It is very important that you carefully read and understand our terms and conditions before applying to volunteer at Free to be Wild Sanctuary. These terms will form part of your agreement with Free to be Wild, and the words used below have the following meanings:

“You”, “Your”, “Individual”, “Volunteers” – All persons named on the application / booking
“Free to be Wild”, “FTBW”, “Us”, “We”, “Our” – refers to Free to be Wild.

When applying to participate on one of our projects you are required to confirm that you have read and accepted these terms and conditions. This is acknowledged when you check the box, “I have read and agree with the terms and conditions” on the book your stay page.

These terms and conditions may be modified at any time without prior notice being given.

1. Your contract with Us

1.1. Your contract with Us and any matters arising from it shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Zimbabwe law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Zimbabwe.

1.2. Whereby any terms and conditions listed here are inconsistent with those of a programme provider, the terms of the provider shall prevail.

2. Travel

2.1. Travel insurance is compulsory for all FTBW programmes and you agree to arrange adequate insurance to cover you for the duration of your trip. Travel insurance must be in place at the time of the balance being paid and proof may be requested to be shown to Us. Due to regulations (Financial Conduct Authority), We cannot make any recommendations or advise You on the best insurance. You are solely responsible for obtaining the right cover for your trip and we strongly recommend that you have all travel insurance documents easily to hand when travelling.

2.2. You are solely responsible for arranging and paying for all travel costs to and from the destination. We cannot be held responsible for any event that leads to your flights being delayed or cancelled by the airline carrier. We encourage all volunteers to arrange return or onwards travel before arriving at the destination country, as Individuals may be declined entry by immigration and border controls. All flight and travel documents should be carried at all times.

2.3. If transport from the destination airport is included, We must be informed of your flight arrangements at least 21 days before departure. If you arrive outside of the arrangement date you will have to cover any costs of transport to our partner organisation. All flight details must be confirmed, We do not accept standby flights. If transport to our partner organisation is not included, you are fully responsible for arranging and covering all costs associated with the travel.

2.4. It is your responsibility to ensure that all travel documents, including but not limited to passports, visas, permits are valid. Any fines, penalties, or expenditures and any refusal to travel incurred as a result of travel documents not meeting the requirements of the authorities will be your sole responsibility.

2.5. We recommend that all Individuals check information relating to the destination country on The Foreign and Commonwealth Travel Office (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) before travelling.

3. Applications

3.1. Applications can only be made through our website and once submitted does not guarantee acceptance. All applications are subject to availability and suitability.

3.2. Upon receiving your application we will assess the suitability for your chosen programme. Generally, you will be contacted within 2 working days to confirm or deny your placement, although some programmes may take longer due to the nature of the programme. At times, you may be required to complete additional forms or you may receive an email with a few questions to complete.

3.3. Do not book any flights, accommodation or other trips before receiving the ‘Monkey Business’ email. We cannot be held liable for any incurred costs if we are unable to accept your place on the programme.

4. Payments & Pricing

4.1. Once you are accepted for one of our volunteering programmes you will be required to pay the deposit fee of $200 to finalise your application and confirm your place. This is nonrefundable.

4.2. The remaining balance must be paid no less than 30 days prior to your programme start date. Failure to make the agreed payments may result in the cancellation of your placement and you will forfeit your deposit and any other monies paid to date.

4.3. Any applications being made within 30 days of the placement start date must be paid in full within 7 days of your placement being confirmed.

4.4. The total price comprises of the deposit fee + the programme fee.

4.5. All prices quoted on the website are $USD and as such all payments must be made in $USD. Payments can be made via international bank transfer, US$ cash on arrival or into our FTBW US based charity PayPal. 

4.6. We reserve the right to change Our prices for volunteer programmes, weekend trips and any optional extras at any time. Although We will try our best to absorb any increase in costs once You have confirmed your placement, weekend trip or optional extras, this may not always be possible. In the event We cannot absorb the increase in prices, We will notify You as soon as possible.

4.7. If for whatever reason you send more monies than required (overpay), there will be an admin fee of $50 to process a refund.

5. Participants

5.1. The individual making the application (the “lead name”) must be 16 years old or older and accept the terms & conditions on behalf of all those involved.

5.2. All Individuals must disclose any physical or mental health or medical information about them that may affect their ability to fully partake in the programme. Any medical conditions that are not disclosed to Us may result in your placement being terminated without refund.

5.3. If you are making any special requests such as room allocations, We must be notified at the time of the application being submitted. Whilst every effort will be made to ensure these requests are fulfilled, they cannot be guaranteed.

5.4. You acknowledge that We will do our best to cater for any dietary considerations / requirements stated within Your application, but that You will ultimately be responsible for ensuring any meals provided are suitable and / or safe.

5.5. Individuals should understand that Free to be Wild cannot guarantee a minimum number of volunteers to be present on each programme at any given time. These numbers can fluctuate at any time and is a matter outside of our control.

