South Africa

Known as a safe haven for African wildlife, South Africa is a refuge for species listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list as vulnerable or endangered. These include the cheetah and the giraffe, respectively the fastest and tallest animals on land. Some of the others are the white and black rhinoceros as well as the african wild dog.

UC Irvine Impact Academy’s location in South Africa is based in Cape Town. The waters surrounding Cape Town are frequented by humpback, southern right and bryde whales during the later half of the year. The area surrounding this city also features an astonishing 70% of the world’s species of flowers and is home to the only penguin species in Africa.

Possible projects

Africa’s colonial heritage still shapes the continent to this day. In South Africa, in particular, the legacy of apartheid can still be felt. Gender equality and access to justice, health care, education and economic opportunity are all affected by South Africa’s history.

Environmental challenges include balancing activities like agriculture and mining with conservation. Poaching is also a concern for South African conservationists, and discussions are also taking place around the so-called “consumption model” of conservation that uses funds from trophy hunting to support conservation efforts.

• Learn and analyze how a nonprofit green energy consultancy works with businesses to reduce their energy and water consumption.
• Investigate the barriers experienced by a healthcare nonprofit when looking to expand their project of mobile wellness clinics for primary schools.
• Examine how the National curriculum’s requirement to move primary school learners over from an indigenous home language to English affects learning.
• Study how the legacy of apartheid, including racially segregated spaces, still affects the economic opportunities of entrepreneurs operating in the informal sector.