Adventure Alternative

Gap Year Projects, Voluntary Work & Teaching Abroad

Gap Year Voluntary Work In a nutshell

Our gap year experiences are much more than just working in these two very special countries - we want you to live there too! In each location we have our own accommodation, transport and full-time back-up staff so you can be sure you'll make the most of your time away. Our gap year projects are long-running and we are committed to making them sustainable - in short, your work will be valued and needed by local people.

This is most definitely not just a jaunt to a foreign country to undertake a token project. Adventure Alternative work hand in hand with our charity Moving Mountains who manage many projects around the world and by taking part in a gap year proejct with Adventure Alternative you can be assured that your time will be well spent on lasting, monitored and valued projects with people who will benefit massively from your input. 

This Gap Year is not only for young people, traditionally between school and University. It is equally as applicable to older people, people on sabbaticals or anyone just looking for an opportunity to experience life in in a different culture.

You do not need to be a qualified or experienced teacher, you need only to have good motivation and a genuine interest and love for the experience of helping these children, and a desire to experience their style of life.

Be SMART - join a company and a charity which offers projects that are -

Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound

Every volunteering holiday or gap trip we offer is linked to a project or school or clinic that is initiated and supported by the Moving Mountains Trust, a large charity in the UK and NGO registered in Kenya.

Moving Mountains benefits directly from Adventure Alternative. The relationship between the two is a specific example of positive business philanthropy, of commerce supporting charity. MD Gavin Bate is the founder of both organisations and believes that running a business need not make you blind to social realities, and that the walls between business and the rest of life are more perception than reality.

“It is perfectly possible to combine good business sense with deep-seated concern for the inequities we have created on our planet. Business is the primary generator of wealth; once created, that wealth can be used for a higher purpose”

Moving Mountains seeks to help relieve the plight of people trapped by poverty, and Adventure Alternative provides the resources, the funding, the staff and the management to make it happen.

Adventure Alternative offers several options to the conscientious traveller, a genuine trip which puts you back in touch with the basics of giving help to people in need, while experiencing the way so many people live in the developing world. In all cases we have a very substantial history of involvement in the community and a considerable quota of staff.

20% of your operational costs are a direct donation to the school or organisation while 15% goes towards the general costs of running Moving Mountains in the UK and in Kenya. A further 20% goes towards the running of Africampers, which is our operational company in Kenya (staffed almost entirely be ex-street children who have been educated and trained and now employed by the charity).

Why Adventure Alternative is a respected 'gap' provider

• We do not spread ourselves thinly! We run a limited number of high quality projects in two countries we know very well.
• We do not outsource or act as agents for other companies/organisations. We have our own accomodation, staff and transport in-country ... you won't be left hanging once you arrive!
• Our gap year projects are sustainable. We have been working with local communities for many years and support local business as much as possible.
• Oh - and we are flexible, so let us know if you want to stay on these projects for a longer/shorter period of time and we can discuss special rates.

The adventure doesn't stop there ...

Once you have finished your placement we can also help you organise independent travel within your host country and beyond.

In Kenya we have a full complement of staff, vehicles and equipment. Safaris in any of Kenya's world-renowned parks are very popular - and easily accomodated. If you would prefer to relax by the Indian Ocean then a week or so in a beach-side campsite or comfortable cottage may be what you're after! Just let us know ...

In Nepal our Himalayan trip can finish with white water rafting, elephant back safaris or a journey through Nepal. You could also start your own overland adventure through India by train, boat and bus. We have our own tour operation and mountaineering agency in Kathmandu so any itinerary can be catered for.