We are thrilled to announce that we have won the 2009 Virgin Responsible Travel Award for the best volunteering organisation.
We are particularly homoured by the judges citation

"people and places has exercised leadership in a sector bedevilled by poor practice and established a replicable business model. Committed to reporting transparently on the money that volunteers pay, they ensure that the volunteers meet their full costs and are not a burden on the community; and carefully match the skills of volunteers to the needs of that community without replacing local labour. They have taken the ground breaking step of having their work externally audited and publishing it online. These four principles set not only a practicable standard for operators to aspire to, but offer valuable guidelines for tourists seeking legitimate and socially beneficial volunteering experiences."


These awards are probably the most important in recognizing the achievements of responsible travel operators. Four of our partners have been recognized with awards in the past, and we’re honoured to be in such company.

We’d like to say a huge ‘thankyou’ to the volunteers who nominated us.

This accolade is not simply for people and places. It is also recognition for our local partners, the volunteers and the projects – it’s this working partnership that enables us to do responsible and sustainable work.

 Thankyou again for your continued support. It’s less than 4 years since people and places matched the first volunteers’ skills to community need - and we  are already seeing real change - but there is still much to do!