Excellent support and super friendly! I volunteered for Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP) when I was involved with Secret Paradise (SP). They helped to organize and accompany the trip. Many thanks to Secret Paradise and the whole team for the great support on this trip! You are great!
Huvadhoo Atoll
From 1 Week - 6 Months
10% Off If Confirmed In Advance
Embark on a Trip That Makes a Difference
Choose a responsible and meaningful working holiday in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Experience an authentic travel experience in the Maldives, while working on various projects. The various volunteering programs offered cover education, community development, cultural exchange, healthcare, sports, all aim to develop community life while conserving the island itself and the marine life surrounding it. We work with each volunteer to design a program that is best suited to their skill level and interest while filling a need in the community.
Trip Details
Trip Details
Price
Adults (18+): USD 1000
Only suitable for adults aged 18 and over
Availability
Year-round
Duration
From 1 week – 6 months
Meeting point
Velana International Airport (MLE)
WHAT ARE THE MALDIVES ENTRY REQUIREMENTS?
- Travelers must have a confirmed accommodation/tour booking.
- Travelers must have a passport or travel document valid for a minimum 30 days from date of entry to the Maldives.
- Travelers must have a return flight ticket.
- The online traveler declaration form IMUGA must be completed within the 72 hour period prior to arrival in country.
- Travelers who have a history of contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 within the past 14 days and/or who have fever or respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, shortness of breath within the past 14 days should not travel to Maldives.
Requirements
- Contact us with your preferred program, length of stay, and interests/experience
- Tell us the preferred dates of your trip
- We will then email you an application form to fill out
Included
- Volunteer placement within Huvadhoo Aid or with one of our partner NGOs
- Domestic transportation from Velana International Airport (MLE) to the island
- Minimum of one picnic to a nearby uninhabited island
- Accommodation for the length of your stay
- 3 meals a day
- Optional Dhivehi (the national language) lessons
- Visa for the length of your stay
- Local support contact
- A phone sim-card
Accommodation
Homestay
What to bring
Full details will be provided in our welcome information pack
Discounte
A 10% discount will be offered on the volunteer fee if you confirm your placement three months in advance. A booking is confirmed once the required documents and the $250 administration fee are received.
Carbon Footprint
Highlights
Volunteer on projects to help strengthen the local community.
Give back to the people of this beautiful paradise.
Enjoy days out to visit nearby deserted islands.
Go diving at night to a local shipwreck.
Learn Dhivehi or take part in career development courses.
Spend time on a holiday with meaning.
Volunteering Information
Huvadhoo Aid is an NGO based in Huvadhoo Atoll. This not-for-profit setup ensures that the entirety of your fee is spent on the costs of your placement. This means that your entire fee goes back into aiding the community.
Our volunteering fees include all your food and accommodation, a local sim card for your phone, visa costs, 24-hour support, local transportation both to and within the atoll, weekly activities, and anything else you will require specific to your placement. Weekly activities may involve fishing trips, snorkeling around the coral reefs, or picnics to uninhabited islands. Locals will help provide transport within the atoll and as much of our food as possible is locally sourced. Our transparent policy ensures that our volunteers know exactly where their money goes. You will be able to see precisely what your money is being spent on and if you have any questions or issues at all, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Additional to the program fee is an administration fee – This US $200 fee helps to cover the administrative costs involved for the time and work between our application review and your arrival in the Maldives such as visa applications, office overheads, and local staff.
Our activities as an NGO greatly benefit the local community and, when you join our family, you too will be able to watch your time and money be invested in the happiness of the local people. We offer several incredible opportunities to try and make our volunteer stays as memorable as possible. These range from cost-inclusive excursions to career-enhancing workshops.
ACTIVITIES
WEEKLY “DESERT-ISLAND EXCURSIONS” AND TOURS AROUND THE ATOLL
A real desert island experience! We drop you and the other volunteers (and local guides) off on an uninhabited island in the morning and leave you there all day! We provide everything you will need, including food, drink, sunblock, chairs, umbrellas, and sports and snorkeling equipment to make this the perfect day out.
Most islands in the Maldives are unique and are host to different customs and sights to see. We offer trips which can visit several of these islands over the course of a few days. This really does give you a better view of what the Maldives is really like.
SHIP-WRECK DIVE, NIGHT-SNORKELING AND SURFING
As well as regular scuba diving which can be provided upon request, we also offer an excursion to a nearby shipwreck! A not-to-be-missed experience, this is something you will remember for the rest of your life. This activity has to be requested during the application process.
Feel like an olden-day explorer by taking a trip snorkeling during the night. It’s an amazing feeling swimming in a warm sea at night with just a torch and a few friends for company. The marine life at night is spectacular, expect to see turtles, reef sharks, and hundreds of different species of brightly colored fish. And if you’re lucky, maybe even a dolphin!
LEARN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE AND DEVELOP PROFESSIONALLY
‘Dhivehi’, the national language of the Maldives can be taught to volunteers here and provides an interesting past-time which will help improve your relations with locals.
We can help aid your career development by providing training sessions and workshops in a variety of different areas. From “project cycle management” to “human rights”, we can make a real addition to your CV on top of your volunteering placement.