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IBO-Netherlands Activity Report 2016
2
Table of contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 3 Overview of Dutch volunteers in IBO-projects 2016............................................................................................... 4
Participation of volunteers 2005 – 2016 ............................................................................................................. 4 Participation in a fixed group or individually ...................................................................................................... 5 Male and female volunteers ............................................................................................................................... 9 Participation in type of projects ........................................................................................................................ 10 Type of project vs. individual volunteers and groups ....................................................................................... 11 Age .................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Destination ........................................................................................................................................................ 13 Projects organised by which IBO member ........................................................................................................ 16
Questionnaire ....................................................................................................................................................... 18 Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Austria .................................................................................................. 19
Comments and explanations by volunteers ...................................................................................................... 20 Greece, Anatoli (GR-25) ................................................................................................................................ 20
Greece, Nea Makri (GR-26) ........................................................................................................................... 20
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Belgium ................................................................................................. 21 Bosnia, Srebrenica (BH-17) ........................................................................................................................... 22
Morocco, Afensou (MC-21) ........................................................................................................................... 23
Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) (Group Fontys) .............................................................................................. 23
Portugal, Sesimbra (PT-50) ............................................................................................................................ 24
Senegal, Sowane (SE-88) ............................................................................................................................... 24
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Germany ............................................................................................... 25 Germany, Otterstadt (DE-80) ........................................................................................................................ 26
Estonia, Tipu (EE-66) ..................................................................................................................................... 26
Germany, Ludwigshafen (DE-74)................................................................................................................... 26
Portugal, Aveiro (PT-54) ................................................................................................................................ 27
Georgia, Tbilisi (GE-35) .................................................................................................................................. 27
Russia, Pereslavl-Z. (RU-69) ........................................................................................................................... 27
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Italy ....................................................................................................... 28 Vernazza, IT-40 (May) ................................................................................................................................... 29
Vernazza IT-32 (June) .................................................................................................................................... 30
Italy,San Leonardo di.C. (IT-30) (July) ............................................................................................................ 30
Italy,San Leonardo di.C. (IT-31) ..................................................................................................................... 30
Italy, Macchiagodena (IT-85) ........................................................................................................................ 31
Italy,Cortemilia (IT-77) .................................................................................................................................. 31
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Netherlands .......................................................................................... 32 Brezovica HR-08 ............................................................................................................................................ 34
Brezovica HR-09 ............................................................................................................................................ 34
Brezovica, HR-10 ........................................................................................................................................... 34
Ghana, Adawso (GH-05) ................................................................................................................................ 35
Moldova, Straseni (MD-13) ........................................................................................................................... 35
Moldova, Straseni (MD-15) ........................................................................................................................... 36
Amsterdam (NL-16) ....................................................................................................................................... 36
Romania, Timulazu (RO11/ 12) ..................................................................................................................... 36
3
Introduction
The report you are about to read, contains evaluations of the international IBO-projects in which the Dutch
volunteers took part in season 2016.
The report contains a chapter per organizing IBO-country
The questions that were asked had to be answered with a mark (for the questionnaire, see page 18 ). The most
positive mark is a 5 - ‘I totally agree/very good’-, the most negative mark is a 1 -‘I totally disagree/not good’.
Apart from that, some marks could be explained with comments. The volunteers were also asked to give a
general mark for their IBO- project experience, on a scale from 1 to 10. The average of the individual volunteers
was a 7,8. A mark to be proud of!
Report is based on impressions of volunteers
We consider the report as a good way to get an impression of the volunteers’ view and opinion of the projects
organized by our self and our international partners. But it expresses the volunteers’ side of the story and
therefore it is not the ultimate truth. The opinion of the project-responsible and views of the reader are very
welcome, as the main goal of the evaluation is to learn from it. Therefore we would be very happy with your
view and comments about the Dutch groups, their behavior and performances.
Not all volunteers filled out their evaluation forms. This means that not all projects are mentioned in this
report.
Evaluation and impressions of the IBO-organisation in general
At the Consultative Council in Heppenheim, Germany, the representatives of IBO-Netherlands will be available
to talk and discuss about any other points that come to the table, in order to learn from each other.
Thank you for your feedback and might you have any questions, we are happy to answer them.
Best regards,
IBO-Netherlands,
Nijmegen, Oktober 2016
Leonie van de Ven, Lydia Verstraate, Paul Taris, Henny Petter and Pascale Emons.
4
Overview of Dutch volunteers in IBO-projects 2016
In this section, we will give a short overview of the characteristics of the Dutch volunteers. We will successively
take a look at the number of volunteers, the division between fixed groups / individual volunteers and male /
female volunteers and their age, the type of projects and the volunteers per continent and country.
Participation of volunteers 2005 – 2016 Counting on October 10, 2016, in total 159 Dutch volunteers took part in an IBO-project in 2016 (see figure 1
below).
Figure 1. Number of Dutch volunteers 2005-2016 (absolute)
As the figure above shows, in 2016 there were in total 158
1 Dutch volunteers. Last year, we had in total 129
Dutch volunteers.
Besides these 158 Dutch volunteers, we also welcomed in total 36 international volunteers at our projects.
- 1 Austrian, 2 Italian and 10 Belgium volunteers participated in our projects in Brezovica, Croatia
- 2 Italian volunteers participated in our project in Straseni, Moldova
- 5 Belgium, 3 Austrian and 4 Italian volunteers at our project in Amsterdam
- 3 Italian volunteers participated at our project in Ubbergen, the Netherlands
- 1 German volunteer participated in our project in Timulazu, Romania
- 5 Belgium volunteers participated in our project in Buea, Cameroon
1 Of whom 1 volunteer participated in two projects
430 408
316 275
241
320
214
161 186
277
129 158
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Number of Dutch volunteers
5
Participation in a fixed group or individually A large proportion of volunteers participated in a fixed group (see figure 2 below).
Figure 2. Participation of Dutch volunteers in fixed groups or individually, 2016 (%)
N = 158
In 2016, we had 78 individual volunteers and 80 volunteers who participated in 4 groups:
- Group Djembé, Utrecht. This is a group of students Cultural Anthropology, they went with 11 persons to the
project in Mikoszow, Poland.
- Group Rudolf Steiner College, Rotterdam. This high school went with 23 pupils and their teachers to the
project in Mikoszow, Poland.
- Group Fontys Pedagogiek, Den Bosch. This group of 22 students pedagogy and their teachers went to the
project Taroudant in Morocco.
- Group Partners in Zorg. This group of initially 252 youngsters with special needs and their mentors went to
the project Timulazu in Romania. See the next page for an impression of their experiences.
2 In the end, only 23 volunteers participated in this group. Results in this report however are based on the
initial 25 volunteers who subscribed.
51%
49% Group
Individual
6
Figure 3 below gives an overview of the number of volunteers that went in a group and individually since 2008.
Figure 3. Participation of Dutch volunteers in fixed groups or individually, 2008-2015 (absolute)
Although in 2016 there was a small increase in the number of volunteers compared to 2015 (see Figure 1), we
can conclude that the number of Dutch volunteers that is going abroad via IBO-Netherlands shows a clear
decreasing trend since 2005.
229
187
230
162
117
75 79
62
78
46 54
90
52 44
111
192
67 80
0
50
100
150
200
250
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Individual volunteers
Volunteers in a group
7
What are the possible explanations for this decrease trend? Some suggestions:
1. There are several other Dutch organisations that send abroad volunteers. IBO has to increasingly
compete with these other organisations. Figure 4 below gives an overview of some of these
organisations.
