We know that letting your children head off to explore the big wide world can be a worrying time for many parents, despite the additional bonuses of having the house and the car to yourselves for a few weeks. However, there’s no need to be – we take excellent care of our volunteers from the minute of their arrival until they leave. We’ve listed some additional information here, so if you’re looking for reassurance, you’re in the right place.

Original Volunteers only sends volunteers to projects where they have an established track record of supporting volunteers. We are one of the few organisations in our sector which maintain regular contact with projects, and continue to support them. For example, a couple of years ago a project about to receive volunteers wanted to include an on-site bar for both volunteers and locals. We advised against this for obvious reasons, and discussed other ways which would benefit the local community and the needs and safety of the volunteers.

Yes, in Mombasa, when the company was in its infancy. Despite great feedback from a handful of previous independent volunteers, we knew something wasn’t quite right – there was not enough focus on the basic needs of the volunteers. Without adequate support you simply cannot be productive, and it is this support that makes the volunteering a possibility.

Absolutely – often, far more than they should be! Coordinators do all that they can to support volunteers, whatever their ages, backgrounds or experience of travel beforehand.  It is a reality that many young travellers explore further than previous generations; the ease of jumping on planes and getting to the other side of the world means that many travel without the mental preparation. This is where our coordinators fill the gap, from calling out doctors, to finding a cashpoint, to providing one-to-one support with homesickness and helping volunteers with delayed luggage.

All coordinators must know their area inside out. They will be bombarded with questions by volunteers, and each and every question will be integral to the volunteer’s experience. Occasionally, a long-stay volunteer or returning volunteer will help out, but the senior staff are all local, or have lived in the area for many years. With some projects looking after 200+ volunteers a year, they are the experts. All volunteers are provided with coordinators’ contact details before arrival, and parents are welcome call the coordinators for a chat. For some quieter projects off the beaten track, we actively encourage volunteers to call before arrival to ‘touch base’, which can help prevent nerves before arrival, as they have effectively ’met’ their coordinator beforehand.

There are different rules for different projects, as each country has its own local customs. Any serious breach of trust or causing anything to happen which jeopardises the safety of the group is taken very seriously. However, it is a sad fact that the problems that can arise are generally self-inflicted, and are not caused by the environment or local people. For example, drinking in the evening, sunbathing in the middle of the day, eating food from insanitary food stalls and hiring mopeds are the riskiest activities that catch volunteers out but our coordinators are always on hand to get these volunteers back on track!

In the volunteers’ free time away from the volunteer accommodation, it is up to them how to relax. Drinking is tolerated off-site but only if it is not affecting volunteers’ safety or the safety of those around them. Only one or two volunteers a year are asked to leave due to bad behaviour and drinking – in general, our volunteers are a happy, well-behaved bunch of committed individuals. Coordinators also know the places volunteers should not spend time at and will advise all the volunteers not to frequent certain pubs or bars.

At some destinations, the housekeeper or coordinator lives in. But coordinators are always on call, day or night, and all the volunteers have their mobile number if needed.