Meet Our Volunteers
The success Born In Africa has enjoyed so far is only possible thanks to our wonderful volunteers and the work that they are doing. As a volunteer in South Africa, you will be given the opportunity to help our children in the schools and offer administrative assistance in our office. Thanks to you, the BIA children will be given a better education, which will lead to better future opportunities.
I give permission to Born in Africa to use my personal details within the guidelines of the BIA Privacy Policy.
If you’re interested in contributing to our organisation or would like more information, please fill in the application form and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Born in Africa would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers for their commitment (and time) in aiding the BIA team in South-Africa. Their support is an integral component of our organization!
Our volunteers of 2024
2024: Yenthé Beel, Sandy Frisch, Vincent Goupille
Sandy Frisch
Belgian volunteer January- May 2024
I'm Sandy, I have a Bachelor's degree in Pedagogy and I wanted to support less privileged children, which led me to Born in Africa. The working way of Born in Africa was appealing to me, and now I'm here in The Crags township, diving into mornings filled with math and English support for the children. After school, it's time for fun activities! Two months down the line, and I finally know all the names and I'm feeling the love from every single child. Helping out here is just awesome!
Vincent Goupille
French volunteer March- April 2024
Hello, my name is Vincent, I come from France and I joined Born in Africa the 3rd of March. I am helping in Kranshoek school and Craggs School for children in Grade 1 to 3 for English or math lessons. Every afternoon, I organize activities for kids, especially sport time. I also participated on the camps. I learned a lot thanks to the kids and the staff at Born in Africa. I am enjoying every moment of my experience
Yenthé Beel
Belgian intern, January until May 2023 & January until May 2024
Hi, I’m Yenthé! I work at the schools Formosa Primary and the Crags Primary. This is my second time at Born in Africa and I can’t get enough of working with the children! I came back to South Africa, because I could feel my story wasn’t finished yet here, and I missed the kids too much to stay away. This year I do several projects with the children, like making tutorials and teach them about ‘Life in the water’. I’m very grateful to Born in Africa for this opportunity!
Liselot Van Nieuwenhuyze
Belgian volunteer, January 2023 till June 2023
Hey, I'm Liselot Van Nieuwehuyze I made a comeback this year. I did my internship here in 2022 and decided to return without all the school work. I'm staying in Plettenberg for six months this time. Like last year, I' m at The Crags. There I give the best of myself every day, together with Nina. Together we get to work with the children of Grade 1, 2 and 3 to support them with subjects like English and Maths. Reading and writing are also definitely practised. After her first 4 months at Born in Africa, this is how Liselot looked back on her internship:
Mathisse Noelmans
Belgian intern, February 2022 till June 2022
Hey everybody, I’m Mathisse Noelmans, a 22 year-old student in Social Work at PXL in Hasselt, Belgium. I hail from Tongeren and chose to do my internship abroad, because it drew my attention ever since the first year of my studies. I will do my practical for 4 months with Born in Africa and work at the school of Kranshoek and Born in Africa’s educational centre in the community. In the mornings, I offer support to the youngest learners at school and in the afternoons, I work with the children of Born in Africa at the Educational Centre. So far, I love everything about working with Born in Africa and I’m looking forward to learn from the team and kids here!
At the end of my internship, this is how I looked back on my time at Born in Africa;
Simon Krause
German volunteer, January till June 2022
Guten Tag, I am Simon Krause, 18 years old from Stuttgart, Germany. I am currently in a gap year between my high school graduation last summer and the start of my studies, presumably in computer science or mechanical engineering, this September. I’ve joined BIA this February and after a month in Kranshoek, I am now helping in the Wittedrift Primary School. In the afternoon I help at the centers in Wittedrift and Kranshoek, go surfing with the kids and try to introduce them to my passion of computer science by teaching them programming. Travelling to a different continent all alone has definitely come with a few challenges; however, the time here has been tremendously valuable and eye-opening. I am very excited for what the next months have in store!
Have a look at how Simon looks back after volunteering for nearly 5 months at Born in Africa:
Pauline Maelfait
Belgian intern, 2022
Pauline had a very diverse program during her internship at BIA, have a look;
Amber Wittouck
Belgian volunteer, October 2021 until March 2022
Hello! My name is Amber Wittouck. I’m 23 years old and I’m a qualified occupational therapist, specialised in the care of children. In 2019 I already volunteered with Born in Africa, but had to return home early due to COVID. As soon as I got the opportunity to come to South Africa, I grabbed it with both hands, and it feels so good to be back! Back at the schools, with the kids and mentors and to be a part of the Born in Africa team again. This adventure enables me to evolve further, both on a personal and a professional level. A lot has changed since COVID, but we continue to work hard to guarantee the wellbeing of the kids and give them a good time at school. Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces makes everything worth while!
Have a listen to a podcast by Amber and Adelheid (volunteer in 2021) about their experience as a volunteer at Born in Africa. (In Dutch only)
