• Help to create a photo database for awareness and educational purposes.
• Teach local South Africans about the importance of conservation.
• Get involved in local conservation projects.
• Immerse yourself in the local Zulu culture.
• Make friends for life.

Project Achievements so far:

From January 2008 to May 2009 African Impact volunteers contributed over 6039 hours to conservation through photography in the St Lucia area of South Africa. Our project structures, together with the support and advice of our charitable foundation team at The Happy Africa Foundation, are continuously assessing our work and project strategies to ensure that these hours are meaningful with measurable outcomes.

Volunteers have provided hundreds of fantastic images to The Greenvision Foundation to raise awareness of iSimangaliso, a UNESCO world heritage site near St Lucia.  These images have been used to create a photographic database of the species and ecosystems in the area to help with conservation education.

Volunteers have also removed hundreds of alien plants and introduced 20 indigenous trees around a pan (natural pond) in a local village. Through cleaning the pan and introducing perches, the number and species of birds visiting has increased (including a rare kingfisher!).

Valuable data has been recorded and 215 baby crocodiles tagged as part of the process to release them and helped count wild crocodile nests in the area to track how populations are coping with low water levels. We have also partnered with a local high school to run a Conservation Club – the 30 children have been learning about wildlife, the environment, agreed their local conservation issues and help with the regeneration of the pan in their village.

More about our St. Lucia Photography Programme:

• Location: St. Lucia, North East Coast of South Africa. A comfortable and charismatic town within walking distance of the beach.
• Age Limit: Minimum 17 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health.
• Required Experience: For this project, enthusiasm for photography is essential. Photographic knowledge and experience is helpful, but not necessary. Volunteers will need to bring their own photographic equipment as a minimum they should bring an SLR digital camera with 18-55 mm lens, battery charger and 2GB memory card.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: Project Dates: The project will run for 4 weeks and the training course begins on the following dates so volunteers must arrive at least 1-2 days before these dates:

2010: Arrive (Sunday): Course Begins (Tuesday)
Arrive 10th January: Course Begins 12th January
Arrive 7th February: Course Begins 9th February
Arrive 7th March: Course Begins 9th March
Arrive 4th April: Course Begins 6th April
(4th April is Easter Sunday, so the course would start lunchtime on the 6th and run to Friday lunchtime)
Arrive 2nd May: Course Begins 4th May
Arrive 30th May: Course Begins 1st June
Arrive 27th June: Course Begins 29th June
Arrive 25th July: Course Begins 27th July
Arrive 22nd August: Course Begins 24th August
Arrive 19th September: Course Begins 21st September
Arrive 17th October: Course Begins 19th October
Arrive 14th November: Course Begins 16th November
Departure date will be 4 weeks from start date i.e. Sunday

Creating a Picture Database:

In order to preserve indigenous plant life and wildlife, it is essential to get local communities involved. What is lacking in current educational syllabi is a detailed photographic database of the wildlife in the St. Lucia area. In association with the Green Vision Foundation, African Impact aims to create a database which will be used for educational purposes. As a volunteer, you will contribute to this goal by taking photographs of as many wildlife species as possible.

You will photograph large animals such as elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard, as well as smaller creatures such as chameleons, insects, and some of the 521 bird species that call this World Heritage Site home. The best pictures will be included in our database. The project is a unique opportunity to encounter some of Africa’s most beautiful animals on a daily basis, to improve your photography skills, as well as to contribute to conservation efforts.

Pictures of the Month / Year:

Every month, a jury of professional wildlife photographers will select the best picture, which will be framed and put on our picture wall in the volunteer house. In addition, it will be put on the African Impact website. At the end of each year, the same jury will select a picture of the year, with a prize given to the winning photographer.

Community and Medical Project Database:

To track progress of the fantastic community work volunteers on our other projects are doing, you will sometimes be given the opportunity to join other projects for half a day to capture images of the volunteers at work. A good opportunity to practice different types of photography and very useful for helping keep a visual database of progress on our projects.  You can of course also join in playing with the children or painting a building!

“I loved every exquisite moment of my St. Lucia experience: beach sunrises, full-day game drives… I loved that the savannah was my workplace and the rhino and zebra my colleagues. I truly loved this program… all I can really remember is being inordinately happy in Africa.” Janet Wu, USA.

