The idea behind live&learn

We are Antje Nahnsen and Alex Allavena, both born and bred in Germany. We have been traveling, 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 relocated the business to Cape Town.

Volunteering has always been part of our lives. Both in Germany and in South Africa. In 2005 we founded for example Cape Windjammers Education Trust, a sail-training organisation, which uses adventure-based sailing trips for youth and reconciliation work in South Africa. Our experience as volunteers in this and other projects has shown that many non-profit organisations in South Africa lack financial, technical and human ressources. This is exactly where live&learn comes in: With the help of dedicated volunteers or interns, we support our partner organisations with additional, hard-working hands or skills that complement and assist the full-time staff. live&learn ensures that your skills and interests match the volunteer needs of our partners and that the cooperation between you and the organisation is successful. We also support our partners by helping you with all travel preparations, possible visa applications etc. as well as induction and support on site.

Get to know us!