International Volunteer HQ - www.volunteerhq.org

Horrible experience. Here’s an email I sent to IVHQ to which I recieved NO help NOR refund. Lost thousands of dollars thru this organisation.

I am sending you this message to share my experience at the Animal Care project in Lima. First of all, I would like to specify that this message is not about the accommodation offered nor the geographical location of the project (Pachacutec). When I applied for the Animal Care program, I expected to help communities living in extreme poverty and their dogs. Unfortunately, after a day spent at the project, I and the other volunteer found that the conditions in which the dogs were living were unfortunately more endangering them more than helping. The dogs are locked up in an extremely unsanitary place: they live in their own feces and urine. Our work as volunteers consisted in cleaning the floor with a mop that was bathed in water completely soiled, full of excrement, thick and not changed for several days. We had to spread the water, full of excrement, all over the floor. The air inside the dog house is contaminated and extremely dangerous for dogs and humans. No soap or clean water is used to wash the floor and the person who takes care of the place, the daughter of the school director across the street, has no concept of sanitation and hygiene. The dogs, all sick, are locked up alone in their excrements breathing this contaminated air and sleeping on a floor washed with used water (filled with feces) and without being changed. Once the "cleaning" task was over, we went to the park to sit for the rest of the day. The person in charge did not need any help. She spent her time on the phone negotiating prices for the school services of the school run by her father and we just sat there. We asked to change the water so that we could at least clean the floor without further soiling it, which was refused. The water given to the dog is contaminated with urine and excrement and is not changed. We just Added more water and again, we were refused to change it. The dogs are not washed or brushed and seem to suffer from poor hygiene... During the hour at the park, the dogs were eating the garbage opening bags directly from the garbage. I asked if I should stop them to avoid contamination, and they answered to let them eat the garbage. In Pachacutec, hundreds of dogs roam the streets and eat the garbage. There is no difference between these dogs and the ones kept at the Project, except that the theses dogs are locked up once the vonlontaires have left until the next day, and sleep in their excrement. Most of them are extremely sick according to the appearance of their feces... The dogs would be much better off in the wild with bowls of food and water within their reach. The young woman who runs the place, she has absolutely no knowledge of the safety, hygiene and health of the dogs, or that of the human beings who could catch serious illnesses from being exposed to such a level of insalubrity. I understand her intention to help, but we are not talking about insufficient financial resources but about a lack of knowledge to manage such a project. Basic knowledge of health and hygiene would solve the situation. We were informed that we were among the first volunteers to work there. When I informed Claudia of the situation, she replied that she had never had any such comments, but we were technically, after another volunteer, the first to witness this situation. It was an extremely traumatic experience for me, an animal lover and a person who cares about helping communities living in poverty. I applied for this program to help the dogs but unfortunately, I feel like I contributed to the abuse. I hav traveled quite a lot of time to communities of extreme poverty. An animal shelter requires very few resources other than a roof, water, soap and food. I left the program this morning out of respect for my values and the dogs. I was very satisfied with the service I received from IVHQ throughout the process and with the accommodation offered, but I do not think that other volunteers should be sent to the Animal Care program in Lima for reasons of health and respect for the animals. The help sent would be all the more necessary for the child care, medical and community programs. I intend to participate in future volunteer projects with IVHQ and in no way do I question the values of the company, but I believe that there was a lack of verification of the location. I would like to be refunded for the 7 weeks I paid for working on the project, and I strongly encourage you to review the organization of this project.

Thank you for the time you will take to consider my request and my dismay for the sake of the dogs and your future volunteers for the animal care project.

They ended up answering me all kinds on non sens in order not to give me my money back. They also said to me telling me that there was not enough water in this place while I myself witness a hose throwing drinkable water all day in the park while I sat there doing nothing. They also told me that I could have chosen to switch from this project to another one WICH I DID NOT APPLY FOR. I applied for the dog care project, and paud for an already build project. I was being very polite in my emails in order to get a refund but the reality was horrible. I do not recommand. Find a non profit instead. I deeply regret and have suffered from various anxiety attacks since having been invalidated.

I don't even know were to start.

IVHQ clearly has no idea what goes on in the Cambodia placements. I signed up for 8 weeks on the NGO program, and ended up leaving after only 1 week.

Despite receiving assurances over the phone that my work would not be teaching English to kids, when I met my NOG director in Siem Reap, she asked me to teach English to a nearby school. If I wouldn't do that, my 'NGO work' would consist of teaching her 4 staff English for 1 hour a day (there are plenty of free English classes in the area they could have gone to with proper, qualified teachers).

The childcare placements did not meet the guidelines IVHQ gives for responsible childcare providers.

Further, one of the childcare placements IVHQ sent volunteers to for years in Phnom Penh was recently shut down and the director was arrested on child abuse charges. These allegations occurred during the years IVHQ sent volunteers there.

My advice is to DO YOUR RESEARCH. The placement and accommodation details are withheld from prospective volunteers for a reason, they DON'T WANT YOU to do your research.

I did have a negative experience with IVHQ in Cambodia. They do not vet their programs nor did they know what was happening on the ground. They started arguing in a very unprofesional way with their local partner. They dont care about the impact, that is what I learned from my experience. As long as volunteers are busy and happy, they dont mind whats heppening on the ground.

As a former IVHQ volunteer, I’m disappointed to say that IVHQ doesn't appear to properly vet their Uganda program or take volunteer concerns seriously. I was placed in an illegal, unregistered orphanage during my June 2013 placement and returned to Uganda in September of 2013 (independent of IVHQ) to continue to seek resolution for these children. The Ugandan government ordered all children removed from the home and yet IVHQ’s local partner insisted that his volunteers return to help facilitate construction so this abusive institution could reopen. I took my concerns all the way to the IVHQ director, but was disappointed at his complacency and lack of communication. In my opinion, the director of the Uganda program (James Kange Nadiope of International Volunteer Network/ IVN) is corrupt and doesn’t have sufficient regard for the wellbeing of his volunteers. I’m certainly not alone in that opinion. A lengthy recounting of recent events is posted on my blog. Please, please, please demand to know your placements before you get on foreign soil. Research IVHQ’s incountry partners and your actual placement before turning over your money.

I blogged the events in a series of 5 blog posts. If you are keen on skipping ahead, blogs 4 and 5 are likely the most helpful to future volunteers.

After waiting 2 full weeks for any sort of acknowledgement of my concerns from the director, he managed to delete my post at the IVHQ Facebook within 90 minutes and reply, in part:

“…while we have said we will treat any allegations she makes seriously, providing she has proof, all we have received so far are very dramatic allegations with no base which makes it difficult for us to look into things further.”

The director hasn’t asked me for a thing. Would he like the police reports? Eyewitness accounts of James trying to muscle his way into my hotel after he told him not to meet with me? I’d be happy to engage IVHQ in a conversation and answer any questions they may have and provide any proof they seek. The problem is: they’re not concerned with critical opinions of the program. They dismiss and move onto the next group of potential volunteers. Shameful.

I volunteered in Faraja orphanage just outside of Arusha with IVHQ as part of my gap year in August and September 2010. I was very nervous before I left for Tanzania, as the program was so much cheaper than others I came across and I was worried this may mean the program was rubbish. It cost me approximately £300 for 4 weeks which was a lot lower than any other options I found at the time. Having no other volunteer experience to compare this against, it is hard to say it is the best programme out there but it was certainly very good. The volunteer house was very clean and the food was amazing. There were about 20 other volunteers there which was also great for socialising outside of volunteering and we used to do everything together. Working at Faraja was an unforgettable experience. IVHQ worked for me and I am very happy I went with them. I would definitely use them again.