About Us
This is our Story; and we haven’t finished yet!
Our Mission
The mission of Volunteer Encounter is to connect global citizens to ethical, transformative experiences in Africa.
Impact
The meaningful contribution of volunteers to conservation and communities.
Conservation
We aim to see wildlife and wild places thrive through careful, sustainable protection.
Communities
Respectfully partnering with local commmunities for their benefit.
Transformation
Curating programmes that offer new life experiences leading to personal development of travellers.
Supportive
We offer a high level of reliable service to our travellers with warmth and a personal touch.
Collaboration
Respectful team work with industry partners to ensure exceptional experiences.
Innovation
Responding with creativity to challenges and opportunities.
Sustainability
Ensuring the ability of future generations to thrive.
Our Impact
Over 10 000 travellers have visited our projects over the years, gaining a deeper understanding of African culture and wildlife. Participating in our supportive programmes, they develop valuable skills and perspectives that last a life time. Their participation means that local projects have an incredible reach and beautiful stories to tell:
In 2025
- Our participants spent 3240 hours serving community projects: soup kitchens, orphanages, special needs schools, horse therapy, SPCA.
- They raised over $15000 for school books and supplies, for SPCA needs, for mattresses, solar panels and a borehole for the orphanage.
Our participants assist in anti-poaching activities, snare sweeps and boundary patrols, protecting pristine wildlife areas around Africa. A rhino born safely, orphaned elephants enjoying interactions, lion cubs playing on their swings and climbing frames, new vulture species recorded and submitted, game counts and bird counts – they are making a massive impact.
The revenue generated contributes to established projects who are able to consistently serve communities and conservation efforts, as well as creating employment and supporting local businesses.
Our History
This is our story and we have not finished yet…
Volunteer Encounter was established in the UK in 2018 to connect travellers to transformative experiences in Africa. But our story goes way back to 2005 and our first volunteer project: Antelope Park, Zimbabwe. It is a haven that has been putting travellers and wildlife together for many years, resulting in beautiful transformative stories.
One of the most exciting stories to come out of Antelope Park was ALERT: African Lion & Environment Research Trust. Lion populations were plummeting (75% in 50 years) and there had been little success with wild to wild relocations of lions to bolster numbers. Owner, Andrew Conolly had a bold and deeply personal mission – to reintroduce captive bred lions to the wild in a sustainable way.
Programme Participants, qualified in biodiversity and wildlife management helped build the dream – in a 3 stage programme. During stage one, participants followed lion cubs on their walks in the wild, observing their adaptive natural training for survival, preparing them for the second stage of the release programme. Academic institutions partnered with us to support genetic management and years of extensive research to document the release of the first prides into fenced managed reserves (Ngamo and Dambwa Forest). We celebrated their social cohesiveness, their successful hunting and raising of cubs who had no human contact, able to live independently in protected reserves (stage 3). A model was documented for use in future conservation endeavours as recorded by the ALERT research team: David Youldon, Dr Jackie Abell, Yvonne Gordon and others in many documents on line.
Watch the series documenting the stage 2 release on “Roaring with Pride” and “Lion Country” on YouTube:
Our African lions became ambassadors. Surrounding communities and school children participated in conservation education programmes. They became the champions who protect lions in the future.
This beautiful story at Antelope Park today encompasses many surrounding community partner projects: the model for others with a heart for conservation. From the sprawling plains of Africa to the gorgeous marine life on her shores, a network was born. Volunteer Encounter continues connecting people and projects in meaningful ways across Africa.
Convervation & Community
We understand the truth of Mandela’s statement very well:
No game park in Africa will survive, unless the surrounding communities benefit from the park. – Nelson Mandela
We have experienced this first hand on many of our projects, as surrounding communities begin to thrive through tangible benefits and job creation they join hands in the work of conservation. We have an optimistic view of human nature and we pursue our vision for a better world.
Our Invitation
We offer the experience of a lifetime to anyone with a passion for Africa and a desire to make a difference in the world’s most magical continent. Discover the true, unfiltered nature of Africa; but be warned, once you have a taste for Africa, you will never want to leave
We are ready to welcome you with open arms, come and join us on the quest for a better world, far and wide.
Let’s go Make A Difference – go ‘MAD’ together.