Volunteer Name: Gitte van Empel (Dutch)
Destination: South Africa
Project: Monkey Rescue and Rehabilitation https://volunteerinternationaladventu...
Dates: 30th of October to the 24th of December 2023

“First of all, I wanna thank you again for everything! I had the most wonderful time and made some lifetime memories. The best thing about my placement was the opportunity to meet new people in this beautiful place and of course get in touch with the monkeys. I fell in love with them from the first time I saw them.

My biggest achievement is the fact that I travelled to the other side of the world on my own, and got to care for the little babies. I really feel like after these 8 weeks I could help the monkeys after they’ve been through such traumatic events. Each night feeding these little monkeys was a dream coming true, and of course it was difficult, but I do miss it so very much.

The thing that stood out to me was the dedication of Steve and Carol to help as many monkeys out there as possible. I think it is truly amazing that they dedicate their lives to save the monkeys and you can really see the passion in their work. This really touched my heart and I’m really glad I got to meet them and see how they’ve build the organization from scratch.

I gained so many new experiences… I learned a lot about vervet monkeys, I got to take care of them which made me such a happy and lucky person, I got to meet new people, enjoy my time there with them, do some trips with them, laugh with them, cry with them. I truly could not have wished for a better experience than this.

I had such an amazing 8week experience volunteering with Vervet Monkey Rescue & Rehabilitation. The moment you enter the place and see such a precious baby monkey is breathtaking. Taking care of these babies is just incredible and so rewarding; you get to feed them, cuddle them, bath them, and play with them, which just really makes your heart jump of joy. I fell totally in love with these baby monkeys...The place where we got to stay was also insanely beautiful! The place is clean, the area is nice and calm, and the view is just incredible. Steve and Carol are amazing people and I am so lucky that I got to meet them. They take amazing care of you, and you can learn so much from them about rescuing and taking care of the monkeys, and about South Africa in general. The passion and dedication they put into their organization is just incredible to see and experience. They also give you the opportunity to go on trips with fellow volunteers, with whom you can gain some lovable memories which you will never forget. I could not have wished for a more rewarding, lovable and wonderful experience than this!” #animal #careerbreak #gapyear #volunteer #volunteerabroad #wildlife #primate #monkey #rehab #culture