World Unite!

From small puppies to big horses, there was just about everything. There were puppies, kittens, dogs, cats, pigs, donkeys, goats and horses. My job was to take care of the animals. I was allowed to muck out places, feed animals, take pictures of dogs, pet animals and be there for the animals. Each has its story and each wants only one thing: love. Those were wonderful 3 months and I was allowed to take care of one dog at a time and went for a walk with him early in the morning and went around again in the evening. The best moment for everyone was when the animals found a new home.

When we booked our volunteering program through World Unite we had the feeling we would contribute something positive to the local community. As it turns out, the opposite is true. We followed language lessons, and found out our teacher only receives one fifth of the money we payed to world unite. We wrote to World Unite, saying that its not fair that the teacher can't even afford electricity on this wage, but World Unite simply said that they are not a charity. A lot of the other people are also really not satisfied, we heard lots of stories about wasting half of the time waiting for a visa, unsafe working conditions etc. My recommendation would be to try to contact local organisations like a school or a hospital, and arrange the internship directly through them. I guarantee you will be very welcome. If that is too scary, at least do it through a NGO (non-profit organisation). Otherwise, all the money is still going to Europe and the local people will remain in the same suppressed situation as they are now.