About Ravia
About Us
RAVIA was established in 2020 to make a difference in the lives of African wildlife, while providing an unforgettable and life-changing experience for volunteers from around the world. RAVIA Volunteering Experiences was established to provide the link between ethical and safe animal care programs of all shapes and sizes, and people who want to make a difference.
RAVIA (Rescue Animal Volunteering In Africa) does placements of volunteers around the globe at participating wildlife institutions in Africa. We don’t do any wildlife projects ourselves and only focus on recruiting and placing of volunteers. Our aim is to have a variety of ethical establishments available for volunteers to choose from. We have placed people at our establishments in the Free State, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Kenya but would like to expand our selection for volunteers. The aim with our volunteering projects is mainly to enhance the knowledge of conservation of wildlife and community Centres for vulnerable children and those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. We hope to achieve this by reaching out to people with a passion for wild animals and their conservation. But we also are reaching out to schools as it is a given that the younger one sets out to be aware of the importance of conservation, the better. We encourage volunteers to pledge their time and effort to animals in need, e.g. rescued animals, injured animals and in general animals in distress or in need of rehabilitation
RAVIA provides responsible volunteering opportunities with wildlife by ensuring that:
Wildlife projects are in possession of all relevant international, national and provincial legal permits for homing wildlife.
All our projects have an up-to-date record of all animals in their care, including their history and destination or death.
RAVIA will not associate itself with any organisations involved with cub-petting or any questionable practises that could be related to illegal & unethical activities – such as canned hunting.
All projects subscribe to the Five Freedoms associated with good animal welfare: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to express normal behaviour, and freedom from fear and distress.
Animals are not treated as a tourist attraction; no animals are trained to perform in front of an audience
Wildlife projects should not have obtained animals from the wild, unless for a demonstrable and justifiable conservation need, or for legitimate rescue purposes.
The animals at our projects receive attentive veterinary and handling care by trained professionals.
Supported projects have the aim of releasing all animals back into the wild, when capable of doing so.
The projects act as a safe haven for orphaned, injured, and/or traumatized animals
Each enclosure provides adequate space for the animals to roam freely
RAVIA is committed to providing ethical volunteering opportunities that follow all regulations and guidelines to ensure the conservation and protection of wildlife. Our wildlife projects focus on conservation and rehabilitation of endangered, injured, and/or abandoned animals. RAVIA strives to educate volunteers, providing insight & knowledge on the conservation and protection of wildlife, as well as guidance on ethical practices, allowing them the ability to make informed decisions surrounding future wildlife endeavors.