Volunteer Testimonials | Homeless Feeding Project Photos
This deeply rewarding project provides essential meals and support for people that find themselves homeless on the streets of Cape Town. The project also offers an informal after-school programme for underprivileged children.
Under the expert guidance of Pastor John, the project carries out valuable community work by supporting homeless people with counselling, temporary accommodation, help with finding work and a place to call home.
As a volunteer you will help with preparing lunches and dinners, taking attendance registers, interviewing and recording profiles, assisting the children with homework and games, and collecting food donations. During your stay you will gain a unique understanding of the social problems that Cape Town's homeless encounter, and learn about their individual stories of hardship and triumph over adversity.
To join this project you will need to be in good physical condition and aged 18 years or older by the time you arrive in Cape Town. Emotional maturity and discretion are important assets, and you must also have personal characteristics like commitment, flexibility, patience and the ability to use your initiative if you find yourself at a loose end. To ensure effective communication between all team members, a good understanding of the English language is also required.
| Arrival Airport | Cape Town (CPT) |
| Arrival Day | Friday recommended - you can arrive earlier or over the weekend |
| Join Project On | Monday |
| Duration | You can volunteer at the Homeless Feeding Programme for 1 week or more |
| Volunteering Hours | Variable hours from Monday to Friday each week |
| Main Activities | Assisting with the preparation of meals for the homeless feeding programme and working with underprivileged children |
| Fly Home On | Friday or later |
| Minimum Age | You must be aged 18 years or older when you arrive |
| Availability | Available dates for each duration are shown on the top-right of this page with the option to select from several currencies. |
| Pre-arrival Support | Our experienced team is on hand to ensure you are fully prepared for your trip to South Africa |
| Airport Welcome | One of our team will be at the airport to welcome you and escort you to Ashanti Lodge |
| Accommodation | You will stay at Ashanti Lodge in central Cape Town with a pool, restaurant, bar and wonderful views of Table Mountain |
| Orientation | On your first morning with the Homeless Feeding Programme you will have a full orientation |
| Badge | We will provide you with a tshirt and a personalised Via Volunteers name badge to wear while you are at the Homeless Feeding Programme |
| Vodacom Sim Card | A free, pre-registered Sim card for your phone |
| Wi-Fi | Free Wi-Fi at Ashanti Lodge |
| In-country Support | Our volunteer coordinators are available 24/7 for emergencies, and are on hand to help you make the most of your stay |
| Certificate | On completion of your placement we will send you a special thank you certificate to accompany your CV or resume. |
| Visas | Citizens from most countries can arrive in South Africa and stay for up to 90 days without a Visa. Please refer to our FAQ section for more details if you are unsure |
| Flights | Please refer to our FAQ section for recommendations about keeping your flight costs to a minimum |
| Wi-Fi | No Wi-Fi at the Homeless Feeding Programme in Cape Town |
| Transport | We will take you to the Homeless Feeding Programme on your first morning. Thereafter, you will need to book and pay for your remaining transfers using the Uber App on your phone. |
| Meals | Basic breakfasts as well as all other meals are available at Ashanti Lodge as per menu at your cost |
| Transfer back to Cape Town Airport | Uber works really well in Cape Town and is the best value option for this. |
Volunteer Testimonials | Homeless Feeding Project Photos
Your first visit to the Homeless Feeding Programme will be on the first Monday after you arrive in Cape Town.
On your first day, one of the Via Volunteer's team will collect you from Ashanti Lodge @ 09:00 and take you to the Feeding Programme Centre in Salt River, which is about a 10-minute drive. Thereafter, you will need to book your remaining transfers between Ashanti Lodge and the feeding programme using the Uber app on your phone.
We will introduce you to the feeding programme coordinator, who will help you to settle in with a warm welcome. He will get you started soon after and provide you with a provisional schedule for the week ahead.
Meals for the homeless are provided at two locations; the Feeding Programme Centre (breakfast or lunch) and the Homeless Shelter (dinner). Your daily routine will vary depending on whether you are helping out at one or both locations in a day.
You may also be involved with taking the attendance register, helping to clean up, and interviewing and recording profiles for some of the homeless people. During school terms, the children normally arrive at about 2pm, so you can assist with homework, games etc. You can also help with sorting and packing any clothing donations have been received.
For the evening meal, you can help to prepare food at the Homeless Shelter and interact with the people. There are permanent homeless people that stay at the shelter, and others that use the emergency accommodation each night. On Tuesday & Friday afternoon, you might also be asked to assist with collecting food donations from the Woolworths store not far from Ashanti Lodge.
If you would like to book any activities or tours for your free time or weekends off, please let Gary or Chantal know and they will be happy to arrange these for you.
Volunteer Testimonials | Homeless Feeding Project Photos
Voted in 2019 as Cape Town’s best backpacker accommodation, Ashanti Lodge has excellent facilities and is perfectly positioned in central Cape Town as an ideal base for volunteers. This will be your home while you're here and is a great place to relax when you aren’t out exploring everything Cape Town has to offer.
Uber works very well in Cape Town, and Ashanti is just a couple of minutes away from the excellent MyCiti bus route which provides cheap, safe and reliable transport to Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, Camps Bay, Hout Bay and much more. Close by you will also find an incredible variety of restaurants and bars, plenty of great hangouts in Long Street, a well-equipped shopping mall, supermarkets, health shops, cafes…the list goes on.
While you’re at Ashanti you can enjoy all of the facilities below. Whether you’re having a dip in the pool or watching Table Mountain while you have breakfast, you will find that Ashanti have thought of everything:
Volunteer Testimonials | Homeless Feeding Project Photos
The Homeless Feeding Programme is located in Cape Town about a 10-minute drive from Ashanti Lodge.
Your arrival airport is Cape Town (CPT)