Will S.

Volunteering abroad ethically, has been an aspiration for my wife and I and we took a chance after a ton of research. Unfortunately we didn't get what we paid for in IFRE's Kenya placement with Boundless Loves, which didn't match their online description of Cultural Conservation. On top of that, communication issues, cost overrun and lack of direction made us leave our project early.

IFRE didn't communicate costs well, and the money we paid for our program placement didn't have a portion go to the project there as the IFRE website claimed. Boundless Loves' projects didn't have a lead or any actual projects for us to join, and we had to create our own. They put us in front of cute children, trying to make us feel sorry for them so that we would donate more, and "coordinators" were constantly asking for more money. For any project we wanted to start, we had to make our own plans, fund and direct help for them--which from everything we've read is not very helpful because we're simply forcing our biased fixes that may not fit the local needs or culture. Without leadership or proper oversight, and not receiving useful information, we were left bewildered, frustrated, and unable to help in a meaningful, long-term way.

Finally, IFRE or known as Global Crossroads in EU isn't a volunteer organization, they're a volunteer placement group, so if you can connect with a group on the ground, you can save $300+ per person. Additionally, extra services come at a premium, for example our safari cost twice the going rate in Kenya with no difference in experience for the other safari goers who paid half the cost.