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Have you heard of Projects Abroad?

6 replies

ChillWith · 19/09/2025 10:45

It's a volunteering organisation for 15-18 year old. Can't see any reviews online but was wondering if anyone's teen had been on a trip and what they thought of it.

OP posts:
samarrange · 19/09/2025 13:28

I have heard of organisations like this (not sure if it was this particular one).

It sounds very "earnest" and I'm not sure what net contribution a teenager (i.e., legally, a child) is likely to be able to make to a development project in a country where labour is presumably less hard to find than project management expertise.

I suspect the main benefit for the organisation is the profit margin they make on the accommodation cost. Presumably some percentage of the volunteers totally lose it on day 1 or 2 and spend the rest of the time on their phones, and there's nothing they can do about it.

I would also have a concern about the adults involved. Bluntly, among the many altruists, there are some very dodgy people working in the field for relief agencies. There are both good and bad reasons why someone might be available for a poorly-paid, single-status assignment in a relatively inhospitable place. See the stories of child trafficking rings that always seem to follow UN relief efforts or peacekeeping missions.

It would probably be a real eye-opener in both positive and negative ways for a mature and streetwise teenager with the right mentality, but then so would a few days volunteering at their local food bank.

(Apologies if this all comes across as a bit negative - I'm probably biased, but I have a little bit of experience with people who have worked in the international development sector and it isn't all entirely positive.)

Darragon · 19/09/2025 13:32

There’s a name for these sort of organisations. Think its voluntourism. The huge amounts they charge for Angharad and Tristan to volunteer to build toilets or parks for a community are obscene, and a lot of them tear down the building work for the next lot of volunteers to start again. It’s making vast amounts of money and not much, if any, goes to help the communities.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 19/09/2025 14:27

This is volunteerism and such organisations should be avoided.

And with all due respect to these young people what skills can they really impart to the community they’re supposed to be helping?.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 19/09/2025 14:34

Trustpilot has reviews of this online.

ChillWith · 19/09/2025 15:41

Thanks all. Confirming what I suspected.

OP posts:
ProjectsAbroad · 18/11/2025 16:25

Hi @ChillWith

It's great that you've found Projects Abroad.

Hopefully it's not too late to respond to your question with a link to over 1,200 independent reviews about us on Trustpilot - we are rated 'Excellent' with a current score of 4.7/5.

For more information, we have a website too.

We appreciate the concerns raised about "Voluntourism", so we want to reassure you that we are don't operate in this way.

All of our projects have long-term objectives links to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We are also a Certified B Corporation.

You can learn more about our impact here and read about the impact on participants here.

Finally, just for parents, we recommend you read our blog from June 2025: For parents: what to expect when your teen volunteers abroad

For any further questions, please Contact Us to connect to one of our dedicated Project Experts.

Thanks for reading!
Projects Abroad

Projects Abroad is rated "Excellent" with 4.7 / 5 on Trustpilot

Do you agree with Projects Abroad's TrustScore? Voice your opinion today and hear what 1,291 customers have already said.

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.projects-abroad.co.uk

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