Images of smiling African children accompany the advertisements for a project in Tanzania. The appeal is to fix dilapidated buildings and help teach a class in work that will "go some way towards making you the perfect human being" and "pump up your karma". And the price tag starts at £1,630, rising through to £3,015.
Welcome to "voluntourism": a booming industry that is particularly aimed at gap-year students. Around half a million of them are expected to take a break over the next 12 months, and travel companies now market scores of volunteer projects focusing mainly on animal conservation or building homes.
The average gap-year traveller, aged between 18 and 24, is spending £3,000-£4,000 on his or her trip, according to Mintel market researchers, while older escapees are blowing £6,000-£9,000 – and a fair chunk of the money is spent on charity volunteering projects.
But how productive are these projects for either the charity or the volunteer? And is it possible to sidestep the travel company projects and organise your own placement that would be better value?
Across the sector, prices can be daunting. STA Travel, one of the biggest gap-year providers, says its most popular volunteer project this year – helping to raise lions and tigers in Johannesburg for two to four weeks – costs from £1,299. And you have to pay for flights on top of that.
A fortnight's construction work in Costa Rica will set you back £749 – again, you have to add flights, visa, insurance and airport transfers to the cost. But despite such costs, STA says it has seen a 36% rise in bookings against the same period last year.
A longer-term trip, nine months teaching in Ecuador offered on a charity's behalf by the travel firm GVI, costs £3,995, which includes charges for food and accommodation but not flights. Raleigh International, which emphasises the value of fundraising, charges £2,995 (excluding the cost of the flight) for a 10-week expedition to destinations such as Costa Rica and India.
At the other end of the scale, UNA Exchange, a small registered charity based in Wales, offers a year-long membership for £12 and a variety of overseas volunteering placements for about £50 per week. A three-week construction project in Peru has a £175 placement fee, with the volunteer stumping up for flights, insurance, visas and training.
Patricia Barnett, a director of the independent UK charity Tourism Concern, is among those calling for firms that handle gap-year volunteers to be controlled by a new code of practice. Research by the charity revealed cases of alarming disparity between costs to volunteers and the subsequent sums of money that went directly to projects.
"With growing concerns from volunteers, new rules would force greater transparency of travel companies, letting volunteers see exactly how their money would be spent," Barnett says. "Our code of practice would make projects more productive for the volunteer and provide sustainable income support for communities."
She says a fair proportion of a volunteer's money should go to projects, benefiting both the community and the volunteer. "Our code of practice would mean projects would become more productive, volunteers would learn a lot more and projects would provide sustainable income support for communities. The priority should be the benefit of the community."
Gavin Bate, one of the group that set up the website fairtradevolunteering.com, says more attention should be drawn to the ethos and integrity of an organisation offering gap-year "experiences". He says students need to do research before they hand over money and look for companies that have long-term programmes in place, which not only offer money to projects, but also education and development.
But Tom Griffiths, of the website gapyear.com, says the big companies' involvement has had a positive impact on the sector, not least because it has attracted many "new" volunteers. "Twenty years ago, this sort of gap-year volunteering was largely the preserve of a small, middle-class group. However, that's all changed and this year around 80% of those going on current voluntourism programmes will come from state schools.
"Providing the business model is right, these projects can be both extremely charitable, and a great experience for those going away," Griffiths says. "My advice to potential gap-trippers: do some fundraising, have some fun, and come back and share your experience with the rest of the world."
John Constable, group managing director of STA Travel says: "Responsible tourism is a growth area for STA Travel and we are committed to improving and developing our voluntourism offer. We agree wholeheartedly with the need highlighted by Tourism Concern to provide greater transparency around pricing and where the customers' money is going."
The dos and don'ts of gap-year planning
• Build up a list of options. Organisations such as volunteerlatinamerica.com (020 7193 9163); originalvolunteers.co.uk (0800 345 75 82), and volunteer4africa.org offer affordable volunteer projects, while volunteersouthamerica.net and Ecoteer.com (01752 426285) list free and low-cost opportunities overseas. Typically you will pay £40 per week for accommodation.
• Find out what an organisation is offering – and what it's not. Ask about potential extra costs and levels of support. Jenny Williams, a frequent volunteer who works as long-term sending co-ordinator for charity Inter-Cultural Youth Exchange UK says: "It is important for a company to have local partners on the ground providing constant in-country support. Also ask for a breakdown of how your money would be spent."
• "Previous volunteers and those who have experience can provide information for new volunteers" says Williams. Ask if you can get in contact with former volunteers to get feedback. Research volunteer projects and travel organisations. Gapyear.com is a good place to start and you can also try wwv.org.uk.
• If you're keen to make a difference, find out how organisations spend the money they charge. "Ask about long-term plans and identify whether volunteers are part of an effective long-term project," says Gavin Bate of Adventure Alternative.
• You don't have to go abroad to get involved, there are plenty of opportunities in the UK. Go to do-it.org.uk, volunteering.org.uk or csv.org.uk to find out more.
