My experience with CADIP was actually last year, in July 2011 so I'm a little late with my review but it's always been in my mind to post it as a caution to others, because quite frankly if I'd read the reviews of CADIP before I volunteered with them myself I would have seriously reconsidered getting involved with them. First off, the volunteer program sounded exciting and do-able and when I contacted CADIP it was remarkable how quickly they took my enrolment fee - no small sum. An alarm bell did go off in my head when I was talking with the girl in the office in Canada especially when, conversationally, I asked her where she was from (she had an accent that i couldn't place), and she replied that she was "unable to divulge that information"! Retrospectively I wondered if she was the same 'robotic' woman referred to by another reviewer. Anyway, I carried on with the application, somewhat surprised at how expensive it was and then I booked my flight to Iceland and I duly received the small package of instructions. The information stated that volunteer accomodation would be simple but adequate and I had anticipated basic but clean dormitory-type accomodation. When I got to Reykjavik I was quite appalled to find that we were being accommodated in what looked like a derelict house, with beds shoved together just inches apart, some of which were bare bed-springs without a mattress, some mattress-type pads dumped on the floor, and ALL the mattresses looked filthy, and as if they might even be a health hazard. I didn't even want to sit down on the mattress never mind sleep on it! The beds were shoved so tightly together that there was barely space to move between them and there wasn't even the smallest closet or hanging space or even shelves to put personal effects or luggage on. There were no doors between the rooms, the heating in the bedrooms was broken (it was 45 oF outside and lashing rain) and there was one toilet and shower for approximately 12 or 14 people. When I asked about the shower/toilet situation I was told that the volunteers usually went to the swimming pool to wash, and that although CADIP had stated we would have free entry to the local steam pool, this was no longer the case and we would have to pay entry.There were no doors separating the bedrooms from the communal area and indeed all of the doors in the building looked broken and insecure. The furniture in the communal area looked as unhygenic as the mattresses - like filthy old chairs dragged in from the street, jammed together, and the kitchen had one small stove and very limited facilities. Our project 'leader' dumped some teabags in a saucepan of water and brought it to the table for our 'welcome meeting', and told us that we would be starting work at 7am and working all day on local projects. Another member of the welcome party then went off into a rage-filled rant about the 'bastards' in the Icelandic Government, and all the while there was another staff member taking each volunteer member aside and asking for money for food for the group. This happened within 30 minutes of arriving at the house, when nobody had had the chance to unpack, or dry off (it was pouring with rain outside), or even go to the bathroom. I've travelled and worked all over the world, sometimes in very basic circumstances, but I was quite shocked by the poor state of accomodation offered to the volunteers who had paid a lot of money to join the project.This, coupled with the prospect of working much longer work hours than was stated in the original description of the project, plus the fact that we would have limited time off and have to pay for any small excursion or activity that we undertook, additional to paying for all the food that we ate (which we also had to cook of course), made the project seem quite a lot different from what was suggested in the literature. And VERY expensive. I could see from the despondent faces around me that the other volunteers felt the same way, and a few were talking of leaving the project, but simply didn't have the means to do so having travelled quite long distances. I was in the fortunate position of being able to leave the project and change my flight home (expensive), and I felt sorry for the others left behind. I tried to contact CADIP on my return home but got no response from them until I posted a cautionary note on craigslist, next to their ads, after which I swiftly received a bile-filled and very derogatory email from 'Roy' at CADIP, lambasting my criticisms and contradicting himself - he said that the project thad been a great success, but then he went on to say that my leaving on the first day had significantly affected the morale of the group! I think that the poor morale of the group was more a result of the things I've described above! Anyway, based on my experience, I would never recommend anyone to travel and volunteer with CADIP. Hope this prevents someone else being disappointed, and wasting their precious time off and hard-earned money, as I did.
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