fees for transferring college credits to your
academic institution.
eligibility: minors need to be accompanied
by a guardian. most students are college
age.
groups or Individuals: projects are typically
group-oriented work.
annual projects: there are four ongoing
projects.
selection & Interview process: there is no
selection process; interested applicants can
submit an enrolment form with a deposit to
secure placement.
In-country support: teachers, staff and project
leaders are on hand at all times.
jubilee Ventures
Main Office: po box 10477-00100 gpo,
nairobi, Kenya
%+254 203 42929
http://www.jubileeventures.org
jubilee Ventures offers volunteer
opportunities in schools, orphanages,
health clinics and relating to animal welfare,
mostly to students on leave. placements
run the gamut of possibilities: from hIV
education to helping local women weave
baskets. It also offers medical and dental
experts opportunities in Kenya, Zanzibar
and tanzania. there’s an optional two-week
language and culture programme and jungle
adventure safari.
timing & length of placements: projects can
run for anything between a week and a year.
there are two start dates per month. apply at
least one month in advance.
destinations: Kenya and tanzania, but
expanding to other african countries and
asia.
Costs: a placement costs us$549 for one
week, us$749 for two weeks and us$100
per week thereafter. this includes pick-up
from the airport, accommodation, field visits,
communication and food.
eligibility: applicants must be aged over 16,
but younger volunteers are accepted with a
parent or guardian.
groups or Individuals: both.
annual no. of Volunteers: 175
annual projects: Varies.
selection & Interview process: enquiries and
applications are conducted online.
In-country support: there are weekly or bi-
weekly field visits at the project or host home.
Volunteering
holidays
For people who prefer to tip the ratio
of volunteering to touring in favour of
the latter, the following organisations
represent solid options in the burgeoning
field of ‘voluntourism’. These ‘companies
of conscience’ have been spawned by
travellers’ demands and it’s now easier
than ever to book a trip doing something
more rewarding than snoozing under
a palm tree. The organisations in this
section focus primarily on travelling rather
than volunteering. As such, you’ll find
that most have less rigorous application
procedures than traditional volunteering
organisations, allowing anyone with the
funds and the motivation to participate.International Organisations’
i-to-i
England: woodside house, 261 low ln,
leeds ls 18 5nY, uK
%+44 (0)870 333 2332
fax +44 (0)113 205 4619
http://www.i-to-i.com
Ireland: exploration house, 26 main st,
dungarvan, Co. waterford
% +353 (0)58 40050
http://www.i-to-i.com
North America: 190 e 9th ave, ste 350,
denver, Co 80203, usa
%+1 800 985 486
[email protected]
http://www.i-to-i.com
Australia: level 4, 380 lonsdale st,
melbourne, VIC 3000, australia
%+61 1300 881 590
[email protected]
http://www.i-to-i.com
as one of the largest volunteer-sending
organisations in the world, i-to-i sends scads
of international volunteers abroad, mostly
on teaching placements. really, they’re
huge: there are over 500 placements in 22
countries. placements are available teaching
english and on conservation, health and
other development projects. an online tefl
(teaching english as a foreign language)
course is even included for those hoping to
teach english but who don’t wish to attendone of the tefl weekend courses run in the
us, uK, australia, Ireland or new Zealand.
It’s also possible just to take their tefl course
alone and arrange travel independently.
status: limited company.
timing & length of placements: placements
can be arranged in four weeks but it’s
recommended that you apply three months in
advance. placements last from one week to
six months and begin year-round.
destinations: a veritable geography test,
including argentina, australia, bolivia, brazil,
China, Costa rica, the dominican republic,
ecuador, ghana, guatemala, honduras,
India, Kenya, malaysia, mexico, nepal, peru,
south africa, sri lanka, thailand, the uK and
Vietnam.
Costs: Costs vary greatly depending on
placement, but travellers can expect to pay
£1000 to £1200 for a four-week placement.
In most cases this includes accommodation,
meals, information packs, travel insurance,
tefl training for teaching placements, airport
pick-up, orientation and fundraising advice.
fees do not include airfares to the country of
your placement.
eligibility: open to anyone aged 18 to 80.
groups or Individuals: most placements are
for individuals, though school group and
family travel options are available in some
cases.
annual no. of Volunteers: 5000
annual projects: 500
selection & Interview process: applications
can be made online or over the phone.
Criminal records bureau checks are made
for uK applicants who will be working with
children.
In-country support: after in-country
orientation, support includes a local
in-country coordinator and a 24-hour
emergency phone line, manned at all times
by i-to-i staff. i-to-i also retains the services
of crisis management specialists in case of
large-scale emergencies.UK Organisations
go differently
flat 1, the white house, 24 third avenue,
hove bn3 2pd, uK
%+44(0)1273 451372
[email protected]
http://www.godifferently.comgo differently specialises in short-term
volunteering and ‘voluntourism’ adventures
in southeast asia, with particular emphasis
on thailand. opportunities include working
with elephants, teaching english in remote
villages and assisting with one-off projects
including tsunami relief, village construction
or reforestation work.
status: limited company.
timing & length of placements: adventures
are normally between one and four weeks
long, although longer stays can be arranged.
some of the small-group ‘voluntourism’
itineraries do have set departure dates
throughout the year, but most volunteer
projects can be joined at any time, subject to
availability.
destinations: thailand, laos, Cambodia,
Vietnam, India and bali.
Costs: these vary depending on the project,
itinerary and duration but start at £320 for
a one-week stay. this covers project fees,
administration, accommodation and all meals
whilst at the project. airfares are not included.
eligibility: the minimum age is 18, although
those under 18 are welcome if accompanied
by an adult. families with children are also
welcome. there is no maximum age as long
as volunteers are relatively fit and healthy.
people with disabilities can be placed
on suitable projects. fluency in english is
required for those wishing to teach english.
groups or Individuals: with the exception of
‘voluntourism’ itineraries, most volunteers
join projects individually, although several
volunteers work on each project at any one
time. maximum numbers vary but are not
usually greater than 10. participants are
welcome to volunteer with a friend, partner or
family members.
annual no. of Volunteers: 200
annual projects: 10
selection & Interview process: prospective
volunteers should complete a questionnaire
providing information about their background,
experience, abilities and expectations, and
motivations for joining the project. In-person
interviews are normally not conducted.
In-country support: local support staff are
available at all times and in most cases
are based at the projects. all volunteers
are provided with local contact telephone
numbers that they can call in case of
emergencies or day-to-day queries.05: Organised Volunteer Programmes:Volunteering Holidays