Youth for Understanding (YFU) South Africa is an international non-profit youth exchange organization that promotes intercultural exchange programs between South Africa and the world. The first Youth for Understanding national organization was founded in the USA in 1951. The initial purpose of YFU was to bring young post-second world war Germans to the USA to experience democracy by living with American host families and attend high school for one year. The idea spread from there, and today YFU is one of the largest and most respected international exchange organizations. In South Africa, the organization opened its doors in Cape Town in 1994, and we received our first exchange students from Germany in 1995. Since 1995, YFU South Africa has received and sent hundreds of high school students on our 6-week, semester or 1-year exchange programs.