Figure 4. Overview and Market Share of Dutch Voluntourism Providers
Source: Van den Brink, S. (2015). The Dutch Voluntourism Sector. A qualitative web content analysis of responsibility communication. Wageningen University, Department of Environmental Sciences IBO was one of the first volunteering organisations. The last ten years, the number of other organisations has been booming. See Figure 5 below.
8
Figure 5. Timeline foundation date of volunteering organisations in the Netherlands
Source: Van der Veer, M. (2015). Het aantal Nederlandse internationaal vrijwilligers. En een voorstel voor een definitie van internationaal vrijwilligerswerk
2. A second possible explanation for the decrease in the number of volunteers send abroad by IBO-
Netherlands, is de possible growing number of volunteers that is going to a project without the
mediation of a volunteering organization like IBO. A growing number of projects abroad that can host
volunteers, has their own website. Volunteers can easily find projects via the internet and they can
contact them themselves. A study of Mirna van der Veer from Stichting IFO gives insight into this
matter:
“The main results in this study show that the actual number of Dutch travellers that participates in
international volunteering each year is around 90.800. This number is based on research by NBTC Nipo; a
renowned research agency in The Netherlands. Their result is based on self-report data from 19.500 travellers
between 2009 and 2011. Most realistically 25.034 of these 90.800 Dutch volunteers are being sent abroad by
western organizations through the elaborate- or sending chains of international volunteering. That’s
25.034/90.800 = 27,5%. So close to a third, which means close to two thirds are most likely to do international
volunteering through the receiving- and local chain. Methodologically concerns are raised on the actual
number of actively sending organizations and on numbers of international volunteers they facilitate. So a
minimum and a maximum scenario were calculated. The minimum scenario being […] 19,2% and the maximum
scenario being […] 41,2%.” 3
3 Source: Van der Veer, M. (2015). Het aantal Nederlandse internationaal vrijwilligers. En een voorstel voor een
definitie van internationaal vrijwilligerswerk, p. 4.
9
Male and female volunteers When we look at the Dutch volunteers, we find a division between the number of male and female volunteers:
Figure 6. Proportion of Dutch male and female volunteers 2016
N = 158
In 2016, 53 volunteers were male, and 105 were female. In 2015, 58 volunteers were male, and 71 were
female. This small overrepresentation of female volunteers last year was in line with former years. Accordingly,
2016 shows a huge change in the division of male and female volunteers.
Figure 6. Dutch male and female volunteers in a group / individual, 2016
34%
66%
Male / Female participants
male
female
30
23
50
55
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Group Individual
Male
Female
10
Participation in type of projects We also looked at the participation of (male and female) volunteers in social projects, building or ecological
projects and projects which are a combination of social-building and/ or ecological projects.
Figure 7. The participation of all Dutch volunteers in social projects, building-or ecological projects, and projects
that are a combination (2016, %)
N = 158 As we can see from the figure above, a majority of the volunteers (107) participated in a building or ecological project . 39 participated in a social project, and 12 in a project that is a combination of a building, ecological or social project. There were relatively more males that participated in a building project, and more females that participated in a social project: Figure 8. Male volunteers vs. type of project (2016, %) Female volunteers vs. type of project (2016, %)
N = 53 N = 105
25%
68%
7%
Social project
Building or ecologicalproject
Combination
13%
83%
4% Social project
Building orecologicalproject
Combination
30%
60%
10%
Social project
Building orecologicalproject
Combination
11
Figure 9. Male and female volunteers vs. type of project (2016, absolute)
Type of project vs. individual volunteers and groups In 2016, we had 80 volunteers that went abroad in one of four groups. Figure 10 below gives an overview of
the type of projects.
Figure 10. Dutch Volunteers that went abroad in a group vs. type of project (2016, %)
N= 80 An overview of the four groups and the type of project in which they participated: - Group Djembé, Utrecht: Mikoszow, Poland (building and ecological project).
- Group Rudolf Steiner College, Rotterdam: Mikoszow, Poland (building and ecological project).
- Group Fontys Pedagogiek, Den Bosch: Taroudant, Morocco (social project).
- Group Partners in Zorg. Timulazu, Romania (building and ecological project).
Accordingly, there were no groups that went to a combination project, as opposed to individual volunteers.
7
44
2
32
63
10
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Social project Building or ecologicalproject
Combination
Male
Female
26%
74%
0%
Social project
Building or ecologicalproject
Combination
12
Figure 11 below gives an overview of the individual volunteers and to which type of project they went. Figure 11. Dutch Volunteers that went abroad individually vs. type of project (2016, %)
N = 78
Age Figure 12 below gives an overview of the age of the Dutch volunteers.
Figure 12. Age of the Dutch volunteers (2016, %)
N = 158
As we can see, almost one third of our volunteers were 19 years old or younger. 44% was between 20-29 years
old. Volunteers that went in a group were relatively younger than volunteers that went individually, as we can
see from Figure 13 below.
23%
62%
15%
Social project
Building or ecologicalproject
Combination
31%
44%
8%
4%
6%
7%
19-
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60+
13
Figure 13. Age of volunteers in a group Age of individual volunteers
N = 80 N = 78
Destination In 2016, Europe was the most popular continent amongst the Dutch volunteers (see Figure 14 below). Figure 14. The destination of Dutch volunteers per continent (2016)
N= 158
In 2015, there were 124 volunteers that went to a project in Europe as well. This year, there were 33
volunteers that went to Africa, as compared to only 3 volunteers last year.
The next figure shows the distribution of the volunteers that went individually and in a group versus the
continent in which they volunteered.
38%
52%
6%
3% 0% 1%
19-
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60+
23%
36% 9%
6%
13%
13% 19-
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60+
124
33
1
Volunteers per continent
Europe
Africa
Asia
14
Figure 15. The continent of destination of individual volunteers vs. volunteers that went in a group (2016)
The next figure shows a breakdown of the countries to which our volunteers went. Figure 16. The countries to which the Dutch volunteers went (2016, groups and individual volunteers)
N = 158
59
21
0
65
12
1 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Europe Africa Asia
Group
Individual
1
1
5
10 1 1
4
3
5
3 1
1
20
6
22 4
34
2
32
1
1
Bosnia
Bulgaria
Cameroon
Croatia
Czech republic
Estonia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Iceland
Indonesia
Italy
Moldova
Morocco
The Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Senegal
15
As we can see above, Croatia, Italy, Morocco, Poland and Romania are popular destinations. However, this
image is a bit distorted because of our four groups. Figure 17 and 18 give more insight into this matter.
Figure 17. The countries to which the Dutch individual volunteers went (2016)
As we can see from the Figure above, Croatia, Italy and Romania are the most popular destinations amongst
the volunteers who subscribed individually.
1 1 5
10
1
1
4
3
5
3 1 1
20
6
1
4
0 2
7 1 1
Individual volunteers
Bosnia
Bulgaria
Cameroon
Croatia
Czechrrepubl
Estonia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Iceland
Indonesia
Italy
Moldova
Morocco
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania
16
Figure 18. The countries to which the Dutch volunteers went with a group (2016)
As said before, in 2016 we had 4 groups: two groups went to Poland, one to Romania and one to Morocco.
Projects organised by which IBO member Figure 19 below gives an overview of which IBO members organised the projects to which our Dutch volunteers
went.
Figure 19. Dutch volunteers versus organising IBO sister organisation (2016)
34
25
21
Poland
Romania
Morocco
12
27 20
3
96
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Volunteers in projects organisedby which IBO member
17
The figures below gives an overview of which IBO member organised the projects, versus our individual
volunteers and the volunteers that went in a group.
