About US

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

To truly understand our organization and why we've made helping volunteers our mission, you need to know my story. My name is Nathaniel Amponsah-Manu. I'm a long-time volunteer, helping others, travelling the globe, meeting new friends, and learning about exciting new places and cultures is my passion. As Founder and CEO of uVolunteer, I try to impart this passion to our program and its participants.

I was born in London, in the summer 1969, to Ghanaian parents. My first experiences of travelling came early in my childhood, as I lived with several relatives all over Ghana until the age of nine. After these early years, I returned to England to finish my studies. As soon as I graduated from University with a BA in Industrial Design, I took a year off to experience living in Spain as an English language Teacher.

Once back in England, I completed a Master Degree in Design for Interactive Media and was recruited by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), where I spent the next nine years in the corporate world. I enjoyed my time with the BBC and my career was professionally challenging and rewarding, but at a personal level, I still felt something was amiss. Throughout my youth, I had longed to travel the world, and at age 32, I felt that it was time to live my dreams.

In 2005, I seized the moment and requested time off from the BBC to backpack through Southeast Asia. As I made arrangements, I remembered my time in Spain and the great experience I had working abroad. I decided I should do something similar during my new adventure, but instead of teaching English, I decided I would be more useful teaching a subject I loved and was skilled at: web design. This would give me the chance to be immersed in the local culture whilst giving something meaningful back to the community. This idea seemed a perfect balance of travel and service abroad, eventually leading me to start researching volunteer work placements overseas.

Unfortunately, my search for volunteer positions quickly lead to disappointment. I discovered that almost all volunteer organizations required a fee for volunteering. At that point, the decision rested upon what organization would give me the best experience at an affordable price.

After weeks of research I finally booked my trip with a local organization called Travel to Teach. I arranged to volunteer as a Web Design teacher at a rural community college in Nong Khai, Thailand. However, upon arrival, my volunteer project met some difficulties. After 3 days, it became clear that my volunteer position had fallen through, due to "internal political conflict" at the college. But I wasn't about to give in.

With my powers of persuasion, I convinced Travel to Teach to allow me to redesign their website as my Thai volunteer project.

That's how my first volunteer project began - I was happy to have the opportunity to experience Thai culture firsthand by living and working with the local community, and making myself useful by providing it with volunteers at the same time.

I came away from this experience having gone through tremendous personal growth, and this energizing change has remained with me ever since.

After returning to the United Kingdom, I felt the need to continue my volunteer experience in my own country. I kept in contact with Travel to Teach and continued to voluntarily work for them in my spare time, eventually taking a full sabbatical with the organization in Thailand. In my new posting, I designed and constructed a computer center with a comprehensive curriculum intended for teaching members of the surrounding rural villages to use Windows XP. I was in charge of the whole process, teaching the first classes, and training my attending students to continue teaching the course after my departure.

My long term involvement in such meaningful volunteer work left me deeply inspired, and stirred a strong motivation to bring similar life-changing experiences to others. My volunteer experiences in Thailand forever changed my life's direction.

AN IDEA IS BORN

The Founding of uVolunteer

After my year of living in Thailand, I resigned from my position at the BBC, having full faith in the exhilarating path my new passion was leading me on. I was determined to make a difference in the volunteer travel industry, and planned to embark on a journey to a completely new, undiscovered part of the world to start a volunteer abroad program with four main principles:



By 2006, uVolunteer was ready to launch. Our first office was established in the small, North-Pacific town of Samara, Costa Rica.

Many inquire as to what prompted me to settle in this Latin American country, and I can answer with two primary reasons:


1. The tropical rain forests, amazing beaches, and 'Pura Vida' culture of Costa Rica were things I had yet to explore. My adventurous spirit influenced my choice of this new destination.

2. After much thorough research, Costa Rica emerged as a travellers' hub and an ideal location for a start-up volunteer organization in Latin America.

AN IDEA IS BORN

uVolunteer Program Principles

Since its very beginnings, the uVolunteer program has been deeply enmeshed in my life. As a designer by trade, I can positively say that I run this program just as much as it runs me.

1. Local Expertise

In order to provide you with a rich, meaningful volunteer experience, it is crucial that we are able to closely monitor your volunteer placements. Having offices located in your volunteer destinations enables us to lend you the highest level of support and security. As a specialist organization, our offices are located in Costa Rica, Ghana & Thailand, each being in the same building or neighborhood as your accommodation. There is no cause for concern with us, knowing that you won't simply be "shipped off" to a different local organization in your chosen destination, as the majority of other volunteer organizations do. The objectives of some of these local organizations may not be strictly in line with the external organization that booked your placement, which can lead to complications and disappointment.

With uVolunteer your program is managed in-country by our local hosting organizations. Our local non-profit subsidiaries manage your placement from within your chosen country. Upon booking your volunteer placement, you will be put into contact with local and international support staff that will take care of all your pre-arrival procedures up until your pick up and arrival. This same team will also manage your placement.

