Audit and co-development of projects
Freepackers' first role is to carry out sustainable development audits of NGOs, foundations and animal shelters, to check that every project meets the ethical and impact criteria we consider essential.
Our work
From the first audit to your return
Joining a programme is a commitment. Here is exactly what we do, at each stage, so that yours has a real impact and runs safely.
- 1
Audit the project on site
We assess every NGO, foundation or shelter on its ethical standards and its real impact, in conversation with the local teams.
- 2
Choose the right profiles
Skills, experience, values and wishes: we match each volunteer to the programme where their presence genuinely helps.
- 3
Support you from end to end
Paperwork, visa, documents, follow-up before, during and after. You can reach us at any time.
- 4
Review, then start again
On your return, we go over the impact achieved and your experience. That is what feeds the programmes that follow.
What a sustainable development audit checks
Our first role: to know in depth what each programme needs and where it struggles, so we can support it over time.
Understand what the project needs
By talking with the local teams and watching how they work, we assess what it takes for the project to last.
Check the ethics and the impact
We look closely at the work being done, so that it genuinely benefits the communities or the environment.
Choose the right teams
Qualified professionals on site, and an interview with every volunteer to point them to the right project.
Recruiting the profiles that fit the programmes
Volunteers never replace local teams: their role is to take the weight off them and enrich the project by working alongside them. That is a rule, not a nuance.
The audits let us match each person's skills, experience, values and hopes to the programme where they will fit best. We talk by email, by phone, or we meet in person. The criteria are set out on our Volunteer selection page.
Before, during, after
What our support actually means
Paperwork
The registration documents, prepared with you and then passed to the NGO on site.
Visa formalities
Guidance on putting your application together, according to the country and the length of the programme.
Regular follow-up
Before departure, during the programme and on your return: we get in touch, you do not have to ask.
Reachable at any time
By email, WhatsApp or phone, with someone who knows your file.
Teams on site
Our local coordinators are there to guide and advise you whenever you need them.
A review on your return
By email, message or conversation: the impact achieved and your own feedback, which improve the programmes that follow.
Expertise you can measure
- 15 yearsOf experience around the worldEnough to meet NGOs' needs effectively and over the long term.
- 5 to 8Countries audited each yearField visits repeated year after year, to keep that trust.
- 2018Our oldest partnership still runningProjects renewed each year are the best sign of that relationship.
Projects aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals
For every programme, we make sure the work done in the field meets the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
SDG 4, quality education: our education projects support teachers and enrich the activities offered to children in areas of high need.
SDG 15, life on land: our wildlife conservation and reforestation work contributes to preserving ecosystems and protecting biodiversity.
Our work is set out in detail on the United Nations Goals page, and across all our programmes.
Expertise built in the field
On an education project in Africa, just three teachers were looking after more than eighty children. We identified and brought in volunteers to contribute new ideas for activities and support the teachers day to day. That is what building a project together means.
Those years of experience are what make sure you are pointed to a programme that suits you, where your presence will genuinely benefit local communities. Our support rests on a rigorous selection of projects, which we trust completely. To keep it that way, we run audits in five to eight countries every year.
What our partner NGOs say
Many local organisations tell us what our work brings them in the field. Projects renewed year after year reflect that relationship of trust.
Freepackers Care has been a valued partner of the SAVE Foundation since it was set up in 2019. Over the years, the team has made a significant contribution to the success of our projects, both through financial support and by sending committed volunteers. Their contributions have played a vital part in our education programmes and in our wildlife conservation work. Freepackers Care representatives visit our sites regularly and take part in managing our projects.
We have worked closely together since 2018. In 2019 we coordinated a project for sixteen French volunteers from families who had recently been through immigration. With Freepackers' support, they received a grant to travel to Argentina and meet a community of young people in a similar situation. That intercultural encounter proved transformative: the volunteers came home deeply moved.
I am extremely proud of this collaboration: they understood the needs of the projects we support and sent us volunteers who were particularly well prepared. Last year, Justine and Nicolas from Freepackers Care spent two weeks getting to know the reality of each project, in order to coordinate joint work to strengthen them.
Their contributions, financial and practical alike, have allowed us to widen our reach in Asia and Africa. Their funding helped us keep education programmes running in Bali; in Tanzania, their support was essential in providing medical services to villages that are very hard to reach. Their hands-on approach and their willingness to work with local NGOs make them an indispensable partner.
Our thanks to them.
Several roles, one purpose
We are there at every stage of your trip, making sure your programme has a real impact. Sustainable development audits are the largest part of that work: they are what lets us choose the right profiles, deepen our expertise and make sure everyone involved is satisfied.
The trust of local NGOs is what allows us to renew projects every year, and to keep pursuing our goal: opening up humanitarian commitment to everyone.