Figure 20. Individual volunteers versus organising IBO sister organisation (2016)
Figure 21. Volunteers that went in a group versus organising IBO sister organisation (2016)
Figure 21 above shows that Bouworde Vlaanderen gave 21 Dutch persons the opportunity to volunteer abroad.
These were pedagogic students and teachers of Fontys Hogeschool who went to Taroudant, Morocco. This
group had initially planned a trip to Istanbul, but because of the local safety situation this was cancelled. Their
request for a volunteering project was last-minute. Marijntje Broeckx from Bouworde Vlaanderen made it
possible that they could go to Taroudant, so all credit to her!
12
6
20
3
37
05
10152025303540
0
21
0 0
59
010203040506070
18
Questionnaire
In order to evaluate the projects, all volunteers (in case of groups of minors: only group leaders) received an
evaluation form with questions about the project, accommodation, meals, group, journey and project
information. These questions could be answered with marks from 1- 5 or 1-10.
Marks:
5= very positive/ totally agree
4= positive / agree
3= blank / no opinion
2= negative / disagree
1= very negative/ totally disagree
Questions:
1. I support the goal of the project.
2. The work of the volunteers is useful.
3. IBO-support on this project is necessary in the future
4. There was enough contact with the target group (children, elderly, handicapped people etc).
+ explanation
5. The work was sufficient, enough for all volunteers to keep them busy.
6. There were sufficient materials and tools to work with.
7. The technical guidance was sufficient
8. The work was done safely.
9. The work was practically feasible.
+ explanation
10. We were warmly welcomed.
11. The accommodation was suitable.
12. We were informed well about the local situation (culture, safety, etc).
13. The meals were good.
14. It was possible to be in contact with locals.
+ explanation
15. The atmosphere in the group was good
16. I was satisfied with the number of volunteers in the group
+ explanation
17. The duration of the travel was acceptable
18. The information I received from IBO was clear.
19. The project met my expectations.
20. I had unexpected expenses.
21. Overall grade for my IBO – project (1 – 10, 1 is very negative, 10 is very positive).
Below you will find all received evaluations for 2016 for individual volunteers and groups (evaluated by the
group leaders).
19
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Austria
Country and project 1. G
oal
2. P
roje
ct is
use
ful
3. P
roje
ct is
ne
cess
ary
4. C
on
tact
wit
h t
arge
t gr
ou
p
5. E
no
ugh
wo
rk t
o d
o
6. E
no
ugh
mat
eri
als
7. T
ech
nic
al g
uid
ance
8. s
afe
ty a
t w
ork
9. W
ork
was
pra
ctic
able
10
. Ho
spit
alit
y
11
. Acc
om
mo
dat
ion
12
. In
fo lo
cal s
itu
atio
n
13
. Me
als
14
. Co
nta
ct lo
cal p
op
ula
tio
n
15
. Atm
osp
he
re in
th
e g
rou
p
16
. Nu
mb
er
of
volu
nte
ers
17
. Du
rati
on
of
trav
el
18
. IB
O-i
nfo
rmat
ion
19
. Exp
ect
atio
n v
ers
us
real
ity
20
. Th
ere
we
re u
ne
xpe
cte
d e
xpe
nse
s
21
. Ove
rall
mar
k (1
-10
)
Greece, Anatoli (GR-25) 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 N 10 Greece, Anatoli (GR-25) 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 4 4 5 5 4 4 1 4 2 3 1 3 N 7
Greece, Nea Makri (GR-26) 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 1 4 2 4 4 5 5 5 4 1 N 5
20
Comments and explanations by volunteers
Greece, Anatoli (GR-25) The sisters of the monastery have so much work every year that they will be very happy if IBO sends
volunteers again next year.
The sisters are very well organised, so the guidance and support etc were too.
The group of volunteers was very motivated, we worked really hard. "Work is work'' was the saying
when there was a job that wasn't that enjoyable (like moving the manure of sheep and goats all day in
the heat).
This was my first experience volunteering abroad, I enjoyed it.
Greece, Nea Makri (GR-26) We had to rake leaves for two weeks, which I don't think is 'renovating work'.
The work was different than we expected. We expected to do renovation work, but the only thing that
we did was raking leaves and needles for two weeks. This felt a bit useless. There was a gardener who
guided us, but he could not speak English. Alexander came only in the second week, and then we
heard that this task had to be done because of the fire safety. It would be better if we would have
known this before.
The reception at the project was a bit awkward. I arrived on Sunday, and there were no other
volunteers. There were some people, but they did not speak English, and only after a couple of hours a
woman showed me my room.
For the volunteers, it was not clear how the organisation ‘worked’ and who was employed there. It
would have been helpful if somebody would have given us a tour or a short introduction. If Alexander
would have been there from the beginning, this might have been given by him.
The accommodation and the food was very good.
21
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Belgium
Country and project 1. G
oal
2. P
roje
ct is
use
ful
3. P
roje
ct is
ne
cess
ary
4. C
on
tact
wit
h t
arge
t gr
ou
p
5. E
no
ugh
wo
rk t
o d
o
6. E
no
ugh
mat
eri
als
7. T
ech
nic
al g
uid
ance
8. s
afe
ty a
t w
ork
9. W
ork
was
pra
ctic
able
10
. Ho
spit
alit
y
11
. Acc
om
mo
dat
ion
12
. In
fo lo
cal s
itu
atio
n
13
. Me
als
14
. Co
nta
ct lo
cal p
op
ula
tio
n
15
. Atm
osp
he
re in
th
e g
rou
p
16
. Nu
mb
er
of
volu
nte
ers
17
. Du
rati
on
of
trav
el
18
. IB
O-i
nfo
rmat
ion
19
. Exp
ect
atio
n v
ers
us
real
ity
20
. Th
ere
we
re u
ne
xpe
cte
d e
xpe
nse
s
21
. Ove
rall
mar
k (1
-10
)
Bosnia, Srebrenica (BH-17) 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 4 5 4 4 4 3 4 4 5 5 4 N 8 Iceland, Kjolur (IS-49)
4 4 5 5 4 5 4 3 4 5 5 4 4 4 5 3 5 1 5 N 9 Morocco, Afensou (MC-21)
5 5 4 2 2 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 5 5 5 4 1 5 N 8 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 3 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 N 9 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 5 4 4 4 5 5 4 5 5 5 3 4 4 3 5 5 5 4 5 N 9 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 4 3 3 5 4 4 2 4 2 5 2 4 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 N 8 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 5 5 3 4 4 4 3 4 4 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 J 9 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 4 4 4 4 3 2 3 3 4 5 3 3 4 4 5 5 4 4 3 N 8 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 J 10 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 5 4 4 5 5 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 N 8 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 5 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 5 3 5 5 2 5 5 5 3 3 N 8 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 5 N 9 Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) 3 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 N 9
Portugal, Sesimbra (PT-50) 3 5 4 5 5 4 2 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 J 8
Senegal, Sowane (SE-88) 4 5 3 3 4 4 5 3 4 5 5 3 5 3 5 5 5 4 5 J 7
22
Bosnia, Srebrenica (BH-17) The goal is beautiful. For sure useful work was done, but not everything was useful, I think more
activities have been added for more variation. I think that for the composition of the group it's a good
thing that volunteers of IBO keep coming, so that there are more volunteers that are not from Bosnia
or neighboring countries. In the surroundings there are still so many traces of the war, restoring
everything would take many years. At the reconstruction work of the house the owner was present,
also during the fruit picking we visited a Bosnian family, of which the grandfather spoke Dutch
because 20 years ago he had fled to the Netherlands. Also we met the 'Mothers of Srebrenica' who
took us to several places of remembrance where people were murdered, which left a big impression
on most of us. An obstacle was often the language, we spent time with many Bosnians but could
hardly communicate with anyone.
