Volunteer Overseas Since 1997

Global Partnerships

GVI supports international charities, non-profits and governmental organisations around the world. Through financial support, international recognition and volunteer support their critical goals can be realised.

Every organisation's requirements are different; some require minimal support, while others require a well-structured, implemented expedition with professional staffing and equipment. In today's world of corporate charities, small organisations cannot compete in the competitive arena of fundraising and public relations. A GVI Volunteer Support Program is the solution. Some of our international partners and beneficiaries include Rainforest Concern, The Endangered Wildlife Trust and the South African National Parks.

"GVI research projects are filling prioritised gaps in our knowledge base and are of great value to the bio-region as a whole." - Varky George, Chairman, Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve

The World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC) is the essential global youth travel industry event for organisations that serve today’s young people who travel to study, work and grow. It provides a singular opportunity for attendees to pursue innovative partnerships, develop creative marketing and distribution channels and access new markets.

WYSE Volunteer & Travel is a group of dedicated member organisations, sending & receiving volunteers all around the world, and working on behalf of all our members in the volunteer segment. The group's mission is to; increase awareness of volunteer programs; provide assistance in setting-up good volunteer programs; offer education on practices and helpful guidelines for safe & successful programs; and, provide members with opportunities to connect to new partners.

The Building Bridges Coalition (BBC) is a consortium of leading organizations working collaboratively to promote the field of international volunteering. We are a galvanizing force, a convening space, and the voice of our field. The BBC is a project of the Brookings Institution's Initiative on International Volunteering and Service and is comprised of international volunteer organizations, corporations, universities and colleges, government agencies, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

The IES promotes responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people by creating an international network of individuals, institutions and the tourism industry, educating tourists and tourism professionals, and influencing the tourism industry, public institutions and donors to integrate the principles of ecotourism into their operations and policies.

The Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) is a privately held, for-profit industry trade group that serves to network, educate, professionalize and promote the adventure travel industry.

GVI is a member of IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language). IATEFL link, develop and support English Language Teaching professionals throughout the world.

The British Educational Travel Association (BETA) is the umbrella body representing producers and suppliers of youth, student and educational travel related products. BETA has raised awareness of this important, yet previously under-represented sector and created an environment that encourages enhanced trading between organisations and better access to government departments, and other public sector bodies.

The International Volunteer Programs Association (IVPA) is an alliance of nonprofit, non-governmental organizations based in the Americas, that are involved in international volunteer and internship exchanges. IVPA encourages excellence and responsibility in the field of international volunteerism and promotes public awareness of and greater access to international volunteer programs.

The Travel Foundation is an independent UK charity that aims to help the outbound travel industry manage tourism more sustainably. It offers a unique resource to the tourism industry, helping to safeguard resources on which business depends and balancing the need for sustainability with profitability.

Divers Alert Network (DAN) is a non-profit medical & research organization dedicated to the safety and health of recreational scuba divers and is associated with Duke University Medical Center. Global Vision International are affiliate members of DAN and work in partnership to promote safe diving through research, education, products and services.

The World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (WANGO) is an international organization uniting NGOs worldwide in the cause of advancing peace and global wellbeing.

‘Know Before You Go’ (KBYG) is an ongoing campaign by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) with around 400 travel industry partners to help Brits to stay safe and healthy abroad.

The FCO has also recently Plan.Pack.Explore, the ultimate travel guide for those planning a trip abroad. The guide contains a wealth of information to help travellers understand exactly what they need to do before they go away, from getting the right visa to keeping their money safe

The benefits of the Plan.Pack.Explore. app include:

  • My Checklist - allowing users to develop personal check lists
  • My Notes - allowing users to write personal notes to act as reminders for a later date
  • Latest FCO travel news
  • Useful contacts section for Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions abroad
  • Holiday countdown function

Plan.Pack.Explore. is available for free in print, online and as an app for iPad, iPhone (iOS 5 and above) and Android devices. Access at the following links:

Make it your job to help the planet! With hundreds of advertisers and over 49,000 subscribers, environmentjob.co.uk is the UK's No.1 website for jobs, courses and events in the environmental sector.

Since 2010, we have been collaborating with the conservation organisation, Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. We established a base at the southern limit of Tortuguero National Park, close to the Jalova lagoon, and since then we have been involved in the on-going sea turtle research and monitoring program.

For the last two years, STC field staff have trained GVI personnel as Research Assistants; following this training, GVI staff are responsible for implementing the standard monitoring protocol at the southern end of Tortuguero beach (STC researchers work along the northern five miles of the beach, close to Tortuguero village). Until this collaborative effort began, STC was only able to conduct research and monitoring efforts along this northern stretch of the beach during the Leatherback program each year (from March – June). With this additional support from GVI, it has been possible to extend data collection activities through the Green Turtle Program also (from June – November), providing new information on sea turtles that nest at a different section of beach.

It may be that these individuals are facing a dissimilar range of threats to those nesting further north for example, nest survivor-ship may differ, or hatching and emerging success rates may be distinct. As yet, it is too early to tell what these new data may reveal, but it is an exciting opportunity for both GVI and STC, not only to be able to implement activities at another part of the beach, but also to work closely with another conservation-focused organisation at Tortuguero, to further promote the research and protection of threatened sea turtle populations in the region.

GVI is proud to be a supporter of Child-Safe, working in partnership to see a world free from the abuse of children and young people away from home.