I have traveled twice to volunteer through Volunteering Solutions. My first trip was to Thailand in the summer of 2009, and my second to India, in the summer of 2010. During both trips I felt very safe, prepared, and well informed about what to expect. Although I absolutely loved both trips, I adored India and it is primarily because of Rajiv and Priya and the other volunteers.
Some have mentioned prices that do not match what I paid (less than $1000 for three plus weeks inlcuding travel every weekend) I was well fed (actually GREATLY fed) because Rajiv's wife Priya cooks two meals a day for all of the volunteers including various teas, recommended items, and extra if anyone ever wants more. She made me LOVE Indian food. We had an airconditioned room, slept on bunk beds, our own refrigerator and two western bathrooms...I cannot imagine expecting more than this. It was very comfortable and I loved being in their home. They have had volunteers living with them almost constantly for ten years, for whom Priya cooks every single day, (not a servant as someone suggested). This family is wonderful, generous, and helpful. I absolutely loved being with them, sat with them and looked through their wedding album, played with their dog and felt like part of a very safe and positive group/family while I was there.
The organization provided everything they said they would, and the experience surpassed my expectations. When my luggage was lost, the person picking me up at the airport was waiting for hours before he saw or heard from me. I felt extrememly comfortable asking for help if I needed it getting around, to and from my work location, and they would have done more...if I needed or asked. They were always accommodating and approachable and wanted me to have the best, most enriching experience that I could.
More than anything, my trip in India gave me a great sense of volumteerism and being part of giving back, learning, and appreciating people for their commonalities and their differences, which, if you really knew Rajiv, you'd know is what he is all about. I spent significant time speaking with him as we traveled and toured, and was impressed by his altruism.
It is a great program, I am already planning to travel through it again.
Volunteering Solutions
When I saw the cost of a 2 week programme was £350 I thought it was very expensive, especially since some are free, however I said to myself that the money was going to a good cause, to help street children and the building of orphanages. Pity that once we got there, once we saw our orphanage: a falling down building with no chairs, desks, books or anything, we knew something wasn't right. We soon discovered that ONLY 5% of the £350=25200 rupees that we paid EACH was actually going to our orphanage. We were absolutely DISGUSTED. We were trying to teach in ridiculous conditions, with things like chalk missing for 2 days, whilst Rajiv was re-doing his house and had about 5 servants working for him every day. We waited until the last day to talk to him about how disappointed we were with all the corruption and the fact that they used a good cause to profit themselves. He tried to turn it all around and it was like talking to a wall, we got nowhere but he did admit only 5-10% was going to the orphanage. He tried to cover up saying advertising and administration costs are very high (they only have a website so advertising is at its cheapest) and then said that food is highly expensive when as I said above, we were getting the most basic things possible. We know perfectly well by staying in India for a whole month that life there is incredibly cheap and that A LOT could be done with all the money all of us volunteers pay them. Our travel costs weren't even covered, every day we had to pay 160 rupees to go to work and back. It was mine and my friend's fault that we didn't read into it more and all the smallprint etc, but we honestly thought people couldn't be so corrupt, disgusting and selfish to use such a good cause as helping orphan children to make money for themselves. IT IS DISGRACEFUL, THEY SHOULD BE SO ASHAMED. :( VOLUNTEERING SOLUTIONS IS A SCAM, DO NOT GO WITH THEM!!! VOLUNTEERING SGOULD BE ALMOST FREE, IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING SERIOUSLY GOOD, CHOOSE A RELIABLE, HONEST COMPANY.
I am surprised to see the comments that have been posted about this wonderful organization. I recently went to Arusha, Tanzania with Volunteering Solutions and found their staff very supportive and well organized. The program definitely offers great value for money and wonderful volunteering opportunity in Tanzania.
I understand that the same program can have different opinions and I believe that going to volunteer abroad needs an open mind and the ability to get out of your comfort zone. The accommodation and the food provided were way above my expectations, and I will definitely consider Volunteering Solutions for my future volunteering trips in other countries.
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Volunteering Solutions is a scam! Be very careful and do not go with them! I went to India 2 years ago with them and had the most awful experience. They lied about the accommodation, I had no staff support (we found out the man at the airport was the father of the owner) and are simply a money making scam!
One of the girls on my trip started this Facebook group and it now has hundreds of members - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=133476884032&v=wall
Hundreds of people have joined the group who have had this experience. Not just India but also in other countries. Do not be lured into their website and fast emails. One person told me they pay people to pretend to be volunteers and post positive reviews about them.
That is not all. Look at these other sites!
http://www.voluntales.com/heather-n-beware-of-volunteering-solutions/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1794653
I am in the process of trying to sue their owner - Saurabh Sabharwal and am putting together information against them. Any other people who have been scammed. I would like to hear from you! If you need more information - email me!
i volunteered with volunteering solutions in summer 2009 in peru. the experience was fine but i had some major problems with the company. the same local organization in cusco (maximo nivel) also had volunteers from two other companies - gvn and ivhq and there were a lot more volunteers from these two companies. the ivhq volunteers had paid less which made me angry at volunteering solutions. this was bad enough and made me feel stupid for not going with a cheaper company but worse was to come. on top of this, i found that volunteering solutions staff had never even been to peru!!! ivhq had a representative there at the time visiting volunteers to make sure things were ok and i heard gvn had one there earlier in the year. when i tried to find out how often volunteering solutions had been to peru i found out the answer was never!!! while the experience was fine, i would say do not go with volunteering solutions. they are a company based in india and seem very dodgy in hindsight. what sort of company has never even been to the places they sell trips to!?!? how do they know if it is good or bad?! since then i have also found a facebook group called BEWARE OF VOLUNTEERING SOLUTIONS with over 100 members!!! my experience in peru was fine but obviously others in other countries have not been. my recommendation is be very careful of this company and go with one that researches the countries it places volunteers in. ivhq and gvn volunteers both seemed happy with their companies and ivhq volunteers seemed to have paid the least.
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