Placement Conditions

It is important that you understand VFP's placement conditions. Your signature on the registration form, or when you make payment online, certifies that you have read, understand and accept the placement conditions below:

The Advice to Volunteers provides valuable information and resources which should be read.

Projects outside the USA are organized and supervised by sponsoring voluntary service organizations in host countries and not by Volunteers For Peace (VFP). VFP makes no guarantees as to the quality of work, living conditions in individual projects.

VFP and our international partners reserve the right to refuse placement to any volunteer with no obligation to provide a reason. VFP and our international partners reserve the right to terminate a volunteer placement if deemed necessary, with refund of registration fee at the discretion of Volunteers For Peace. Reasons for refusal or termination include, but are not limited to illegal activities, dangerous behavior, offensive behavior, not participating in the work. In the event that the placement is terminated, you are required to leave the project location immediately without refund.

In projects that require the volunteer to pay an extra fee, please note that this extra fee may vary by up to $25 higher or lower, depending on the value of the US Dollar versus the currency of the country they are volunteering in. Please be prepared to make up the difference if applicable.

We have a VERY strict cancellation policy. When you register for a project, you are committing yourself to that project, the other volunteers in that camp and the project host community. Briefly stated, once you select a project, our policy is "No Refunds, No Matter What." However, IF VFP is unable to place you in a project/s of your choice, we will refund your registration fee in full! Make sure you are willing to accept placement in any camp/s that you selected in writing or verbally. To protect yourself, please consider purchasing traveler's insurance (see the Advice to Volunteers section of the Directory ) to reimburse you in the event of sickness or personal or family tragedy. Note that the VFP membership fee is non-refundable.

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Strict Penalty For Project Changes

International volunteers assisted archaeologists at a Roman archaeological site in Mula, Spain during the summer of 2003.  Photo Credit: I. Monroe

We charge US$150 per placement, in advance, for each change that you request after we have received and processed your registration form, which is normally within hours after we receive it!

Volunteers MUST keep VFP informed of their current address for the forwarding of the project Information Sheet/s. We communicate exclusively by email unless otherwise requested.

On occasion, a project may be cancelled or the project content changed on relatively short notice. In such cases every effort will be made to accommodate previously accepted volunteers in an alternative project. When you register, you are assuming such a risk and agree to be flexible if and when such a situation arises.

If a volunteer feels that project conditions (work, living, transportation, etc.) are not in keeping with personal standards of safety or comfort, s/he should pursue the issue initially with the camp leader & other participants and the local host organization and then with the national service organization (included on the volunteer's acceptance letter.) VFP's ability to intervene in such instances is limited but we appreciate feedback and use it in determining future camp offerings.

Travel arrangements & payments are made by the volunteer, not VFP.

Volunteers are responsible for obtaining necessary passports, visas and vaccinations.

Volunteers with disabilities should disclose this information to VFP to make sure that the project that they are interested in will be able to accomodate them. For example, many project sites are not accessible by wheelchair.

Volunteers should keep abreast of the political situation in the countries where they travel. If you elect to leave a project or group, either temporarily or permanently, you do so at your own risk.

Insurance for accidental injury, loss, and damage to volunteers is provided by some VFP partner organizations in developed countries, but not all. This insurance is usually limited only to injuries sustained while at the volunteer project. VFP strongly recommends that volunteers make sure they have accident insurance for death or injury and travelers' insurance to cover loss of airfare, registration fees, luggage and other consequential damages if these potential losses are a concern.

Drugs & Alcohol - Substance abuse is a major social problem and is an obstacle to overcoming the social and economic problems that afflict the world community today. The use of illegal drugs is unacceptable in our projects. Local hosts reserve the right to restrict or prohibit the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and to expel you from the project with no refund of registration fees if you do not comply.

VFP'S Liability is strictly limited to the refund of the volunteer registration fee/s in the event a project is canceled, changed or if a volunteer cannot be accommodated at a project which s/he had been previously accepted. VFP shall not be liable to any volunteer for (1) failure of any aircraft, ship, train, vessel or other means of transportation to depart or arrive according to any schedule, agreement or otherwise; and (2) any injury or loss to the person or property of the volunteer arising from, or in any way connected with, the volunteer's participation in a project arranged through VFP, including but not limited to any injury or loss caused by clerical errors, mechanical difficulties, riots, wars, civil disobedience, strikes, labor disputes, weather conditions, acts of God, public enemies, quarantine, the absence of any necessary governmental approvals, or any other beyond control of VFP.

Projects are not resorts or tourist/recreation activities. Volunteers are expected to cooperate fully with host organizations and other participants. Suggestions for creating a successful project are listed in the "Advice to Volunteers" page of this website.

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New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Disclaimer

New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs Disclaimer
VFP is a non-profit corporation and is not registered with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. VFP's webpages are posted for general information about our activities and not explicitly for the solicitation of funds from residents of New Jersey. Should VFP solicit funds, it will register with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, which registers and regulates all charitable organizations in the State. Consumers are advised to check for valid registration when contributing to such organizations by calling the Division's Charities Registration Hotline telephone number at (973)504-6215.

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