Q: Could you give us a short background on The Global Volunteer Network:
A: The Global Volunteer Network (GVN) was launched in December 2000 by Colin Salisbury, its Founder and Executive Director, after spending time volunteering in Ghana, West Africa. While he was there he saw the tremendous difference volunteers could make in helping local organisations achieve their goals. Upon returning to New Zealand he spent some time researching the different volunteer organisations around the world and was amazed at how expensive and limiting many programs were in terms of volunteer opportunities, and decided to start his own. Less than five years later, the Global Volunteer Network is placing more than 1500 volunteers per year, in sixteen projects in fourteen different countries. Our vision is to connect people with communities in need. We do this by supporting the work of local community organisations in countries through the placement of international volunteers.
Q: What are some volunteer opportunities you offer? Do you have any volunteer opportunities you are particularly proud of?
A: I guess the volunteer opportunity that we feel the most affection towards is our program in Nepal. It was our very first program, and it’s still the one that has the most volunteers, despite the political problems that are constantly in the news and deter volunteers from traveling there (by the way, our volunteers who are there always report that they feel completely safe). We have an incredibly responsive and caring partner organization there, and volunteers really come away feeling that they have made a difference and have experienced a unique culture on an intimate basis. On recent volunteer writes: “I was genuinely sad to be leaving people I will probably never see again, especially the children, who have been inspirational. Living there has been very humbling, eye-opening and moving. It was a truly wonderful experience of a life-time.”
The other program that we are especially proud of is the one that we run ourselves in New Zealand. New Zealand has a unique ecosystem that needs protection, and there are very few opportunities for international volunteers to come and make a difference in a wide variety of different locations around the country, so this program is all but unique.
We also offer a wide range of other programs, including caring for Romanian orphans, teaching in Ghanaian schools, raising AIDS awareness in Uganda, assisting a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand, and helping in environmental projects in Alaska.
Q: What kind of daily life should prospective volunteers expect?
A: Wherever possible, we like our volunteers to experience conditions similar to what local people in the same community live with on a day to day basis, although of course we also ensure that the volunteers are in safe environments. The volunteer accommodation varies from placement to placement, and volunteers could be staying in homestays with local people, in a comfortable rented house or in basic cabins. Volunteers will be constantly in touch with local people, and will have plenty of opportunities to socialize with them and experience local life. Food is typically a mixture between local dishes and western fare, and most of our programs are excellent at catering for vegetarians.
Q: What is the most important piece of advice you can offer future volunteers?
A: One thing is that we really admire from some of our volunteers is when they see a need in the community that they’re working in, and take action beyond the normal scope of the program. One example of this occurred in our Uganda program recently when a volunteer noticed the need for a library for the local population, and set about constructing a building for it and supplying books for it. Generally volunteers will be in communities where there’ll be huge areas of need, and it’s great when they can go the extra mile and take action in something extra that they have a passion for, even when it’s not what they signed up to do.
Q: What is the biggest challenge while volunteering abroad?
A: Volunteers need to be prepared to adapt to local culture and local ways of life, even if it’s different that they’re used to. While they shouldn’t let this get in the way of the job that they came to do, it’s usually necessary to go along with the flow and fit into the same routines and customs as the local population that they’re working amongst. For instance in our San Cristobal program, the adage is that Ecuador is an hour behind the rest of the world, and the Galapagos Islands are an hour behind the rest of Ecuador; some volunteers can find this frustrating.
Q: On the flip side, what is the biggest reward?
A: Volunteers tell us time and time again, that they feel they gained far more from their experience than they contributed. This is because they are exposed to a different world view and have the opportunity to learn from people with different perspectives and experiences. A comment we often receive from volunteers is that they are better and richer for the time that they spent overseas; for instance, one Nepal volunteer writes: “I went volunteering as a part of a teaching team, but I also learned in return a lot more from the genuinely kind and hard working villagers.”
Q: Why should they pay to volunteer with The Global Volunteer Network? How is the money used?
A: Volunteering is a great way to experience a different culture in an indepth way and make a difference, rather than just experiencing the country superficially as a tourist.
Volunteers pay two different fees to the Global Volunteer Network – we keep these amounts separate so volunteers can see exactly what their money is going towards. We actually often get asked why are costs are low compared to similar volunteer organizations.
- The Application Fee is used to pay for GVN’s running costs – we receive no support from any governments or charities, and this is our only source of revenue.
- The Program Fee goes directly to the partner organization in the country the volunteer will be working with, and is used to provide food, accommodation and supervision for the volunteer, as well as resourcing the project that the volunteer is working on.
Q: Do you have any advice on funding a volunteer experience abroad? (Fundraising, Budgeting, Scholarships etc…)
A: We do provide volunteers with a list of fundraising suggestions, and we’re happy to provide volunteers with documentation to help them with fundraising or with obtaining scholarships. Lots of our volunteers have been able to find innovative ways of raising funds, such as holding special nights themed around the country they are going to.
Q: How does volunteering abroad fit into the bigger picture of aid and development?
A: While each individual volunteer may not feel that they are making an impact, having a constant stream of volunteers consistently working on the same project in a community in need can make a huge difference. Because of the numbers of volunteers that we’ve been sending them, our partner project in Ecuador has been able to buy land and create reserves in new areas to protect more endangered areas of the country.
Q: Why should someone volunteer with The Global Volunteer Network?
A: Global Volunteer Network provides volunteers with opportunities that are flexible and real, where volunteers can become involved with communities on a close and worthwhile basis. During your placement you will be provided with support, both from the GVN main office, where you’ll be e-mailed regularly to check up on you, and from our partner organization who’ll visit you regularly in person and will be happy to help with any difficulties that you may face.
Q: How can someone get in contact with The Global Volunteer Network and learn more about your volunteer abroad opportunities?
A: The best way to learn more about our opportunities is to visit our website at http://www.volunteer.org.nz. From there, people are welcome to call and speak to us in person (see http://www.volunteer.nz/about/ for phone numbers), or e-mail us at info@volunteer.org.nz with questions.