Conservation Education and Activities:

To enhance awareness of UNESCO’s objectives and methods, as well as conservational efforts in general, it is vital to involve and educate St. Lucia’s local community. As a volunteer, you will visit local schools giving classes and workshops about the reason for, and methods of conservation. You will also, along with a conservation education syllabus, use our photography database to do this.

In addition, you may take local school children and orphans into the bush on field trips. By experiencing the World Heritage Site and its wildlife for themselves, the children will learn to appreciate the area they live in, and get a better understanding of why these efforts are being made. It will also provide them with a fun and relaxing day out; something they don’t experience often!

You will get the chance to be involved in some activities to broaden your knowledge and experience of conservation.  This may include the regeneration of an area back to its natural state, planting indigenous trees or be involved in a conservation efforts at a local Crocodile Centre and other local projects.

Project Cost: 4 weeks GB£1,645

Project Cost Includes:

• The project fee entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. It facilitates funding for items such as educational materials and tools for conservation work.
• Transport between Richards Bay Airport and St. Lucia.
• 3 day photography course taught by an experienced wildlife photographer and an in depth induction about the projects and being a volunteer.
• All daily transfers to and from your projects during your stay.
• Full board and lodging, which includes 3 meals a day at our volunteer house (except Sundays).
• Laundry service during your stay.
• Assistance at your projects by African Impact staff and volunteer coordinators.
• Any visits to other African Impact programmes based in St. Lucia.

Project Cost Excludes:

• Personal travel insurance for the duration of your placement, which must include cover for evacuation and repatriation. We recommend WorldNomads.com.
• All transport by air or bus to Richards Bay. We can help you arrange this if you wish.
• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other).
• E-mail / Internet and telephone calls.
• Soft drinks, wines and spirits.
• All visas for border crossings.
• Any excursions over-and-above your planned itinerary in St. Lucia (see below for more information on some of the great travel options available in and around the area you will be staying).

Project “Day in the life”:

Here is how a typical day in the life of a St. Lucia photography project volunteer might take shape. Please note that your itineraries may differ from this, depending on your own experience and the number of other volunteers on the placement at the same time; this is simply to give an example:

• 07:00 – Get up, eat breakfast, and start getting ready to depart for your project.*
• 08:30 – Head off to the photography area for that day and start taking photographs of wildlife. You may focus on finding different animals on different days.
• 12:00 – Lunch break. You will be picked up, and taken to your volunteer house, where lunch will be waiting for you.
• 14.00 – Start of your afternoon projects. You may be working on adding your new pictures to the database, or you may work on a conservation activity with local children.
• 16.30 – End of the working day*. You will be picked up from your project and taken home, where you will evaluate the day with fellow volunteers and project coordinators, and discuss the schedule for the next day.
• 18.00 – Dinner at your volunteer house. After dinner, you may wish to go for a few drinks in one of the local bars.
• *Morning times and end of day times do vary depending on where you are visiting and best conditions for taking photographs, for instance if you are going on a day Game drive you will start much earlier e.g. 05:00 am.

Project Orientation:

Upon arrival in St. Lucia you will have a comprehensive orientation programme, which is included in your fee. This is facilitated by your project volunteer coordinator and includes:

• A 3-day wildlife photography course taught by an experienced wildlife photographer.
• Overview of the aims of the project and your role.
• An introduction to St. Lucia and the surrounding area.
• An introduction to all our projects. Not only will you see where you will be working, you will also see where your fellow volunteers will be spending their days.
• A basic language course. You will learn some basic words and sentences in Zulu, the local language in St. Lucia, so that you can communicate with people at a basic level in their own language. In addition, you will learn some of the local cultural nuances.
• At the orientation, you will also receive and be talked through our detailed “Welcome Pack”, which will contain further useful information for your time with us and is available for you to read at any time.

Project Support:

Throughout your placement you will have the support and guidance of our experienced Volunteer Coordinators. They are part of our greater African Impact support team, which will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance.

Project Meals:

You will be provided with three meals a day except Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch. Our cook has Saturday evening and Sunday lunchtime off so we invite volunteers to try the local restaurants for dinner and there is a small supermarket and cafe available for lunch. Dinner costs around GB£ 5 – 7 so is very reasonably priced. Please allow for this in your budget.

Breakfast is on a help-yourself basis and usually consists of cereals, toast, tea and coffee. Lunch and dinner are full meals, and will be cooked for you by our cook at the volunteer house. Note: If you leave early in the morning for your photography project, which is often the best time for good pictures, you will be given a packed breakfast.