There is still plenty of work to be done, co-ordination wasn't always good. I would have preferred
more explanation, more information about the project on the whole and the aim of the activity and
not just of the part of the work that we were doing at that moment. There were not enough
wheelbarrows and digging materials (or there were too many people), but that was no problem when
it was hot because we could take turns. Working was OK, but most of the time it was very hot, which
made it hard, also because we always worked during the hottest time of the day, following to the daily
schedule.
The dormitories were fine, but we shared one bathroom with 9 women and it got quite dirty, the
agreement to clean wasn't successful.
For the remembrance of the genocide we were informed about the customs, especially about the
dress code, not much more. Visiting the places of remembrance with the 'Mothers of Srebrenica' was
done by bus, because in previous years there had been incidents with Serbians (or Serbian Bosnians)
who still deny the genocide, which we were told beforehand. We learnt more during the trip or we
were told by the Bosnian volunteers.
The food was good, too much meat though.
We had contact only with the people at the project (and a boy at the little shop), it was not a very
lively village.
At the beginning of the camp it seemed that there was a division, some of the Bosnians, of whom
unfortunately some did not speak a foreign language, were not open to de international volunteers.
The other part of the Bosnians were very sociable. After a while the atmosphere within the group
improved. There were about 50 participants, less than expected, but maybe this was better.
I had expected a bigger group of international volunteers, but to my opinion there were too many
Bosnians. It was a great pity that I could not communicate with some of the volunteers. Because it was
such a big project I expected it to be well organized but I think some of the activities (for example
which group was going to do which activity) were only planned the day before. It was a lot of fun
though to meet so many nice people from different cultures and we had a lot of fun. I never needed to
pay the 70 euro, I don't know why.
I had a fun time, primarily with the people I met. Organization, especially of the work activities, largely
went well but could have been better. For example, when we arrived at the farm and the workers and
the engineer weren't there yet, we would start with having a break (they take a lot of breaks). Also a
pity that not all the promised night activities took place, but we found fun things to do most of the
time.
Last year I went to Lithuania which was a bit of a disappointment, so I wanted to go to a project with
lots of people. I chose this project because of the amount of participants, the location and the goal,
this seemed an interesting destination.
23
The end of the project was unclear. It would end on Monday, no Tuesday, no Monday. Nobody really
knew. In the end some people just left for the weekend and did not go back. I stayed in Sarajevo. This
was a weird ending of the project.
Morocco, Afensou (MC-21) There was little contact with the women who were going to use the center.
Building materials arrived late and there was no schedule, if this had been there, we could have done
a lot more. Therefore there was not enough work at the beginning and only 5 persons could work at
the same time.
They tried cooking Western food for us (pasta every night) which was absolutely not necessary.
10 persons make a perfect group.
The Belgian delegation had a lot more information about the project; where we would sleep, how
things worked, money exchange etc. Information by IBO beforehand was insufficient.
It was a nice project to work on, but I would have liked to accomplish more during our stay. I was glad
there were 2 guys in our group because it is a male dominated culture, which had great influence on
the building process. The local project manager only knew the names of the men. That's something to
emphasize in the project information.
Morocco, Taroudant (MC-82) (Group Fontys) Contact during the project with target group
The aim of the project is neutral, especially for the orphanage I find it hard. It's actually a good thing
that we (the volunteers) can give the attention to the children that they need (which the volunteers of
the orphanage can't give). However, the children already see so many different faces at a young age
which is not good for bonding. I don't know which is best for the children....
It's a pity that it was for such a short period. We were there for only 6 days. The children had 6 fun
days and we got attached to each other. But we have left now and we will probably never see each
other again. So whether it was useful, I'm not sure.
The work seems like a drop in a bucket. At AHLI there seems to be room for development and
dialogue. But at Lalla Amina there was little possibility for structural improvement. Whereas that
seems to have the greatest need. It gives me the following question: do the organizations point out
what they need? Concrete help questions would make it easier for volunteers to offer a useful
contribution.
Communication with the children and youth was difficult because they speak French and most of us
don't.
There should have been more contact with the target group.
Feasibility of the work
The language barrier made working with the children difficult. Especially at the AHLI project our
students had the need to talk to the children. To get to know them. To find out what impelled them,
what keeps them occupied. This was almost impossible without a shared language.
There was hardly any guidance from the project, especially the work at the orphanage you had to find
out for yourself.
There was enough material to paint.
24
Accommodation & food
A very welcoming stay!
For our students the sanitation was a minus point (the toilet didn't work properly and no hot shower).
They came to do work and not to go 'back to basics'. Some of our students got sick (probably food
poisoning), one student was admitted to hospital. The warnings not to eat food that was washed with
local tap water didn't apply to the local organisation (Hlimou's house). This brings hygienic and health
risks.
Unfortunately we had to sleep on the floor and the mats were very hard too. The toilets weren't clean.
Excellent! 'Life is good'!
Group
We had a great group!
Unexpected costs
Unexpected expenditures due to illness.
Project overall
I had little to no expectations of the project. A very impressive week, in which I was immersed in the
Moroccan culture and life. Schedules could be changed at any time. Work was varied with a variety of
activities.
It was a great experience. The children were very nice and I learnt that life there is very different from
life in the Netherlands. I would like to do this again.
Portugal, Sesimbra (PT-50)
We could only speak to the owner of the shelter twice. She promised to come often to give us
instuctions. Unfortunately this didn't happen but we found several activities as a group ourselves.
There was a shortage in the collective budget. We solved this by all contributing a little extra.
Senegal, Sowane (SE-88) Transport during the weekends were extra costs.
I enjoyed the project very much and it was well organized. The only disadvantage were the weekends,
these were not fully utilized. It seemed most of the money went to expensive hotels which meant we
couldn't visit many attractions. It was disappointing because we didn't do much on the weekends.
25
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Germany
Country and project 1. G
oal
2. P
roje
ct is
use
ful
3. P
roje
ct is
ne
cess
ary
4. C
on
tact
wit
h t
arge
t gr
ou
p
5. E
no
ugh
wo
rk t
o d
o
6. E
no
ugh
mat
eri
als
7. T
ech
nic
al g
uid
ance
8. s
afe
ty a
t w
ork
9. W
ork
was
pra
ctic
able
10
. Ho
spit
alit
y
11
. Acc
om
mo
dat
ion
12
. In
fo lo
cal s
itu
atio
n
13
. Me
als
14
. Co
nta
ct lo
cal p
op
ula
tio
n
15
. Atm
osp
he
re in
th
e g
rou
p
16
. Nu
mb
er
of
volu
nte
ers
17
. Du
rati
on
of
trav
el
18
. IB
O-i
nfo
rmat
ion
19
. Exp
ect
atio
n v
ers
us
real
ity
20
. Th
ere
we
re u
ne
xpe
cte
d e
xpe
nse
s
21
. Ove
rall
mar
k (1
-10
)
Germany, Otterstadt (DE-80) 3 2 3 3 4 2 3 2 5 3 2 1 4 2 5 5 4 4 3 N 6
Estonia, Tipu (EE-66) 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 5 5 5 5 5 N 8
Germany, Ludwigshafn (DE-74) 5 3 3 4 2 4 4 5 1 4 3 4 5 5 5 4 5 2 2 N 4
Portugal, Aveiro (PT-54) 3 4 4 5 4 3 3 4 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 4 4 N 8
Georgia, Tbilisi (GE-35) 5 5 5 5 4 4 2 1 2 5 2 4 3 5 5 5 3 5 5 N 8
Russia, Pereslavl-Z. (RU-69) 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 N 7
26
Germany, Otterstadt (DE-80) The IBO volunteers had to, amongst other activities, deconstruct building villages that were made by
children, so they could be built again later this summer. One day, children entered the terrain, with
whom we could get in touch, it was not clear if this was the target group.
