(Guest post by Little S)
As part of my gap year, I had always intended to spend some time volunteering abroad as a way to experience a new culture and build my confidence and independence. Unfortunately, this was looking to be quite difficult with my food allergies seeing as most volunteering roles include catered meals, and food shops/ cooking equipment are often inaccessible. This is why I am so grateful that I came across the Vervet Monkey Foundation (the VMF) in South Africa.
The VMF is a sanctuary located about 7 hours outside of Johannesburg in a small town called Tzaneen, home to over 700 orphaned, unwell or ex-pet vervet monkeys. I spent a month living at the sanctuary, spending days caring for and monitoring the monkeys – providing them with a happy and healthy life. Days were tiring; waking up early and working hard cleaning, refilling water bowls across the whole site, cutting up food and administering medication – all of which was made even more exhausting working under the harsh African sun. But it was an incredibly rewarding experience, working with a team of people from all across the World and getting to experience an area outside of the tourist hot-spots in South Africa. A highlight for me was spending time with the younger babies who were still in human care, feeding them their bottles of soya milk and watching them play. I also loved watching the older babies being able to meet a foster Mum before being released into one of the troops on site, where they would spend the rest of their life. My month as a volunteer was the perfect opportunity to spend 24/7 outdoors and away from the past-paced nature of normal life, something that I have never experienced before.
In terms of my allergies, I was concerned about staying somewhere so rural and trusting the communal meals that were cooked each day – but I had a really positive experience!
The VMF is completely vegan (which is something I heavily support as well as ruling out any milk/ egg cross-contamination). I got in touch a few months in advance to see whether they would be able to cater to all of my allergies (dairy, eggs, peanuts and sesame seeds) and the staff were incredibly understanding.
Before my arrival, they removed every single item from the kitchen which contained nuts, or had a ‘may contain’ warning for one of my allergens and deep cleaned the entire kitchen. They also put signs up around the kitchen to remind everyone to be careful in regards to my allergies.
It was amazing to be able to eat the same food as everyone else and not have to ask questions/ have anxiety at every mealtime as well as being able to not feel ‘different’ to everyone else. The food itself was all very delicious and healthy, with lots of lentil/bean based dishes accompanied by rice or pasta to provide a filling and hearty meal. We also had a few ‘treat’ meals during my time at the VMF such as pizza and garlic flatbreads which were one of my favourites!
Another aspect of volunteering at the VMF is the excursions on your days off. Although it is not something I did personally, there is the option to go on a 3 day Kruger National Park tour with an amazing guide, Sandy (who also organises your transport to the VMF). On my days off, I went to a local country lodge where we would relax by the pool and have the option of ordering nice food and drinks. I did not try the food myself, but I ordered some delicious and safe cocktails which was a much needed luxury! Also, there is the opportunity to head to a nearby shop to buy some snacks. Here I managed to get safe crisps, lotus biscuits and sweets (read Lucy’s recent Cape Town post for more info on safe food in South Africa) – everything had allergen labelling as it does in the UK and it was easy to find lots of safe treats.
Volunteering with allergies, wherever you may choose, may often be difficult due to staying in remote locations and having limited access to shops/ cooking equipment to cook for yourself. My biggest advice would be to find somewhere where the staff have proficient levels of English and get in touch far in advance to see if they would be able to cook safe meals during your stay. The fact that I was volunteering at a vegan sanctuary certainly was reassuring and meant that everyone on site was used to the idea of eating with restrictions, and thus were very happy to avoid eating/ purchasing items that contained my allergens.
The staff and volunteers at the VMF are incredibly accommodating in regards to food allergies/intolerances, I felt safe eating every meal which was an incredible feeling! For anybody looking into volunteering abroad, I would highly recommend getting in touch with the VMF, they were so wonderful and accommodating – it really was a once in a lifetime trip!
