Browsed by
Category: good and bad practice

examples of good and bad practise

Can volunteer travel be meaningful and ethical?

Can volunteer travel be meaningful and ethical?

We passionately believe it can be. “We know that the overwhelming majority of volunteers want to ‘do good’​, and despite what some negative press stories may suggest, our experience shows that volunteers can and will make a difference.  It is a small difference – but well managed programmes make sure that difference is part of a greater whole.  Just be sure you take the time to find the right programme to match your skills, and help us build the shared…

Read More Read More

Blast from the Past – International Volunteer Teachers Wanted – Open to All???

Blast from the Past – International Volunteer Teachers Wanted – Open to All???

This is an article I wrote for our blog and newsletter in 2019 but I believe it is just as relevant today. As an ex-teacher, I of course hope lots of people will volunteer to improve the educational opportunities for children around the world. However it is important that this is done responsibly and thoughtfully to make sure these volunteers don’t do more harm than good. The article was designed to give some guidelines – it was included in discussions…

Read More Read More

Blast from the past – Smoke and Mirrors

Blast from the past – Smoke and Mirrors

This was first published nearly 15 years ago – and (sadly) much of it still holds true – so as ever caveat emptor and please do ask for our advice even if you are thinking of volunteering with someone else! And the smoke just gets thicker as more and more sending organisations use the buzzwords in their marketing! “There’s been a huge increase in the number of chat rooms about responsible travel and volunteering. Even a perfunctory trawl through the…

Read More Read More

Volunteer Paul explains the importance of doing your research for an ethical volunteer organisation

Volunteer Paul explains the importance of doing your research for an ethical volunteer organisation

My goal in coming to The Gambia was to contribute altruistically to a legitimate cause with a reliable organization. After years of long hours and stressful grafting as a chef and consultant in fast paced kitchens, I felt it was time to step aside for a little while and try to decompress. I’ve always had a keen interest in politics, international development, and travel. In recent years I’ve started volunteering in London and found it extremely rewarding. With those things…

Read More Read More

people and places are recognised as “movers and shakers” 

people and places are recognised as “movers and shakers” 

Early in April our South African partners, Good Work Foundation picked up our latest award for us. Thanks Gemma and Fumani for representing us and all our other African partners! We’ve just won GOLD at the WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards These awards “ champion the very best work in Responsible Tourism on the African continent. …. – sustainability champions, changemakers, movers and shakers – who continue to make a positive impact and lead by example.“ We won the award for…

Read More Read More

What makes a good volunteer – the myths and the reality

What makes a good volunteer – the myths and the reality

Myth 1: To be a good volunteer you need to be a teacher It depends what you mean by teaching!  All skills-sharing involves an element of teaching – for example in the last few weeks I have taught a friend how to do a new knitting stitch, been taught by another friend how to fertilize my courgette plants so I get fruit rather than just flowers, and been taught by my brother how to top up the pressure on my…

Read More Read More

volunteering where now?

volunteering where now?

people and places and Treak (our partners in Cambodia) talk about resilience, opportunity and innovation on a webinar discussing volunteering during and post the pandemic. Click on picture below to watch the video ( Michael starts speaking 21.12 into the video – followed by Sallie) See if you can spot who the non-academics are!!!!

e-volunteering -a solution during the pandemic and an opportunity for years to come

e-volunteering -a solution during the pandemic and an opportunity for years to come

The start of the vaccine roll-out!  Of course, like everyone else, we are delighted and keeping our fingers crossed that all goes to plan and volunteers can start travelling again later this year.  But that certainly will not mean the end of our e-volunteer programme. When we started creating opportunities for people to volunteer from home during 2020 it was of course in response to the pandemic – could we find a viable and useful way for volunteers to offer…

Read More Read More

e-volunteering is not “virtual”- it’s volunteering for real!

e-volunteering is not “virtual”- it’s volunteering for real!

It’s January, the time of year when many people’s minds turn to travel plans – maybe a holiday – or maybe a volunteer placement!  At the moment many people are ‘travelling the world’ via their computer screens – and you can volunteer in this way too without leaving the comfort and safety of your own front room. Visiting a tourist destination by viewing it online could accurately be described as ‘virtual travel’ – there’s no physical travelling involved.  Similarly an…

Read More Read More

When can we volunteer abroad again?

When can we volunteer abroad again?

A number of people have contacted us suggesting they would like to travel with us as soon as possible.  This is fantastic news, and we so want that too, BUT…current travel restrictions, (both for leaving the UK an other countries and entering the countries where our partner projects are located), make volunteering on site impractical at the present time. In addition, as our partner projects are in developing countries where health care facilities may not be the same as in…

Read More Read More