Sometimes dangerous situations occurred with breaking down a construction (a few volunteers had to
demolish this from above when it was instable, and sometimes there were also volunteers working at
the bottom, who could be hit by wooden boards). Usually there was enough space to avoid these kind
of situations, but there were no safety precautions like helmets etc. There were no disinfectants in the
first aid kit that a volunteer could use after an accident. Sometimes you had to wait to use a tool if
someone else was already using it.
The organization was not very welcoming, we got a small tour of the terrain and then the leaders left
again. The housing was a club house in which we had to sleep in a very small living room, men and
women mixed. There was little privacy since the club house was used by outside visitors during the
day. There supposed to be tents present so there could be slept outside, but we asked for tents three
times without result. We were not informed about local customs or activities for our free time. We
had to cook our meals ourselves, which was fine. There was no contact with locals. The project leaders
barely informed us about visitors. Sometimes visitors would arrive and we would have to try to help
them in German. We cooked for the volunteers and the project leaders, but sometimes visitors would
join for dinner unannounced, and we would not have enough food for everyone. This was very
aggravating and we often felt like we were not taken seriously.
The group was very fun and social and at the end we'd become quite close. The size of the group was
okay, but since there was little place to sleep, maybe it was too large.
The organization, facilities and hospitality of this project were not very good, but this made the group
close and we've had a lot of fun moments.
Estonia, Tipu (EE-66)
I liked that we could choose which job we wanted to do.
Because it was a very remote place, there was barely any contact with locals. Luckily there were
participants from Estonia, who taught us about local customs and habits.
Great group, mostly younger people with me as the older one. I didn't find this a problem and neither
did everyone else.
Germany, Ludwigshafen (DE-74) There were a lot of volunteers from Germany at the project, there were three of us and over twenty of
them, so they would have been able to manage without IBO.
Everyone spoke German, all the children only spoke German and I don't, so I could not really help
them, and therefore I could not execute the working activities.
Housing was okay, we stayed at a school. We had to cook the meals ourselves, but money for
groceries was provided.
I was there with two other girls from Bouworde and they were fun.
I didn't expect EVERYONE to speak German.
The project would have been better if I could have interacted with the children, which I couldn't
because we didn't speak the same language.
27
Portugal, Aveiro (PT-54) The project in Averio was not well organized. There was plenty that could be done, and I like the
concept of an ecological educative center, but there is still a long way to go as far as the organization
and planning concerns. For example: there was no plan when we arrived, this was announced after
two days.
There was asbestos around the workplace. As long as you leave this alone, it is fine, but we were not
warned and if someone would start to work on it, it would be very unsafe.
Georgia, Tbilisi (GE-35) Breaking down the roof was dangerous. One misstep and someone could have died. There was no
protective equipment available.
The air mattress was broken.
It was a really fun group, great people.
Russia, Pereslavl-Z. (RU-69) Especially the wooden building where the children sleep needs to be renovated.
There was plenty of work, but not enough paint, so we did less than what was necessary. There would
be a volunteer who spoke Russian and English and could translate, but he/she canceled. Because of
this, there could not be communicated during work, except for some acting and gestures, which I
found very difficult.
I was disappointed that we could not talk to the 4 Russian guys who wanted to join us, when we all
wanted to. We didn't get much further and a few words and some gesturing. I also wasn't too happy
that there was not a lot of English spoken, mostly German, at which I'm not very good.
The meeting point was communicated a little late. I was already on my way, but I really appreciate
Henny checking if I received the information. However, I was waiting at the wrong terminal. After
wandering around the airport for an hour, I heard my name being called from a restaurant. I was
worried something like this would happen, but luckily it all worked out. Next time the terminal and
exit (because every terminal had several exits) need to be mentioned.
On the way back, something went wrong with my transport (the 2 German volunteers stayed longer).
Eventually I was taken to a subway station in Moskow instead of the airport. I wasn't happy about this,
because travelling in Moskow is not easy if you don't know the language. The people from the project
did their best to explain where I had to change and get out, but this is not the right way. I'm used to
quite a lot when it comes to travelling, so luckily everything went alright.
28
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Italy
Country and project 1. G
oal
2. P
roje
ct is
use
ful
3. P
roje
ct is
ne
cess
ary
4. C
on
tact
wit
h t
arge
t gr
ou
p
5. E
no
ugh
wo
rk t
o d
o
6. E
no
ugh
mat
eri
als
7. T
ech
nic
al g
uid
ance
8. s
afe
ty a
t w
ork
9. W
ork
was
pra
ctic
able
10
. Ho
spit
alit
y
11
. Acc
om
mo
dat
ion
12
. In
fo lo
cal s
itu
atio
n
13
. Me
als
14
. Co
nta
ct lo
cal p
op
ula
tio
n
15
. Atm
osp
he
re in
th
e g
rou
p
16
. Nu
mb
er
of
volu
nte
ers
17
. Du
rati
on
of
trav
el
18
. IB
O-i
nfo
rmat
ion
19
. Exp
ect
atio
n v
ers
us
real
ity
20
. Th
ere
we
re u
ne
xpe
cte
d e
xpe
nse
s
21
. Ove
rall
mar
k (1
-10
)
Italy, Vernazza (IT-40) 4 4 3 2 4 4 3 3 4 1 3 1 1 3 5 5 5 5 2 J 4
Italy,Vernazza (IT-40) 5 4 5 1 3 3 4 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 2 2 J 7
Italy,Vernazza (IT-33) 5 5 4 4 4 2 4 2 3 5 3 4 3 4 5 5 5 4 5 N 8
Italy,Vernazza (IT-33) 4 5 3 2 4 1 1 1 3 1 3 3 1 1 1 3 5 5 2 J 5
Italy,Vernazza (IT-32) 4 3 4 3 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 2 1 3 3 3 2 3 3 J 7
Italy,San Leonardo di.C. (IT-30) 4 1 1 3 1 3 4 3 4 1 4 3 3 3 4 3 3 1 1 N 2
Italy,San Leonardo di C. (IT-30) 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 2 2 N 7
Italy,San Leonardo di C. (IT-31) 5 2 2 5 1 2 3 3 4 5 4 3 5 1 5 5 5 4 1 N 5
Italy,Nomadelfia (IT-29) 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 N 10
Italy,Macchiagodena (IT-85) 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 4 4 4 N 8
Italy,Macchiagodena (IT-85) 4 3 2 3 2 3 5 5 5 5 4 4 5 4 3 2 4 4 3 N 7
Italy,San Martino a M.(IT-61) 5 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 5 5 4 5 4 5 5 N 9
Italy,Cortemilia (IT-77) 4 3 3 3 2 3 3 2 3 5 5 4 5 4 5 5 4 4 4 N 8
29
Vernazza, IT-40 (May) Volunteer 1
The food left much to be desired. In contradiction to what IBO wrote, we had to cook ourselves, not
just assist with cooking, which is hard after a day of working. Often we got the ingredients ourselves. It
was also not clear in advance was the accommodation was like: dirty and to be cleaned by us (which
doesn't have to be a problem if you know it). It was far from the village. My roommate and I even
rented a room for a night somewhere else.
