Voluntourism companies?

[Mike Cotton]

Hey guys, just writing an article on voluntourism (inspired by the Tribeswanted piece in the Telegraph over the weekend). Anyone have any suggestions for other voluntourism companies such as Tribeswanted? Cheers Mike

[Forrest Walker]

Yes Mike, I do have a suggestion.
There is a wonderful organization based in Bocas Del Toro, Panama called Operation Safe Drinking Water.
If you go their website, www.operationsafedrinkingwater.org, and from their to their blog you will see that they are providing a vital service to schoolchildren in the area. You will also find a way for volunteers to become voluntourists. What a great word!

For more info contact [e-mail]

[Joe Bass]

Hi Mike,

Yes, add Operation Safe Drinking Water to your list.

We install rain catchment systems that provide safe drinking water for indigenous schools throughout the Bocas del Toro archipelago, off the Caribbean coast of Panama.

We host "Voluntourists" -- those who come to make a difference, help others and see the results of their work while they are here. We have a 5-acre base and can host up to 12 voluntourists at a time.

We offer a chance for voluntourists to join a working charity, in a location that is safe, among indigenous peoples whose lives are crippled for lack of safe drinking water.

We have a voluntourism group of eleven coming from Canada in four days. They're installing rain catchment tanks for ten indigenous schools and villages.

For details please see www.opwater.org (volunteers) and our voluntour travel page at:

Thanks,
Joe Bass
Executive Director
Operation Safe Drinking Water
www.opwater.org
see our special voluntourism page at " http://operationsafedrinkingwater.org/blog/travel

[Ed Wetschler]

Mike, I don't know the answer to this, but if you post the question on the Ask A Travel Expert widget (see Tripatini's main page), it goes to all sorts of people and tends to get good results. Regards, Ed W

[Mike Cotton]

Thank you all for you suggestions :)

[Margo McDonough]

hi Mike,
I've written about my experiences with a great group called Global Volunteers... in the Philadelphia Inquirer and more recently in Global Writes.

http://www.global-writes.com/index.html

Let me know if you need more info.

Thanks,
Margo

[Mike Cotton]

Cheers Magro,

Sorry for the delayed response, only just saw your message.

[Kristie Kellahan]

Check out www.i-to-i.com. I've quoted them in a number of stories on voluntourism.

cheers, Kristie K

[Renae Lindsay]

Also try the Ostional volunteer program to help save the Olive Ridley turtles on the west coast of Costa Rica. They are a bit disorganized but they mean well and need a lot of help. If you want more information, let me know. My daughter is spending her summer volunteering for this organization in 2010. I'll be there for 2 weeks in July!

Renae

[Mary E Gallagher]

A second vote for Global Volunteers, I have interviewed the founder and know team leaders for this great organization.