Volunteer work

[naomi]

Me and my boyfriend volunteered with mondochallenge because they accomodated couples and were pretty flexible. You don't say which countries you are visiting but they have programmes in Tanzania, Kenya Senegal and Gambia.

[preacherreacher]

What a shock reading a positive review about worktheworld - I can't believe they had a happy customer, I really can't!! But I suppose it had to happen, eventually, according to the law of averages, although I have never heard of anybody personally. Or perhaps the directors of worktheworld wrote that post themselves. I'm only speculating but it is very possible.

When I went with them, a couple of students that I was sharing a house with burst into tears; they were so pissed off with the way their elective was going!!!

Guys and girls, lets get it straight... worktheworld sucks!!! And I mean worktheworld really, really suck!!! Sucks!

They couldn't care less if your elective was bad, as long as they have pocketed your money, that is all that matters. Ghana is a nice place to visit, but don't be misled by their adverts and promises, the elective itself was very badly arranged. In short, worktheworld sucks!!

God bless the happy elective student!!

[JWW]

Jeez - did you go with the same company?? Not sure what happened to you, but we had a brilliant time - were you in Cape Coast?

I've got two friends who went to Tanzania this year too and they both have good things to say.

And no, I don't work for WTW before you say it.

[miriami]

Volunteering can be a bit of a minefield. Try www.yearoutprojects.com
They are a small volunteering organisation which specialises in placements in Ghana. Prices are really cheap and it is run by a young Sottish/Ghanaian couple who live in Ghana, so they have loads of good community links and know the country really well
Good luck!

[franciscoperez21]

If you are considering travelling to Senegal to study French and/or Wolof and/or to volunteer YOU MUST PLEASE AVOID SENEVOLU. Senevolu is in fact, just one man, Magueye Sy. He is a GREEDY LIAR and SCAM ARTIST. I have done language training and volunteer programs before in several other countries, and have never met had a worse experience than with Senevolu in Senegal. Please do not be fooled by the low prices. The language instruction is awful, with the teacher (one of Mr. Sy’s buddies) unable to read and write French well and more interested in “befriending” you in order to get money and favors from you. Anyone familiar with the Cuban term “jinetero” should know that he is the worst kind of jinetero. The volunteer program is an absolute sham, with several volunteers reporting that they have paid hundreds of euros simply to sit around in Mr. Sy’s home with nothing to do. Senevolu personally robbed me of US$1,000+, money I paid for services never rendered. Furthermore, in addition to stealing from me, Mr. Sy often refuses to pay host families and exploits their poverty to his advantage. I don’t know how Magueye Sy has not been exposed before. SENEVOLU IS A TERRIBLE ORGANIZATION TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS. Participate only if you feel like losing your money and hating your time in Senegal. I can only wish someone had warned me.

[Quest]

Hey,

If you're hunting to do any volunteer work - recommend you do as much research as possible, to make sure you are going with a decent company that puts as much money as possible back into the community/project work you are doing. There is no vetting process for volunteer companies, so it's worth asking around.

A good place to look for advice is: www.ethicalvolunteering.org It's an independent site that gives top tips on picking a good organisation to volunteer with.

Also (yes, I'm slightly biased!) but have a look at our website - we run trips specifically for Career Breakers - and offer volunteer work on one of our long-term projects, which you can combine with our adventure expeditions.On average we give £700 pure donation to our projects overseas per person. Heaps more than most companies.
www.QuestSabbaticals.com

Have a look anyway - and enjoy!
Beth

[kresnicka81]

Hello, franciscoperez21!

I wonder, could I contact you for any more informations, if you allready experienced Senegal and SENEVOLU. I would like to get some more informations about it from you, if it's OK for you...

Hope to hear from you!

Papa

[carrwill95]

Hey,

I am thinking about going to South Africa with a company I have recently found called Pepper in January. They seem like a very cool company as you can travel through the country and get involved in some volunteering but also do loads of other things along the way such as watersports and safaris. Their website is http://www.experiencepepper.co.uk. Has anyone else been with this company or thinking of going?

cheers

Will

[lowcostvolunteer]

http://www.volunteer4africa.org is a great source of affordable volunteering opportunities throughout the African continent.

Check it out.