Upon arrival, there was no meal for the volunteers. This was quite disappointing, because some
volunteers already left home in the middle of the night to arrive at the project. Everybody was tired,
and we had to cook our own meal. There were three people of the project present when we arrived,
but they were just sitting there and did not help. So the welcome felt not very warm.
There were discussions between the volunteers and the project about the meals. We thought we just
had to help, but we had to prepare the meals completely by ourselves. According to the project, this
was made clear, but apparently this information was not passed on to the volunteers. This was hard,
because after a hard day’s work, we also had to cook. From the second day on, the volunteers solved
this problem, because two volunteers stopped earlier with working to prepare the meal.
The place where the volunteers slept was dirty. There were discussion amongst the volunteers and the
project about whom had to tidy the place. The project said that the volunteers had made a mess of
the place. We were more busy with the housekeeping than the actual work we had come for. I would
advise new volunteers to bring their own cleaning solution, and their own sleeping bag, because the
bed linen was dirty.
There were ‘political games’ going on in the project: it was not clear who was in charge, and several
persons / organizations claimed they were leading the project.
I liked the work, but not so much the circumstances (see above).
Volunteer 2 The volunteer group is by no means disappointing me. They were all excellent people. But I can
roughly say that the project was disappointing. There was not really a reception. We were not thanked
for our arrival and receive almost no information about the project. Apparently there was not enough
money. Margaret had probably counted on more money from the Italian government. For me it is not
a problem when there is not enough money for food, Margaret could at least tell us this! She seemed
not much to worry about our well-being. She is not obliged to do this of course, but I was not
motivated to work for a project of which the goal was not clear to me. Furthermore, she seemed not
interested in us, who came from far away to help, so why should I help her or the project? But possibly
one cannot expect this in a small area that receives two million visitors a year. There may be more
projects that have these problems. There were some guys in our group who did not have so much
money and who had expected a better care. For me it was not a problem to contribute for the
groceries, and actually I did this. But it quit heavy to get all the groceries to the project via the steep
slopes. It's not a big deal for me, but I consider myself a free man. Bluntly speaking, I did not want to
invest, not into bread and not in labor. We as volunteers and you as IBO, we did our best. I enjoyed
the company of the other volunteers, the area and the journey.
30
Vernazza IT-32 (June) The place where we working was not safely reachable. We had to balance on narrow paths down the
mountain, without preparation or safety precautions.
We had to cook meals for ourselves, but the groceries would be available. This was not always the
case. We had to shop extra sometimes, paying for it for ourselves. The accommodation was very far
away from everything, so we often went to a local bar after work. There we contacted the locals.
Despite all the screening in advance there was one negative individual in the group, who got intimate
and did not respect the women in the group.
Extra costs for the bus service to return. Extra groceries.
Italy,San Leonardo di.C. (IT-30) (July) Volunteer 1
There was no added value of the volunteers at the project. We could not significantly contribute, so I
don't find it necessary to send volunteers here anymore, unless they change the program.
“Working activities”
The project leader was not welcoming, this person was mostly just anti-social and arrogant. The local
responsible however, was very kind and helpful. He/she gets all the praise.
The group can be bigger, more international volunteers. Preferably people who speak at least a little
English.
For the Belgians there were definitely unexpected expenses (extra stay). The address in the Dutch
information package was incorrect. The project description was incorrect. The working activities were
not as described. It was nothing like an IBO project.
One point for the effort and the good atmosphere. I would like to contact you about this project and
my evaluation, so I can explain some more.
Volunteer 2
There were little practical activities. We reported this and they would provide more work for a next
project. This time, the IBO volunteers were not really necessary.
There was not enough work and not enough tools. However, tools were bought when we said we
needed them.
We finally received instructions on the fourth day, because that is when the Belgians arrived.
We had fun, but the group could have been a little bigger, which might however not be very practical.
Because this was the first time it was organized, we understand that the information wasn't complete,
but we didn't really know what to expect.
Because we made it enjoyable ourselves and we still got to do something, while also having time to
relax.
Italy,San Leonardo di.C. (IT-31) There is actually not enough work for the volunteers. Four visits to a turtle shelter to feed two turtles
is for six volunteers a little absurd. We only worked the fields once. We also made a wooden platform,
not a very urgent job.
Compliments for the two Italian coordinators, Antonio Segreto and Silvio Cimbalo. Antonio, 'Tonino',
was an amazing cook. Silvio took us everywhere and tried his best to make our stay enjoyable. They
really kept us occupied. We saw the 'boss', Paolo Asteriti, less and less during these ten days.
31
A very kind Italian women, Olga, with whom I had fun contact. The Belgian girls were also a lot of fun.
Together we made something out of it, since we all found this 'holiday' kind of 'crazy'.
Not a high grade, but the project is too vague. That we still had a good time is thanks to the Italian
project leaders Silvio and Antonio.
Italy, Macchiagodena (IT-85) Volunteer 1
It was mostly working on the accommodation for the volunteers, not much work at the project itself.
The stay was very pleasant. There were 2 extensive meals every day, which were also really good.
Local volunteers joined at the meals, which brought enjoyable conversations. We were also brought
along to nearby festivities.
I was there with a friend, so that was good company. We were the only ones. Local volunteers would
join at the meals, but work was mostly just the two of us.
Volunteer 2
There were no building activities this year, probably because there were not enough volunteers, but
also something with the financials? It is a nice place that fits within IBO, but only if there can be build
or finished something.
It was partly gardening and sorting, that could be done independently. The other part was helping
with a painting job, which is what question 7, 8, and 9 refer to.
We were with two people.
I knew in advance that we were with two people and we were told that this would mean only light
working activities.
A nice place to be with good people, but there were too few volunteers this years, what made it
boring sometimes.
Italy,Cortemilia (IT-77) Cortemilia is not well understood by the locals. The project, organized by the Eco museum, is left
hanging because of this. The main explanation for this is probably that the museum, which I don't
understand at all, is practically over.
The working activities (building local walls) were often too heavy for many participants, there were no
alternative activities, which was assumed based on the project description. This worked demotivating,
because everybody wanted to perform useful and manageable work.
The hospitality of the Italians was amazing, for Dutch standards maybe even too much. The same goes
for the meals in the afternoon and at night. They showed us in many ways that our presence was
appreciated.
The atmosphere was very good, as was the size of the group. More attention with the promotion of
the project needs to be given to an appropriate description of the heaviness of the work and/or the
availability of alternative, useful tasks.
For many participants the project didn't live up to expectations. I also had to get used to the work, but
after a few days it got better. Because every participant expects to do useful and feasible work, there
will need to be more attention paid on a correct a complete description of the goals of the project.
I personally give this project an 8, because to my surprise I can at the age of 66 still useful participate
in these kind of projects.
