This is an older thread by now. I am considering volunteering WITH GVI in South Africa. Are there any more updates or feedback? Thanks! Mira
Reply to this I think a lot of people have this misconception that organization that charge you for volunteering keep all the money for themselves. How can some volunteers simply ignore the fact that a lot of cost is attached with logistics and administration. When you want to volunteer, you choose a destination, you pick a program, not merely for volunteering but you are also looking for traveling around and doing sightseeing around it. Your flights tickets, volunteering project placement, meals, accommodation, local transport, sightseeing and weekend activity everything is taken care of when you travel through a placement organization. A cut is also given to the NGOs who need money to function properly. It is your choice if you think you can coordinate and arrange projects for yourself with ease and in less money then go ahead and do it. People should read about such things in detail first then raise eyebrows about such organizations. I work for one and trust me such allegations only make me wonder what is wrong with this world.
Reply to this Hi , this is obviously way too late for your question, but may be of interest to someone else. I also applied to do this internship to start beginning of 2014. Luckily, before I committed myself financially, I happened upon a blog by a previous volunteer which said that s/he had been placed in a private game reserve, where it ended up that some of the lions she was doing a study on were taken to be hunted for money. Two lions that she had "gotten to know" were dead within two days of them being told why they were being taken away. I checked it out with the S.A coordinator by Skype, and she said that although GVI wasn't putting volunteers in that particular reserve any more, they did put them in reserves where animals are hunted. I also wrote to the head office of GVI, and they told me they have no problem with hunting under some circumstances. I'm completely opposed to it and didn't take up the internship. Instead I volunteered for two weeks with these guys (who campaign against hunting) and had a great time. http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za
In response to: Msg #157150 Reply to this Hi , this is obviously way too late for your question, but may be of interest to someone else. I also applied to do this internship to start beginning of 2014. Luckily, before I committed myself financially, I happened upon a blog by a previous volunteer which said that s/he had been placed in a private game reserve, where it ended up that some of the lions she was doing a study on were taken to be hunted for money. Two lions that she had "gotten to know" were dead within two days of them being told why they were being taken away. I checked it out with the S.A coordinator by Skype, and she said that although GVI wasn't putting volunteers in that particular reserve any more, they did put them in reserves where animals are hunted. I also wrote to the head office of GVI, and they told me they have no problem with hunting under some circumstances. I'm completely opposed to it and didn't take up the internship. Instead I volunteered for two weeks with these guys (who campaign against hunting) and had a great time. http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za
In response to: Msg #162060 Reply to this Hi , this is obviously way too late for your question, but may be of interest to someone else. I also applied to do this internship to start beginning of 2014. Luckily, before I committed myself financially, I happened upon a blog by a previous volunteer which said that s/he had been placed in a private game reserve, where it ended up that some of the lions she was doing a study on were taken to be hunted for money. Two lions that she had "gotten to know" were dead within two days of them being told why they were being taken away. I checked it out with the S.A coordinator by Skype, and she said that although GVI wasn't putting volunteers in that particular reserve any more, they did put them in reserves where animals are hunted. I also wrote to the head office of GVI, and they told me they have no problem with hunting under some circumstances. I'm completely opposed to it and didn't take up the internship. Instead I volunteered for two weeks with these guys (who campaign against hunting) and had a great time. http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za
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