I had just qualified as a solicitor in Ireland and I decided to take a few months off and go travelling. I had always wanted to volunteer abroad and through a friend at home I made contact with Connect-123. From the start Connect-123 was extremely helpful. They found a position for me with an organisation founded to deal with the high levels of sexual harassment in South Africa’s rural farming communities. The organisation raises awareness of the prevalence of sexual and domestic violence in the Western Cape.

During my time with them, we, along with other organisations made a submission to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities on the lack of implementation of the Domestic Violence Act. The joint written submission was submitted to Parliament on the 26th October, 2009 and the oral submission to Parliament took place on the 29th October, 2009. My host organisation brought a beneficiary along to tell her story of how she tried to access the law to protect her from domestic violence and how it failed her. Her story was powerful and had a greater effect on Parliament than we could have ever imagined. It is our hope that steps will be taken to improve the implementation of the Act and protect the most vulnerable members of society.

I had the most amazing experience in Cape Town. Not only did I get a chance to work with a great organisation, I also met amazing people who are truly inspiring. Cape Town’s setting is absolutely stunning. It is surrounded by the ocean and has the breathtaking Table Mountain right in the city. There is so much to do in the city, from high adrenaline activities and hikes up Table Mountain to chilling out on the beach and visits to vineyards, not to mention the great night life on Long St!!!

I found Connect-123 extremely helpful and the employees very approachable. They organised events most weeks which was a great way for all the interns and volunteers to meet each other. I would recommend this programme for anyone who is interested in volunteering abroad. I cannot wait to go back and visit the Mother City and catch up with all the friends I made over there.