Every member of our local staff's mission is to ensure that you have an unforgettable volunteer experience. Their assistance and services are at your disposal every day. As someone with years of volunteer experience, I understand how reassuring it can be to have this security. It is for this reason that I have designed the program to provide unlimited support, including weekly visits to your volunteer project, resolution services for any arising issues, and knowledgeable travel advice regarding the best attractions and how to travel within your selected country.

1. Great Value and Affordable

While the reality of paying for a volunteer opportunity may still be surprising, I can assure that it is not only a normal industry procedure, it is a necessity. Funding is required to be able to provide you with full time support and an experience that is fully rewarding. I've designed the uVolunteer program to accommodate your budget while still providing an incomparable value that gives you complete safety and reliability. Our program is not the least expensive in the industry, but when it comes to the security, expertise, and the friendly assistance we offer, we are hard to beat.

Our basic package includes airport pick-up service, travel insurance, volunteer shared housing, meals, free internet, social activities, and the volunteer project itself.

3. Specialist Focus

Having successfully operated numerous volunteer programs in Costa Rica, Ghana, and Thailand, for years, the team behind uVolunteer is a group of specialists. Finding another volunteer team with our level of in-depth knowledge about these three destinations will be exceedingly difficult. I live half of the year in Costa Rica, and the other half in Ghana. uVolunteer's second in command, Suphaporn Chumpun, is a native of Thailand and lives there permanently. Our adventurous nature has driven both of us to explore a great many of the attractions within each country, and we're always eager to discover new locations with our volunteers.

As local expats, we're a source of enormous support and knowledgeability that simply cannot be found in remote western organizations.

4. Time for Cultural Exploration

The uVolunteer program is designed to strike an ideal balance between work on your volunteer project and free time for cultural exploration. Our work schedule runs Monday through Thursday, leaving you three day weekends to spend immersing yourself in the local communities, or travelling to exotic locations within the country. Our friendly volunteer coordinators will eagerly provide travel advice and destination suggestions.

As a volunteer in our program, you'll be regarded as a respected member of the local community. We pride our volunteers on their respectful and appropriate dress, behavior, and professionalism during their working hours. However, during your free time, we expect that you let your hair down and enjoy the cultural aspects of your trip.

PROGRAM

Program Details

Our basic program has been designed to include services that should be a part of every volunteer organization's offerings, but often aren't.

All of the following services are included in your package at no extra cost:



The Arrangement and Management of Your Volunteer Placement

Arrangement: At the moment of booking, we will contact our local teams and arrange your placement. The teams will be given your volunteer profile, allowing them to make an educated assessment of which particular projects would best suit you. Based on the information you provide us, we will work closely with the local teams in accommodating your needs and arranging your work schedule. We put in extra effort to personalize your volunteer experience, allowing you reap the greatest rewards possible.

Management: After picking you up from the airport and providing you with a 3 day orientation, your volunteer coordinator will escort you to your project on your first day and work with you the entire time, escorting you back to your accommodation after the work day is over. During this day, your volunteer coordinator will be ready to answer any inquiries and provide helpful tips, showing you how to navigate through a typical day of working abroad. After this, weekly inspection trips will be made to your project, ensuring the quality of your experience and taking photos of you at work as mementos that you can proudly take home.

Travel Insurance

Included in your basic program fee is an annual, multi-trip travel insurance policy. This policy is provided by International Volunteer Card (IVC), and comes with many perks, such as discounted purchases. You are free to use this policy again on other trips for up to a year, after you have completed your volunteer project.

Airport Pick-Up Service

All of our volunteers can count on our reliability the moment they arrive. We'll await your arrival at the airport and escort you back to our office or your accommodation. This service is often not included in volunteer programs, but at uVolunteer, it is free of charge. Your volunteer coordinators will be waiting to greet you in the arrivals lounge, holding a sign with your name on it. Thorough systems are in place to avoid missing your arrival. So long as you arrive on your scheduled arrival date between 6AM and 8PM, our pick-up services are available.

3 Day Orientation

Over a course of 3 days, you'll be immersed in our exciting orientation program, which is designed to prepare you for volunteer experience in your new, exotic destination. This program includes an orientation presentation, a tour of the city, your first local meal, a visit to the neighboring market, checking out the local nightlife, and a travel and tour activity. During orientation you'll also be introduced to the rest of the local staff, other volunteers, and friends of the organization. At the end of orientation, you'll be provided with plenty time to rest before the beginning of your volunteer project on Monday.

Accommodation *

Our basic accommodations are dormitories run in a similar fashion to hostels. You'll stay in shared dorms with your own bunk bed. The layout of the dormitories provides spacious quarters for living and relaxing, including a kitchen for use by all volunteers. In addition to being located in safe areas, the uVolunteer dormitories are inhabited by live-in local staff that act as the foundation of your social circle and can offer support whenever needed. Weekends allow for the dormitory staff to take time off, but they are always available by phone should you need assistance. It is often the case that at least one dormitory staff member remains present each weekend.

