Your Best Info Source for Peace Corps South Africa

Welcome to the top spot for info on Peace Corps South Africa! If volunteering in South Africa interests you, you came to the right website. We’ll fill you in on Peace Corps’ past in South Africa. We’ll also give details about South Africa as a country. You can find out the languages spoken there. You can also check out stories from other volunteers. Here you can get info about safety and health. We’ll also provide ways to reach out to former Peace Corps volunteers in South Africa. Get set to learn more to help choose if South Africa is a good fit for you!

Volunteers in South Africa work on projects in Education and Health (leave in July).

1. Peace Corps South Africa

Focus Areas:

Education: Volunteers in the Literacy Enrichment Project (LEP) work with South African educators to improve early literacy and create supportive learning environments. They co-teach students in Grades R-3, focusing on building English literacy and helping learners transition to English instruction by Grade 4. Volunteers assist teachers in strengthening early literacy techniques, addressing remedial needs, and promoting skills like reading, writing, and critical thinking, which are essential for students’ long-term success and overall development.
Health: The HIV Awareness & Prevention Program for Youth (HAPPY) focuses on reducing health inequalities like poverty, gender inequality, and stigma to help control HIV/AIDS. Volunteers work with host organizations to improve service delivery for those affected by HIV/AIDS and provide youth with sexual and reproductive health education. By building skills, increasing health knowledge, and linking families to HIV services, the project helps youth prevent HIV, gain employable skills, and stay HIV-free.

collage: 1) map showing the relative location of South Africa on the African continent; 2) map of South Africa and major cities

2. About South Africa

South Africa has some of the oldest human fossils, and it was settled by Bantu-speaking people who moved the Khoisan people. The Dutch arrived in 1652 and started Cape Town. Later, the British took over, and the Dutch settlers, called Boers or Afrikaners, moved north. After the discovery of diamonds and gold, many Europeans immigrated to South Africa. In the 1900s, the country was ruled by the British and Afrikaners. Then, the National Party started apartheid, which favored white people. In 1994, South Africa had its first multi-racial elections.

Geography: South Africa is at the southern tip of Africa with a big plateau in the middle, hills, and a coastal plain. The highest point is Ntheledi (Mafadi) at 3,450 meters. The climate is mostly semiarid, but subtropical on the east coast. It has lots of natural resources like gold, chromium, coal, and diamonds. South Africa surrounds Lesotho and almost surrounds Eswatini. Cape Agulhas, not the Cape of Good Hope, is the southernmost point of Africa.

People and Society: South Africa has about 60.4 million people, most of whom are Black African (80.9%). Other groups include Colored (8.8%), White (7.8%), and Indian/Asian (2.6%). There are 11 official languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, and English. Most people are Christian. The population is getting older, and families are having fewer kids. Many people came to South Africa to work as laborers after slavery was abolished.

Environment: South Africa has problems with water because there are not many big rivers or lakes. It also has pollution of rivers, air pollution, deforestation, and soil erosion. The country has signed agreements to protect the environment. Much of the land is used for farming, and there is one active volcano on Marion Island. The climate is mostly semiarid with a subtropical east coast.

Government: South Africa is a republic with three capital cities: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial). There are three parts of the government: executive, legislative, and judicial. The president is both chief of state and head of government, and is elected by the National Assembly. The legal system is a mix of Roman-Dutch, English, and customary law. Majority rule was achieved in 1994.

Economy: South Africa is an upper-middle income country that was hurt by COVID-19. It is a big exporter of rare earth goods but has high income inequality. The economy is mostly services, industry, and agriculture. South Africa makes a lot of platinum, gold, and chromium. There is a high unemployment rate, especially among young people. The country exports things like gold, platinum, coal, and cars, and imports things like refined petroleum and cars.

Language: South Africa has 11 official languages, including isiZulu (25.3%), isiXhosa (14.8%), Afrikaans (12.2%), Sepedi (10.1%), Setswana (9.1%), and English (8.1%). These languages reflect the diverse cultural heritage of the country. South African Sign Language is also an official language. The languages are spoken most often at home.

Volunteers learn to speak local languages, including Sepedi, Setswana and Xitsonga.

group photo with a Peace Corps South Africa volunteer with many happy students

3. Safety and Health for Volunteers

How safe is it serve as a volunteer in South Africa?

In general, 100% of volunteers felt safe or very safe where they lived in South Africa. And 100% felt safe or very safe where they worked. But more detailed information about safety compared to other Peace Corps countries can be found in the latest South Africa Country Crime Profile.

What are some of the health concerns in South Africa?

Most of the medical problems seen in South Africa are also found in the United States. The medical problems seen the most in South Africa by volunteers are:

Behavioral health issues
Respiratory conditions/ENT
Infectious gastroenteritis
Gynecological conditions
Musculoskeletal conditions

Health problems also can result from local environmental factors, such as dust, humidity, insects, and disease-producing microorganisms.

Because malaria is endemic in South Africa, volunteers are required to take anti-malarial medication.

But more detailed information about health related issues at Peace Corps South Africa can be found in the South Africa Health and Medical Care Summary.

a Peace Corps South Africa volunteer working closely with a few students

4. Volunteer Experiences

What do volunteers think of serving in South Africa?

Since 1975, the Annual Volunteer Survey has been a source of information on the state of the Peace Corps (PC) program for the agency, Congress, researchers, the media, and the general public. In 2019, 76% of volunteers found their overall Peace Corps service rewarding or very rewarding. 76% of volunteers would still make the same decision to serve with the Peace Corps today. 69% of volunteers would recommend Peace Corps service to others. More information can be found in the South Africa Annual Volunteer Survey Satisfaction Results.

Where can I learn more about PC South Africa volunteer experiences?

PCV blogs and YouTube channels offer a unique look into the daily life of volunteers serving in South Africa. These blogs and channels can help you understand the challenges and triumphs that come with being a volunteer. Explore these links for inspiring stories and practical advice from current and past volunteers.

flag of South Africa: a green sideways Y, with trim in white and yellow with red, black, and blue negative spaces

If you’re interested in learning more about serving in South Africa, I’ve got you covered! Click here to see all of my posts about Peace Corps South Africa with details on the experience, culture, food, packing tips, and more.

four Peace Corps South Africa volunteers giving an outdoor presentation

5. Resources and Connections

How can I connect with Returned PCVs who served in South Africa?

And where can I find official information about Peace Corps South Africa?

cover of the Peace Corps South Africa 'welcome' book. 2013

This is an old PC publication called “The Peace Corps Welcomes You to South Africa“, published in 2013. In the past, before the internet, this is how volunteers learned more about South Africa. Even though it is many years old, there is still a lot of good information there. You can download it HERE but remember it is just for informational purposes. For up-to-date information, always check with you Peace Corps contacts and staff.

This blog post provided insights to help determine if serving in South Africa is right for you. You got info on South Africa’s culture, languages, and growth. We also covered safety tips and health facts for volunteers. Plus, we explained how to connect with former Peace Corps volunteers. We hope this post was helpful for getting details on Peace Corps South Africa!

The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the South Africa Government.

Photos from the Peace Corps Media Library and the Peace Corps South Africa Facebook page