people and places: Responsible Volunteering

people and places aims to put the right people in the right places at the right time - as openly and as honestly as we possibly can! It's of paramount importance to us that our work has integrity, and that you feel valued.

In 2002, the Cape Town Declaration said that tourism should `actively involve the local community in planning and decision-making, and provide capacity-building to make this a reality.'

We firmly believe this approach should also be applied to volunteering abroad, and it's the very basis of how we work. Every one of the projects we work with originates in the local community - NOT here! Our local partners and the people who work at the project identify their needs – we don’t! Needs assessments form the basis for each project support plan. Before any volunteer is matched to a project, we will have shared with them information about that volunteer and their skills and experience. Only with the project's consent will a volunteer placement be confirmed - this is what we mean by 'informed consent'.

Our role is to enable volunteers and local communities to gain mutual benefits through skills share. What do we mean by skills? – anything from gardening to accountancy – IT to bereavement counselling – teaching to fashion design. We take the time to find out what your skills and experience are. We match your skills to local needs in open consultation with you and the local communities ... and we work as transparently as we can, because we want you to know where and how your money is spent.

Each project is costed individually, reflecting real local costs, but the same basic principles apply to all. The bulk of every volunteer's payment (more than 80% for in country placements of 4 weeks or more) is paid in country. To learn what is covered and paid for in these costs, please look at the costs section towards the end of each individual project description. Also note that we are a social enterprise – we are not run for the benefit of shareholders.