People and Places

This is the first time having my volunteer work done over the net ... so I will see if this works when I'm able to get my young woman safely...Read more

This is the first time having my volunteer work done over the net ... so I will see if this works when I'm able to get my young woman safely relocated and I'm able to help them stay comfortable financially until there able to take care of themselves. .. I love what I do ... I hope I have many yrs to come ... God bless

I recently volunteered in the Wealth Through Tourism project in The Gambia through People and Places. I had a fantastic experience and can highly recommend the company. The project I...Read more

I recently volunteered in the Wealth Through Tourism project in The Gambia through People and Places. I had a fantastic experience and can highly recommend the company.

The project I was involved in still continues after my return to the UK and will hopefully continue for the years to come. I just finished a MA in Tourism, Environment and Development and developed an interest in Responsible Tourism and pro-poor tourism during my studies. Inevitably, the names Harold Goodwin and Adama Bah occurred frequently when I started considering responsible tourism to be my dissertation topic, so which volunteer company could have been more suitable than p&p, which are strongly connected to both of them. My dissertation topic partly shaped based on local needs, which was “monitoring the impact of tourism training which ITTOG (Institute for Travel and Tourism in The Gambia) provided for ASSET (Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism) members”. Through my volunteer placement, ASSET received an assessment of the impact training had on rural tourism businesses in The Gambia.

Without the amazing and ongoing support of the UK and Gambian p&p partners and the ambitious, driven, friendly and open ITTOG students and ASSET members, I would certainly not have been able to conduct my in-depth research. The fact that my skills as a tourism professional and researcher matched local needs made my volunteer placement hopefully a win-win situation.

The Gambian people are extremely professional and friendly with a good sense of humour and have their heart in the right place. The projects I saw seemed well managed and I regularly came across previous volunteer’s work which still was relevant, such as a radio programme and dressing gowns, which are now sold at a high end hotel.

The support from p&p has been great from the initial contact until now after my return. Thank you Kate and Sallie, that's what I call Responsible Volunteering!

I attended Emmanuel Care and Advice Centre in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in June 2012. People and Places had been recommended to be as a very responsible organisation and I...Read more

I attended Emmanuel Care and Advice Centre in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in June 2012. People and Places had been recommended to be as a very responsible organisation and I found this to be very true. Being at Emmanuel was a wonderful and life-changing experience for me.

Before I left I attended a People and Places get together. Although I had already spoken to Kate and Sallie (the programme and placement directors) several times in order for them to match me to my placement it was great to meet them and past volunteers. They put me and my family at ease and gave me tips about what to take and what to expect.

At Emmanuel I mainly worked with the orphaned and vulnerable children who attended the centre each day. They were a wonderful and vibrant group. My role, which I discussed with the People and Places partner in South Africa, Calabash, at the start of my placement, was to help run an informal programme for the children during their school holidays. We took the children out to play sport and did drama, dancing and arts and crafts with them. I also did workshops for them on human rights, self-esteem, communication skills, sex and relationships and drugs and alcohol. I think that the children enjoyed discussing these issues and being asked their opinions, which they weren't used to at school. I also think that I helped create a safe place for the children to come each day, which had a positive impact.

People and Places ensured that I felt safe at all times. I was always picked up and dropped off at my placement and I stayed with a South African lady named Miki who looked after me very well and made me feel welcome and comfortable. We went on excursions to Grahamstown and Cape Town on the weekends.

I was very impressed by how well those at Calabash knew the community at Emmanuel. For instance included in my project fee was money so that the community could provide a farewell feast for me. We met weekly together to evaluate my placement and progress.

Having never done a volunteer project before I was looking for an organisation that was both flexible and supportive. Due to work commitments I could only do a two week...Read more

Having never done a volunteer project before I was looking for an organisation that was both flexible and supportive. Due to work commitments I could only do a two week placement and most organisations ask for one month. My second hurdle was that I was looking for quite a specific project around business rescue, as I work in that field and was looking for an experience that was out of my comfort zone.
And after several months of emails and on line research I contacted Kate at People and Places. She was very optimisitic that she could meet my requirements and she was true to her word and more. Kate linked me up with Adama Bah of the ASSET organisation in The Gambia. Before I left he contacted me by telephone to confirm that he will be at the airport, and gave me a bit more information about what I would be doing out there. Kate through out the process was very supportive and enthusiatic, particularly with regards to vaccinations and travel advice (this was very helpful as, though I hate to admit it I am a lazy traveller). I also had the opportunity to speak with previous volunteers which gave me peace of mind and the previous volunteers are more than happy to chat to you and since the project I too have spoken about my experience.
The Project itself was doing a cost analysis on 5 charitable organisations moving onto one site to cut costs. As I left the Gambia this was already underway and it feels good to have been part of something that you hope will be there in years to come and help the people of the Gambia.
My second task was to prepare a marketing brief on the SANDELE RESORT. If you are thinking of volunteering or just visiting the Gambia THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION A PLACE YOU MUST VISIT. It is cheesy to say and I have myself for this but meeting Maurice and Gerry will change your life they are two of the most inspirational people I have ever met. I am running out of space but needless to say the support was fantactic and the experience was excellent.