The shared dormitory environment gives you a chance to connect with other volunteers who share your passion for travel, adventure, and helping others. After your stay, you'll have developed deep friendships that will last for many years to come.

*Home Stay accommodations are also available, but are not a part of our basic package. An additional fee of $80 per week will be required for the arrangement of home stay accommodations. A home stay provides you with the unique opportunity to live in a local household and observe the culture from a native, domestic perspective. No free internet service is included with home stays.

2 Meals, Monday to Friday

You'll receive 2 meals every weekday (Monday - Friday). We offer breakfast and dinner, leaving your lunch time open for exploring local cuisine with your fellow volunteers and project staff. Weekends are left free for your own travel and adventure, whether it be local or at a new in-country destination. The dormitory kitchen is also available for your use at any time.

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Free Wi-Fi Internet Access

All volunteer dormitories are equipped with free Wi-Fi internet connections that are accessible throughout the buildings. We encourage you to bring along your devices so that you can document your experience and share it over the internet with friends and family back home.

24/7 In-Country Support

Because of the structure of our organization, our program excels in this area. We are there at hand with you daily to support you through any difficult situations that may arise. Our local offices are all connected to the internet and our international telephone system. We will provide you, your family and friends with several national and local numbers that they can use to contact you. In cases of emergencies, we will be in constant communication with your family and our insurance company.

Social Activities

Time outside of working on your volunteer project is free for you to use pursuing whatever activities you desire. However, our staff regularly organizes social activities that are open to all volunteers, such as travel, tours, hiking, sports, cooking and dancing classes, local festival attendance, visiting the beach, or dancing at local night life hotspots. Our coordinators are always open to suggestions if you discover an activity you'd like to try with the group. These events will enable you to bond even more closely with the other volunteers, our friends and our staff, forging friendships that will last a lifetime.

Letter of Completion

Upon the successful completion of your volunteering program, you'll receive an official Letter of Completion of Program from our organization. This letter will certify your participation in the full uVolunteer program, and can be used as proof and reference for university and job applications.

ORGANIZATION

Organizational Structure

In 2007, uVolunteer began in Costa Rica as a one-country program. At the close of 2010, our program expanded to as many as 13 countries. While our adventurous tendencies lead us to enjoy this expansion, in 2012 we decided that focusing our programs into specialist services would help us provide you and hundreds of other volunteers with rich, in-depth experiences of the countries that we have the greatest expertise in: Costa Rica, Ghana and Thailand.

Specializing on these three destinations allows us to give you the advantage of our small organization size. You'll receive highly personal and supportive service that can be relied upon at all times, on location.

Locations and Visitation

Our main organization is run online with an enrollment office in Texas, USA. We have our offices locations in all three of our destination countries. This arrangement allows us to provide you with personal and attentive service for your whole trip, from reservation, to arrival, to departure back home.

As a CEO and travel enthusiast who spends half the year in Ghana and the other half in Costa Rica with intermittent trips to Thailand, USA & UK, I manage the organization mainly through the internet. This method of working allows me to maintain my work at the grassroots level while assisting the uVolunteer team no matter where I'm located. The CFO of uVolunteer, Suphaporn Chumpun, is a native Thai who lives permanently in Thailand, running our administration and office there.

Having years of experience volunteering, coordinating, and travelling has given us extensive knowledge that is highly valuable to you as a first time volunteer. Please feel free to stop by our offices and say hello. Meaw, Annette, Ligia or I will be happy to welcome you and answer your questions.

OUR TEAM

Meet Our Team

Our status as a small organization means that some of our staff members take on several roles. Motivated by a passion for volunteer work and cultural exploration rather than money, every member of the uVolunteer team eagerly fills these multiple positions. Our small team is supplemented by interns from our internship program, most often alumni.

LEGAL

Legal Structure

uVolunteer is comprised of several organizations. In Costa Rica, our local Non-Profit Association is registered as AVIC (Association of International Volunteers of Costa Rica). Our Non-Profit in Ghana is registered as Ghana Volunteer Network. The Thailand division is operated under banner of the Thailand Volunteer Club. All three of these local NGOs receive their operational expenses from donations provided by uVolunteer LLC.

uVolunteer LLC operates as social enterprise that focuses solely on Marketing, Enrollment & Administration of the 3 Local Destination Organisations. uVolunteer LLC. is Registered, No.4662348 in Delaware USA.

After reading through this page detailing the uVolunteer program, it is my sincerest wish that you have obtained a thorough understanding of our mission, philosophy, and services. Do not hesitate to send any inquiries to me at [nat at uvolunteer dot org]. I pride myself in being a CEO who is a hands on member of the staff rather than a distant shot-caller. I hope that we will meet at some point during your booking with uVolunteer. Nothing can be more rewarding for me than becoming involved in making your stay with us the trip of a lifetime.

Download Program Information

The uVolunteer program specializes in arranging and managing international volunteer placement only in Costa Rica, Ghana and Thailand. Our experience with these countries is extensive, and the deep knowledge we have of each has made it easy for us to conclude that they are the best for fun, safe volunteer vacations abroad.