LINDSAY Robinson clocked up countless life experiences on her month-long volunteering trip to South Africa last month.

The Bendigo youth got to meet Nobel peace prize winner Desmond Tutu, witnessed extreme poverty and jumped off one of the highest bungee jumps in the world.

But the highlight of her trip, says Lindsay, was meeting one South African student with an inspiring determination to beat poverty and receive an education.

“There was one boy who was in his first year of studying engineering in college, he was so proud, he was getting straight As and he just had so much ambition,” Lindsay saide.

“Meeting him was actually the highlight of my trip. It was amazing to meet someone who has so much ambition to go out and do something with their life despite their circumstances.”

The 18-year-old lived in Wolweriver, the rural settlement where Lindsay spent two weeks volunteering alongside a group of 14 young Australians for the International Student Volunteers and SAFE! programs.

Each day the volunteers worked with local preschool-aged children in a “mini-school” built by SAFE!.

“We read them books and worked with them on simple things like colours, counting and addition,” Lindsay said.

Building a vegie patch to help the community towards self-sufficiency was the main project for the young volunteers at Wolweriver.

The first two-weeks of the trip also saw the group of volunteers visit places such as Langa the oldest and perhaps one of the poorest townships in Cape Town.

While poverty was evident wherever they went, the group also found an inspiring sense of community and happiness, Lindsay said.

“There were massive townships that were really quite poor. There were houses no bigger than my bathroom at home where more than 16 people were living and a lot of people were at home because there’s not enough jobs for everyone and the minimum wage is so low,” she said.

“But the sense of community was incredible, even though they were in such terrible circumstances they were so happy and made the most of what they had.”

The next two weeks of the trip saw the group meet with other volunteers and go on safaris and tours.

Lindsay and her fellow volunteers also sent themselves plummeting off one of the world’s highest bungee jumps at the famed Bloukrans Bridge.

A visit to the Anglican Church of South Africa gave the group a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet renowned political activist and former Anglican bishop Desmond Tutu.

“It was so exciting. He was just in the church when we went there and he was so friendly,” she said.

Lindsay will now embark on her second year of studying a Bachelor of Education at La Trobe University.

Now home with a bunch of happy memories and new friendships from the trip, the young local said she would value what she learned in South Africa.

“It’s given me a greater insight to a wider range of people and the things that make them strive to be better. Despite where they come from, they still want to improve.

“I feel more privileged to have the life I live, I won’t be complaining about doing the dishes anymore.”

Lindsay would like to thank Domino’s and the Bendigo Advertiser for providing support for her trip.

Courtesy of the Bendigo Advertiser.