While studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, during the spring semester of this year, Fairfield University golfer Jill Macari went sand boarding down a 900-foot dune and played in the desert.

She witnessed celebrations marking South Africa's 10th anniversary as a democracy and saw the Olympic torch pass through the country.

She even went white-water rafting down the Zambezi River while hippopotamuses and crocodiles watched.

But it is her experiences as a volunteer at the Baphumelele Children's Home, 20 kilometers southeast of Cape Town, that standout in her mind, and where her presence has left a deep impression on the children living there.

Macari embarked on her semester study abroad with the intention of doing some volunteer work during her stay. In seeing what the University of Cape Town (where she was attending classes) had to offer, Macari and a friend became involved in the school's chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The organization had been charged with building an additional house to alleviate overcrowding for the 65 children ranging in age from 6 months to 17 years old who called Baphumelele home.

"We were building for a little while and we walked to the orphanage's original house, which was just down the block, and started playing with the kids. That night, we got home and we decided that that was our project for the semester," she said.

Just like that, Macari was hooked. On top of classes and trying to soak up as much of the flavor of the country as possible, she and others began spending 15 to 20 hours a week lending a hand to Rosie Mashale, who acts as a mother for Baphumelele's young residents.

"On any given day, I would find myself changing diapers, peeling vegetables, feeding babies, playing soccer in the street, drawing and coloring pictures or helping with homework," Macari said.

Run entirely on private donations, the orphanage had clear needs. Even the most basic items such as diapers, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap and shampoo were lacking. Macari shared her experiences at the children's home in letters home to her parents. She and her mother eventually began to talk about ways in which they could help.

Her mother, a second-grade teacher, suggested organizing a fund-raising effort for Baphumelele as a class project for her students who were learning about the global community. Macari's high school also got involved in the project, which ultimately netted more than $2,500 in donations.

"I was shocked, to be honest," Macari said. "It was a short amount of time between when my mom and I discussed it and when we wrote the letter. It was maybe a month."

With the money, the orphanage was able to purchased essentials such as diapers and formula, as well as a stove and a freezer. They also bought coats and shoes for each child.

"The day the toddlers got their coats it was probably 70 degrees and they just walked around with them on. We came back two days later and they still had their coats on," Macari said. "The older kids were happy, too. For a lot of them it was the first time they had a pair of shoes or their own jacket."

Macari, who returned to the United States in late July, said she learned much, and not all of it from a textbook, during her six-month stay in South Africa.

"In terms of the orphanage, it was the best part of my experience in South Africa and also the best thing I've done in my life thus far," she said. "Coming back to the States, I realize how much we have and not necessarily in terms of material wealth. It reminds me to be thankful every day."

It also has altered her career path. The economics major is now considering going into public policy or international development.

"I feel compelled to do something to better many of the situations I experienced. I feel lucky that I have been given the education and skills to do that," she said.

Macari plans to continue to raise funds for the orphanage.

"That's my semester project," she said. "I'm obviously going to be in touch, and I hope to get back there in the near future."