Hi,

I'm a member of the GVN team in the New Zealand office, and I just came across this thread and wanted to set the record straight.

I can definitely understand where you're coming from - no matter how much information we supply you with, and how well we can answer all your questions, there's always the potential for some doubt until you actually arrive at the airport and are met by our partner project.

There are a couple of things that we can do to help with this. Firstly, we're happy to put you in contact with volunteers who have previously participated in the program - you'll be able to e-mail them and talk about their experiences and learn more about the program. You're also welcome to call our office (see http://www.volunteer.org.nz/about/ for phone numbers) and speak to us in person - we've visited most of the projects multiple times, and we're happy to answer any questions that you have.

Regards,
Graham Fyfe
GVN