Atoll Volunteers started recruiting volunteers in 2012, after more than 4 years of experience running volunteer programmes on behalf of other international volunteer organisations.

We chose to launch our own volunteer programme as the various international partnerships that we were previously involved with all had extremely high administration costs, which meant that only a small fraction of the volunteers’ placement fees actually reached our organisation and the island community. In fact, in some cases the community found themselves actually needing to subsidise the volunteers’ stay, as the funding that was received was simply not enough to cover basic accommodation and food costs.

Therefore, we decided to make a change for the better. One of the most frequently asked questions by potential volunteers is, and quite rightly so, “Where does my money go?” and we wanted to ensure that it really was reaching the community it was intended for. At Atoll Volunteers we keep our running costs to a minimum, with no international offices or paid international staff. We keep our advertising and administration costs as low as possible, and have a transparency policy which means, that as our volunteer, you will be able to monitor exactly what your funds cover. Any funds remaining from your programme fee go directly into local community projects.

Not only are our fees lower and more transparent than most other Maldivian NGOs, but we were also the first NGO in the Maldives registered to bring in international volunteers. This means that you can be sure that we know what we are doing, and that our visa application process is smooth and quick.

We have a long history supporting our community in Naifaru, and we can’t wait to see the positive impact and exciting opportunities that will arise from the wonderful work of you, our volunteers!