32
Evaluation of projects organized by IBO-Netherlands
Country and project 1. G
oal
2. P
roje
ct is
use
ful
3. P
roje
ct is
ne
cess
ary
4. C
on
tact
wit
h t
arge
t gr
ou
p
5. E
no
ugh
wo
rk t
o d
o
6. E
no
ugh
mat
eri
als
7. T
ech
nic
al g
uid
ance
8. s
afe
ty a
t w
ork
9. W
ork
was
pra
ctic
able
10
. Ho
spit
alit
y
11
. Acc
om
mo
dat
ion
12
. In
fo lo
cal s
itu
atio
n
13
. Me
als
14
. Co
nta
ct lo
cal p
op
ula
tio
n
15
. Atm
osp
he
re in
th
e g
rou
p
16
. Nu
mb
er
of
volu
nte
ers
17
. Du
rati
on
of
trav
el
18
. IB
O-i
nfo
rmat
ion
19
. Exp
ect
atio
n v
ers
us
real
ity
20
. Th
ere
we
re u
ne
xpe
cte
d
exp
en
ses
21
. Ove
rall
mar
k (1
-10
)
Croatia, Brezovica (HR-08) 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 4 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 N 10 Croatia, Brezovica (HR-08) 5 5 5 5 5 2 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 N 10 Croatia, Brezovica (HR-08) 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 N 9 Croatia, Brezovica (HR-09)
5 4 5 5 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 4 N 8
Croatia, Brezovica (HR-10) 5 5 5 5 4 3 4 4 5 5 4 5 4 4 5 5 5 4 5 N 9 Croatia, Brezovica (HR-10) 5 5 5 5 5 2 3 5 4 5 5 3 4 3 5 5 5 5 5 N 10 Croatia, Brezovica (HR-10) 4 4 4 4 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 3 N 8
Ghana, Adawso (GH-05) 4 3 4 3 4 4 2 5 5 4 4 5 3 4 3 4 5 5 4 N 8 Moldova, Straseni (MD-13) 4 3 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 N 7 Moldova, Straseni (MD-13) 4 3 3 5 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 N 9
Moldova, Straseni (MD-14) 5 4 5 4 2 4 2 4 4 5 5 3 4 4 5 5 5 4 2 N 7
Moldova, Straseni (MD-15) 5 3 4 5 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 N 9 Netherlands, Amsterdam (NL-16) 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 N 10 Netherlands, Amsterdam (NL-16) 4 4 4 3 4 5 3 5 4 5 3 5 5 3 5 5 4 5 5 J 8 Romania, Timulazu (RO-11) 5 4 5 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 N 10 Romania, Timulazu (RO-11) 5 5 2 5 5 3 3 3 4 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 5 3 5 J 8 Romania, Timulazu (RO-11) 5 3 3 1 5 2 5 5 4 4 5 3 5 2 5 5 5 3 3 J 4 Romania, Timulazu (RO-11) 4 4 4 3 3 2 4 3 5 5 5 4 4 4 5 5 4 3 4 J 8
Romania, Timulazu (RO-12) 5 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 5 4 5 4 4 5 4 N 8
33
Romania, Timulazu (RO-12) 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 N 8
34
Brezovica HR-08 Volunteer 1
The goal of the project was very clear. Making fun was the main goal.
Because we didn't have to take care of the kids, the kids saw us as volunteers to do nice things with. It
went very well. That is why in my opinion the deployment was meaningful. It contributed really
something. That way you get satisfaction as a volunteer.
The funds in the house to make fun with the children were minimal.
There was not a large playground for the kids. A kid in a wheelchair can't slide down the slide. There
was enough work to do. But there was no command. I can imagine that this can be difficult for
volunteers without order or resources to entertain the kids all day. It is your own choice to be very
busy the whole afternoon with playing games and doing activities with the kids,
Hospitality was great. The food sometimes not my cup of tea. But they did do their best for us. It was
all okay.
very nice group of volunteers. A nice mix of Belgian and Dutch volunteers
a very nice experience. The IBO informed us very well and on the project location, we have been well
received by Thea and Daniella. We could always go to them. Very hospitable and they have really done
their best for us
Volunteer 2
the extra attention for the children was very welcome
I would have liked to work more hours, because I really liked it.
the accommodation was fine, but not clean when we arrived. It was convenient that it was near the
children’s home. The meals were fine. Sometimes less food and for example no drinks. It depended on
the person who was in the kitchen
nice group, motivated girls
contact with IBO before the journey was fine. We got good information, very friendly.
extremely fun project. I was very satisfied.
I chose this to spend my spare time meaningful I wanted to do something for another.
Brezovica HR-09 there was certainly enough work to do, but because of the language problems you can't help with
everything. For example helping with feeding and taking care, we could have done more.
Brezovica, HR-10 You had to look for work for yourself, they did not tell you what you could do, but everything was fine.
For example changing the beds was difficult because of the low beds. Materials you need, you have to
bring your own.
The accommodation was fine. The meals were fine but different from what I am used to, but they did
their best.
It was a great group!
It was great. The best 12 days ever. I've enjoyed it!!!!
low cost, good guidance from IBO. Great project for a good price
Volunteer 2
we did activities with materials we brought with us. One time we could not go to the cuddle room
(snoezelruimte) because the key was not working.
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the locals could not speak English very well, so that made it difficult to communicate. We were not
well informed about the diseases that children have, like epilepsy. I would have liked to have known
something about that.
The food and accommodation were fine.
the low cost was a reason to choose for this project. The project is consistent with my training and i
am happy to help people and let the children laugh.
Ghana, Adawso (GH-05) In my opinion, more needs to be given to the abilities of the volunteers who participating.
If you have two guys you must not let them constant painting but also let them do performed
physically demanding work
unfortunately, the food was too sharp/hot for me.
Moldova, Straseni (MD-13) I was welcome but without me they could managed the situation by themselves, maybe even better,
because they didn't have to explain so much to me. I didn’t have the feeling that I have contributed by
just cleaning and washing the dishes.
This is related to my expectation in advance to contribute at the homecare. I wanted to clean the
houses, helping elderly with their personal hygiene and do the necessary chores at their homes. In my
letter of motivation I wrote that I was prepared to do whatever was needed, but cleaning the daycare
was not what I had in mind.
Taking care of the elderly from the homecare could make the difference. We have been invited only
once to go.
In my opinion we are welcome because of the money and resources that we bring. That is my feeling
about it.
the people of the organization of Neohumanist and the elderly were very thankful and helpful to assist
us. That was great. But it is also weird because they did more than us, partly culture, partly sincerity,
but it did not feel good.
also we have put a lot of money in gifts for the elderly and practical items such as wound material.
Afterwards I noticed that we were not the only volunteers who did this. I wondered how necessary it
was.
There was enough to do but not what I think is necessary.
The guidance was excellent. That was nice but, to be honest, it made it less adventuress.
I had expected to make myself more useful. I would like to experience what it would be like to take
care of myself in a strange country. I was worried that there would be too little structure, but this was
the other extreme.
They also discouraged us to do some activities outside working hours, like visiting Transsinistrie. Pity.
very sweet and attentive staff.
The elderly were very sweet. I have experienced the warmth of all the people we met as the most
beautiful. It will remain with me forever.
About the other volunteer Marije, she was a wonderful fellow travel companion.
We had a lot of fun together.
the warmth of the people (staff/workers,eldery) was great to experience.
real adventure I missed.
And above all I felt not as useful as I had hoped. It is that I really wanted to do something for poor
elderly at home, but we were kept away here emotionally and were not allowed to do much. The
36
packages we gave were not proved so special to be( other volunteers did this in a similar manner).
I was a bit disappointed, but maybe I should have asked to be more days scheduled in the homecare.
Moldova, Straseni (MD-15) This evaluation is from my husband and me together..
We believe that all the money we spent for the project( flight, parking, hotel, IBO) could do much
more for the people in Moldova, then our coming to the project.
