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Cheapest volunteering opportunities? |
 Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:39 pm |
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| Hi, I did some volunteer work in 2007 in an orphanage- it was amazing not only for the volunteering but also because I got to meet other backpackers. the two weeks volunteering cost me £1200.
This time I am looking for a cheaper alternative- i know of Help exchange which is totally free volunteering opportunties and also original volunteers which is very good value for money. does anyone know of any others where volunteering would cost me under £60(max) a week? also, I am worried incase if i go with a project with say... help exchnage, that I may be too isolated from other backpackers, so would love to hear your experiences with if you have done volunteer projects with any of the above organisations. thank you. |
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| Back to top | Location: England | 16 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 5:34 pm |
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£1200!!  God that's a LOT to spend ... I hate it when places charge volunteers! Especially such a rip-off amount!
Where is it you want to go? I volunteered at an NGO in Goa in 2007, called Children Walking Tall - it's a really good charity and best of all free, so if you're interested look them up (www.childrenwalkingtall.com). They do tend to get full really far in advance though so if you're wanting to go soon then you might not be needed. Not sure about the other two things you mentioned but I think it's better to go direct to the charity if possible and cut out the middleman who steals all your money ... have you googled free volunteering opportunities? A couple that I've looked into (although haven't actually been to) are: http://www.sisp.be/English/about.html - free volunteering with socially disadvantaged people in Kerala, India http://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/volunteer.asp - this is a charity helping street children in Delhi; I went on their street walk where they take you around the areas they work and it seems to be doing a good job http://www.i-indiaonline.com/ - helping street children in Jaipur; I think it's free to volunteer but maybe check! http://www.ahnh.org/index.php?idioma=en&seccion=volunteer - working with children in a daycare shelter in Guatemala; I think you need to be able to speak Spanish though http://www.cast-uk.com/ - this isn't free but they have volunteering opportunities in Eastern Europe, India and Uganda and don't charge as much as lots of other programmes seem to |
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| Back to top | Location: Jersey | 583 Posts |
| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 12:20 pm |
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| thank you. did you meet amny other backpackers whilst you were volunteering with that NGO? well i wanna do volunteering in asia, like china, japan, thailand, malaysia, vietnam, cambodia etc, i wont have time to fit in india this time round.
i will check out those sites- i am still worried that i will be too isolated/ wont meet other backpackers though. |
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| Back to top | Location: England | 16 Posts |
| Posted: Sat Dec 12, 2009 6:30 pm |
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| Well it depends what you mean by backpackers ... if you're doing voluntary work it usually means spending an extended time in one place rather than travelling around, and there will generally be other people volunteering there who are doing the same thing.
At Children Walking Tall I think they have up to 6 people volunteering at once, they tend to be from the UK but they aren't all a specific age or anything. However, surely the reason you are volunteering (as well as helping out a cause) is for this experience of living somewhere and getting to know it well rather than passing through quickly as a tourist. If you're that worried about being isolated then maybe the best way to ensure there'll be other backpackers around is to go with one of the organisations that charge a lot, because the people who pay for that experience are likely to be on gap years and stuff. Wherever you go, if it's to a charity that relies a lot on volunteers then you should have at least a few people there with you. But in my opinion, if you're going mainly for the purpose of meeting other people, perhaps general travelling around and staying in hostels etc. is a better option, because then this will be guaranteed. It really depends on what your main reason for volunteering is. |
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| Back to top | Location: Jersey | 583 Posts |
| Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:41 pm |
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| I went to the Baobab orphanage in Tanzania, place called Bagamoyo. Didn't charge a penny apart from my accomodation. Other volunteers were awesome. xx | |
| Back to top | Location: England | 73 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 5:06 pm |
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| Hi guys
Ecoteer is a portal of cheap or free volunteer placements. check them out. At the moment they are offering 1 weeks free volunteering in Perhentian, malaysia on turtle and environmental awareness. To enter go to join there facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=44960520689#/pages/Ecoteer-EMPOWERING-people-for-a-sustainable-future/229056059281 The comp closes on christmas eve. Merry Christmas laura |
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| Back to top | Location: England | 17 Posts |
| Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:34 pm |
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Hey looking for some volunteering opportunity to go to Africa. Cat find any free organisation 
Will be nice if somebody can give me some advice thank you. |
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| Back to top | Location: England | 1 Posts |
| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 6:07 pm |
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| Hi
Thanks for the interest to volunteer in Africa! You can contact RWEYOWA for a placement. Visit their website for more information; www.rweyowa.org Uganda |
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| Back to top | Location: Uganda | 1 Posts |
| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 6:14 pm |
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| I am a 16 year old in high school, and i would like to volunteer some where, preferably Tibet. I think it would be a good life experiance, but all the organizations are way too expensive for me. Would anyone happen to know an organization that allows people my age and is cheap? | |
| Back to top | Location: United States | 2 Posts |
| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 7:05 pm |
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| There's this - http://www.tibethopecenter.org ... in India rather than Tibet, but working with Tibetans. Haven't been myself but a vague acquaintance I FB-stalk occasionally has, and seems to have enjoyed it. | |
| Back to top | Location: Jersey | 583 Posts |
| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 7:15 pm |
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| well, i just want to go to a place thats cheap and allows 16 year old with a completely different culture that mine, also that looks amazing. | |
| Back to top | Location: United States | 2 Posts |
| Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 11:43 am |
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| Hi Nylen
Help our penyu allow 16 year olds to volunteer as long as they have written concent from your parents. it is a sea turtle project In malaysia which visits the local village once a fortnight. The project is based at bubbles dive centre in Perhentian islands malaysia and is really safe so should put your parents minds at rest. Check out www.helpourpenyu.com dan |
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| Back to top | Location: England | 18 Posts |
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