Safety and backup is an important part our Voluntourism Programs. Your safety and security is our prime concern – so we have many procedures and systems to ensure you have the support you need to enjoy your placement with peace of mind.

Our Assurances to you:

Security: We take your security abroad very seriously. Before we go anywhere, the countries must be politically stable and safe. If they are not, we don’t go. We are constantly in contact with the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (as well as officials in the US, Canada, and Australia), regarding safety and stability.  Of course, we have the added security of our own contact persons who know the local area in detail.

Pre-Departure Advice: Once you’ve been accepted onto our projects you’ll receive a personalized information kit which includes information about insurance, applying for a visa, packing lists, and cultural advice about the country you are visiting. Our highly experienced Country Volunteer Advisor will contact you once you have applied and are always available to give advice and answer any questions you may have – both before you go and while you are away.

Placement Details: Before you go you will be allocated your placement details. These include addresses and numbers for your host family and details regarding your placement and supervisor.

Contact Between our team and Volunteers: Our staff regularly visit host families, volunteers, and placements to ensure everything is running smoothly. We maintain a cycle of monitoring all volunteer accommodation and placements. On arrival, our staff will make a final check that your accommodation and arrangements for your placement are acceptable. Again, during the first week, we shall be in contact to ensure all is satisfactory. After the first week, volunteers vary in the amount of contact that they need with local staff; however, we actively check on the status of every volunteer weekly – through direct contact or through the host family.

Accommodation: All accommodation is checked regularly by our team. Accommodation is only accepted if it is clean, hygienic, comfortable, and safe. We strive to have at least one (01) member of the family be able to speak basic English, for communication between the host family and volunteer(s). Detailed records are kept of every host family, and these are updated after inspection visits. Checks are made before and during volunteers’ stays.

Placement: Our team works closely with our partner organizations to ensure they understand the nature and purpose of our Voluntourism Projects. All our placements are regularly checked by our vision & mission’s team to ensure they meet the purpose.

Supervisors: Each volunteer, regardless of whether on a teaching, medical, conservation or other placement is allocated a supervisor. The supervisor is not only responsible for enabling volunteers to carry out their work, but also for ensuring that they are happy and assisting them with their placement challenges and or concerns.

Meeting on arrival: We will meet you at the airport (or local place of arrival) unless you request otherwise. We use our own team when possible, but in some cases, we may use an approved transfer company to pick volunteers up from the airport. You will be met by someone carrying a Realm Africa Safaris logo sign, Fully dressed in Realm Africa Safaris Voluntourism uniform who will welcome you with your full name. They will carry some form of identification that you can validate. It is also our responsibility to help you get back to the normal international point of departure at the end of your placement.

Induction: All volunteers have an induction to the country and area where they’ll be living. This varies from country to country (See Country pages) but generally, includes:

• A Welcome pack with details of the local office and other volunteers, maps, and other useful information (such as banks, doctors, and public transport);
• A tour of the area on local transport that you’ll need to use regularly (such as matatu taxis, and boda-bodas in Uganda & Rwanda)
• We’ll advise you on local customs and what to expect while you are away and help you feel confident in your new environment.

Health and Insurance: All volunteers ought to arrange their own medical and travel insurance. In the event That a volunteer falls ill, our team we will be on hand to assist with hospital arrangements and insurance liaison, and will, of course, make sure that the patient is comfortable.