About live&learn
live&learn is a family-run company that has been organising voluntary services, internships and sabbaticals for graduates, students and professionals since 2006 to support South African non-profit organisations in their commitment to a more socially just and environmentally sustainable society.
At the same time, we want to give people from overseas an for global learning and international engagement.
With live&learn you do not simply book an internship, sabbatical or volunteering placement, but act as an aid for global learning and action.
The idea behind live&learn
We are Antje Nahnsen, native of Schleswig-Holstein, and Alex Allavena, born in Bavaria. We have been travelling, studying and working in South Africa since 1996. In 2006 we founded live&learn together with Hae-Rim Shin and Stephanie Fenske and ran the company together with Stephanie until 2015. In 2016, we took over the management and moved our offices to Cape Town.
Volunteering is no stranger to us. We founded and volunteered for many years for the sail-training organization Cape Windjammers Education Trust, which uses educational sail-training trips for youth and reconciliation work in South Africa. Our experience has shown that many non-profit institutions in South Africa lack financial, professional and human resources. This is where live&learn comes in: With the help of dedicated volunteers or interns, we support our partner projects with additional, hard-working hands or skills to support the dauíly work of full-time staff. We are there to ensure that the collaboration between the organization and you as a volunteer or intern is successful.
Why live&learn Foundation?
live&learn Foundation was initiated by live&learn in 2020 to continue to support our partner organizations in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic and related travel bans.
Fundraising Campaigns
In times of the Corona crisis, our partner organizations are more dependent than ever on international donations. Many of our project partners in the social field see a rush of people in need who have lost their jobs as a result of the Corona crisis. In addition, fundraising activities are restricted in times of Corona, for example, as no fundraising events are held, or project sponsors from abroad support Covid-19 emergency programs in their own countries. Many projects in the protection of animals and species are financed by visitors, as a rule a large part of the visitors come from abroad. Due to last year’s travel bans and ongoing travel warnings, many of our conservation projects have to forgo visitor fees and struggle to survive. With our donation platform live&learn Foundation, we therefore want to support our partners in the acquisition of donations.
Virtual Volunteer and Internship Placements
live&learn Foundation also offers people from all over the world the opportunity to gain international experience and to work for a good cause in South Africa despite travel restrictions.
As part of a Virtual Volunteer Service or Virtual Internship, you can support live&learn in developing fundraising campaigns for our partner organizations.
Work from home or the place of your choice and embark on a virtual trip to South Africa!