Project Accommodation:

During your placement, you will stay at our large and comfortable project house situated in the middle of St. Lucia. It is a fully furnished house with a large lounge, satellite television, barbeque area, garden, and a swimming pool. The house is staffed with cooks and laundry / cleaning ladies. All bedding is provided, so you will not need to bring a sleeping bag with you, although sometimes it is useful in the colder months (June – September) or if you are planning going on excursions. You will however need to bring your own towels please. You will be sharing a bedroom with one to four people. Members of our African Impact team will be staying on the same property, so that they are always available to assist you with any questions or issues you may have.

We find that volunteers living together and working closely together with their volunteer coordinators is the surest way of ensuring their safety, and of being able to attend to their most pressing needs. For this reason, we expect all volunteers to stay only in the accommodation provided for them and do not allow volunteers to spend nights away in the town or nearby villages, unless they are away on pre-arranged sightseeing excursions.

How to get there: We will meet you at the airport!

The nearest airport to St. Lucia is Richards Bay Airport, which is about a forty five minute drive from St. Lucia. There are daily flights from Johannesburg to Richards Bay and these can be booked online at www.flysax.com.

Please ensure you book your flights to arrive 1-2 days before the photography training course starts.

One of our representatives will meet you at the airport upon your arrival in Richards Bay. You will then be escorted to your volunteer base in St. Lucia.

“The project has been amazing, I have enjoyed it so much, the staff have been accommodating, friendly and very approachable. The facilities are fantastic and the project was more than I expected.” Kate Woolley, British.

St. Lucia Wildlife Photography and Conservation Project notes:

• We have found in the past that the more you as a volunteer put in to your involvement, the more you will get out. You are welcome to contact a member of staff to find out how you can best prepare for your stay to assist the local community.
• You will be living with the St. Lucia Medical Assistance and Orphan Care & HIV/AIDS Awareness volunteers. You will thus be potentially working alongside them on some community assistance tasks.
• Please also understand that our projects are continuously evolving, being improved, and adapting to the needs of the local communities that we are involved with, so involvement areas do change from time to time. Rest assured your work will be necessary, rewarding and exciting. We invite you to be more than a tourist…

10 Reasons to volunteer in St. Lucia at our Photography Project:

1. Elevate your photographic experiences in South Africa’s first world heritage site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park – capture the spectacular landscapes, the magnificence of game animals like buffalo and rhino, and the wonder of the smaller species like insects and reptiles.
2. Include your photos as part of the conservation photographic library – to raise awareness of iSimangaliso and its World Heritage status.
3. Share your knowledge of conservation  – teach children in the local village with the help of structured lessons and informative photographs.
4. Enhance your skills with the teaching of a professional photographer – 3 days of intense instruction to inspire and teach you how to get the most from your camera.
5. Become an agent for conservation – help regenerate areas to encourage wildlife and plants to flourish.
6. Enlighten yourself – about the local flora and fauna, and learn about what you are photographing from our experienced and knowledgeable guide.
7. Diversify your portfolio – capture images of marine life within the Indian Ocean, the Big 5 within the savannas of KwaZulu-Natal, and the local people of Zululand.
8. Develop friendships that will last a lifetime – be part of the highly international and diverse group of volunteers who share this amazing experience with you.
9. Walk in the natural bush – snap unique shots of Africa’s wildlife and plants from up-close while on foot.
10. Leave Africa with the Zulu accent and thousands of photos!

St. Lucia Travel Highlights:

These are not included in your volunteering fee, but our coordinators are able to assist you with making the necessary booking arrangements.

• Game drives in the beautiful Hluhluwe and Umfolozi National Parks.
• Visits to the beach, and snorkelling at Cape Vidal.
• Whale, dolphin, and sea turtle viewing (seasonal).
• Hippo and crocodile cruises on the St. Lucia Estuary.
• Weekend trips to the stunning Phinda Private Game Reserve, Kosi Bay or Mozambique.

Here is a guideline of the prices for some of the most popular activities, in South African Rands:

Hluhluwe National Park – SAR 725 (About GB£ 58).
Hippo and Crocodile River Cruise – SAR 130 (About GB£ 10)
Whale Watching – SAR 750 (About GB£ 60)
Mozambique dolphin swim (overnight)  – SAR 2000 (About GB£ 160)

(Based on exchange rate of GB£ 1 = 12.5 Rand).

If photography is your thing it doesn’t get much more inspiring than this – and you’ll even be benefiting local people and wildlife! Contact us today.