We had two wonderful weeks full of love however
There was plenty of work but you had to take the initiative. For each job they were grateful. We felt a
bit idolized.
The contact with the local population was difficult because of a language-problems
Rhe atmosphere was hart warming and loving. We were with two. With atmosphere we mean the
contact with the elderly and permanent staff
If I could give an award, the foundation SOM and Andrej from the homecare would have earned one.
Amsterdam (NL-16) The project exceeded my expectations. There were unexpected cost, but well intentioned an
acceptable to this case.
Romania, Timulazu (RO11/ 12) Volunteer 1
beautiful target which is needed in the area. Every day there is enough contact with the target group.
there was good enthusiastic guiding by involved people .
They know what it is about. There were no problems with the language. They speak Dutch, English,
German and Romanian
we shared an apartment with 5 people, everything was well organized. Dinner/washing the dishes and
laundry we did by ourselves. It was clean, complete and taken care of. We often did work in the area
of the local people. Or we visited somebody.
the atmosphere was fine with everybody. Nice, open , helpful. We were with 6 volunteers. This was
helpful to get to know each other and there was enough work for everybody.
I liked the physical construction work, the country but mainly I feel connected with the target and the
target audience. What i like is that you have to arrange much yourself.
That is also important for the young volunteers because it contributes to their personal growth and
development. That it has also given me. Arrange for yourself is self-development.
I think one of the strongest points of the IBO.
Volunteer 2
the project was very good and helpful. But I don't really see the value in the IBO, because the most
important things you did yourself and at the IBO-day there wasn't any more information about this
project than in the brochure.
there was more than enough work , only the material had to be bought in most cases so we had to
wait to go on.
Evi is very nice, welcoming and open. She showed and told us a lot.
the atmosphere was fine, we were with 6 people. If we were with more people we could have done
more, that would be more fun but this was fine.
we spent money for food and drinks but it was indicated that this was inclusive in the price we paid.
there was not always enough food
overall it's a very good project. It Is still in the startup phase. It will be getting better in the future
when it’s going to grow bigger
37
Volunteer 3
I agree to the goal as written on their own website.
But during our stay i didn't get enough overview to say something useful about the approach and
project execution as IBO Netherlands would I inform myself more about the way and manor of
working.
finally the total of activities was explained faster to us. There was, in my idea, not a lot of planning
beforehand which lead to not enough adequate equipment available.
They could have more benefit of us when they had more prepared.
Despite this comment ,we have done a lot of work because of our own efforts as a team !!!
The local contactperson and projectleader were not good informed about the financial agreements
with the IBO (food, travel ect.), which overcame me at the first acquaintance. That didn't feel good. I
don't know how they solved this. I did not interfere with it.
the atmosphere in the group was very good. The size of the group was oké. We worked perfectly
together.
I was the only old age person. Because the foreman was the same age it went very well. We laughed a
lot, we had great humor, worked hard, good dedication etc. de foreman worked with the group all
day, that was very nice.
the projectleader we haven't seen that much with the activities.
i don't know what agreements are about that.
we expected to know more about the ROMA-people and about the projectmethod. This is done
limited.
I had questions about the projectcompletion on the spot.
I don't know what the requirements are from the IBO, that is why I don't want to do harsh statements
about the projectorganisation.
I’m 63 years old with a lot of workexperience on diverse terrain commercial, pedagogic, educational).
Round trip to and from the airport would fall to the cost of the IBO, but finally we planned and payed
for the cost to the airport by ourselves. It was all complicated for the project on the spot. We could
share the cost but there was no clear agreement about that on the spot.
Additionally, it is a risk to send one old age person with a group of 20-30 aged persons ( they said not
in my case).the things you do and talk about are different. Because i was restrained, the present of the
foreman and a room for myself to sleep, it went well.
tip; sent a least two old age persons together
I am doubtful about the project, but I don't know the projectconditions from the IBO. That is why I am
cautious to say something about it.
The projectleader asked for evaluation points which I still send her.
Volunteer 4
it would be nice if cost for food were paid, but this is a small thing and did not disturb overall
Volunteer 5
the goal helping to integrate the disadvantaged ROMA- youth is very necessary and it was great to
help with that. From the country there is less support, so that makes it's very important that this
project has been set up.
A search of collaboration is found to help the ROMA-youth in general.as soon as all facilities are ready,
it is easier to guide young ROMA people.
yes, support and commitment is needed to covert this to.
Evi is an enthusiastic and driven person, it was nice to arrive. The contact with the others was easy.
We slept with two persons in an apartment which was for 4 persons. It was not very clean, but it had
38
everything we needed.
Breakfast and dinner we organized by ourselves. The warm lunch was made by the ROMA-youth. They
did that very well. 2 times a day we had a break.
we had contact with 2 Roma-guys , that are in the program, the co-workers and other guests. Outside
of the camp not.
We were two. We missed other international IBO volunteers, or just a larger group of volunteers, to
not always depend on each other or on yourself. There were enough people coming over to the
campsite during the day and the youth themselves also contacted us after work.
the journey from Cluj to the project was long. The airport Tirgu Mures is recommended because it is
15 minutes away from the project. In advance you have a longer journey from the Netherlands via
Germany. You have the choice. Perfectly arranged transport.
The expectations are made by yourself, in my opinion, you must respond on what you see
a part of the project description is like it is written. There were no children to do activities with, that
was a pity.
The project was successful.
Volunteer 6
because all the material cost money it is not always possible to buy them for activities
it was nice with Corrie-Anne, but more people should go, there is a lot of work to do and it is better to
be with more volunteers.
the public transport was a long journey in comparison with the distance, but that was to be expected.
The activities were as written in the project description. Nevertheless it was sometimes different than
I expected
I picked this project because of the combination country, cost and goal
39
Evaluation of groups:
Country and project 1. G
oal
2. P
roje
ct is
use
ful
3. P
roje
ct is
ne
cess
ary
4. C
on
tact
wit
h t
arge
t gr
ou
p
5. E
no
ugh
wo
rk t
o d
o
6. E
no
ugh
mat
eri
als
7. T
ech
nic
al g
uid
ance
8. s
afe
ty a
t w
ork
9. W
ork
was
pra
ctic
able
10
. Ho
spit
alit
y
11
. Acc
om
mo
dat
ion
12
. In
fo lo
cal s
itu
atio
n
13
. Me
als
14
. Co
nta
ct lo
cal p
op
ula
tio
n
15
. Atm
osp
he
re in
th
e g
rou
p
16
. Nu
mb
er
of
volu
nte
ers
17
. Du
rati
on
of
trav
el
18
. IB
O-i
nfo
rmat
ion
19
. Exp
ect
atio
n v
ers
us
real
ity
20
. Th
ere
we
re u
ne
xpe
cte
d
exp
en
ses
21
. Ove
rall
mar
k (1
-10
)
Mikoszow, Poland, Rudolf Steiner 4 3 4 2 3 3 3 4 3 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 4 5 4 N 6 Timulazu, Romania, Partners in Zorg 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 J 10 Timulazu, Romania, Partners in Zorg 5 5 5 4 5 3 3 2 3 5 5 5 4 3 4 2 4 3 3 J 8
Timulazu, Romania, Partners in Zorg
Painting with used motor oil in the burning sun and bad equipment was a terrible experience
meals were organized by ourselves
too many young people with a handicap on one place. Too many issues and drama among us.
we had to pay more than they told us
a good goal but a lot has to happen. When I say to much I mean to much
cost where for ourselves because of the big group
it was a great success. Thank you!