6. Required details from participants

6.1. All Volunteers must provide passport details, confirmation that suitable travel insurance is in place, any necessary visas have been obtained, a clean criminal background check (dated within 18 months of your start date) and arrival details.

6.2. All required details must be supplied no less than 21 days prior to your start date. If, for whatever reason the required details are not provided to us on time, we reserve the right to cancel your placement without a refund.

6.3. If, for whatever reason changes need to be made to these details or you have not yet completed all of the required details, you will need to email them to volunteer@freetobewildsanctuary.org. This will incur an administration fee of $50 that is payable in advance.

7. Changes and cancellations made by You

7.1. Any alterations to your placement will attract an administration fee of $50 per change per person. You will also be liable for any additional costs imposed by suppliers as a result of this change. Although We will do our best to accommodate all changes, We cannot guarantee that they will be made.

7.2. We cannot accept any request for changes if there are 60 days or less before your programme start date or once your trip has started.

7.3. All cancellations must be sent to us via email to volunteer@freetobewildsanctuary.org.

Please note that our cancellation policy is as follows when notifying us x amount of days before your programme start date;

– Notification of at least 60 days before your programme start date will result in the LOSS of your registration fee
– Notification of less than or equal to 60 days before your programme start date will result in the LOSS of 100% of the programme fee and registration fee

7.4. If you decide to change your trip dates with us to a later date, then you are still bound to the same changes and cancellations as your original trip dates with Us. Therefore, if you defer your trip to a later date and then decide to cancel such trip Your parameters for cancellation remain based on the notice period given to Us from when you originally amended your trip dates with us prior to your original program start date.

7.5. If for any reason You decide to leave the volunteer programme early, no refunds will be issued for any unused durations.

7.6. All weekend trips are strictly non-refundable and are not transferable in the event of cancellation.

8. Changes and cancellations made by Us

8.1. While we never wish to cancel a placement, We reserve the right to cancel Your booking at any time. We also reserve the right to make changes to Your booking, that may result but not limited to a difference in the itinerary or routes specified. If this unfortunate event occurs, You will be notified as soon as possible and If appropriate, compensation may be offered, unless a programme has been cancelled due to insufficient numbers or has come about because of unavoidable or unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.

8.2. All of our programmes and weekend trips are subject to cultural and weather conditions at the time. Aspects of the programme and trip may be changed or absent due to cultural commitments or poor weather conditions with little prior notification and We reserve the right to amend the planned itinerary without recourse.

8.3. An event that Free to be Wild could not with all due care, foresee or forestall amounts to “force majeure”. Examples of this include but are not limited to; war, the threat of war, riot, civil strife, pandemic outbreaks, industrial dispute, terrorist activity, natural disaster, acts of God or systems failure.

We recommend that all Volunteers follow the advice of their local governmental body, with the United Kingdom’s being the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). Specific and up-to-date information can be found on their website here – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. In the event the FCO “advise against all but essential travel” to Zimbabwe where you will spend the majority of your time with Free to be Wild, We will endeavour to notify you as soon as possible and to offer as many alternative options as possible.

This may include but is not limited to postponing your start date or deferring payment deadline. In such cases, any programme fee paid can be refunded when notification to cancel Your placement takes place 61 days or before your programme start date. Should circumstances change within 60 days of your programme start date, any programme fees paid will be protected as a credit and can be used towards a later trip with Free to be Wild. We are regrettably unable to provide cash refunds within the 60 day time window as we would have already made advanced payments to Our local teams.

9. Visas, vaccinations and guides

9.1. Any information or advice provided by Free to be Wild in relation to visa requirements, vaccinations and destination guides are done so in good faith but without responsibility of FTBW. All information published is deemed accurate at the time of publishing but may be liable to change without our knowledge.

9.2. By signing up to a Free to be Wild programme you acknowledge that our website and any other literature is there to provide a rough overview. There may be times where certain changes including alternative accommodation and / or differing programme working hours / settings may occur. Any changes are done so with our volunteers in mind and ultimately to improve Your overall experience.

9.3. Free to be Wild have no affiliations or links with external visa services, high commissions or embassies. As a result of this, if You should encounter any issues with Your visa or visa process You should contact the appropriate service or high commission for more information and assistance. We will always do Our best to offer subjective advice and guidance on visa processes and support You with any extension processes where applicable but ultimately cannot be held accountable or liable should Volunteers run into visa issues or have difficulties in visa approval and/or visa extensions. Volunteers are strongly advised to begin their visa application process as soon as practically possible to allow for any potential delays or problems.

9.4. We are unable to offer any advice on vaccinations as We are not medically trained and are not legally entitled to do so. We recommend speaking with your local GP or travel clinic to see what they suggest. We strongly recommend you contact them at least 4-6 weeks before departing to seek advice regarding vaccinations.

9.5. Any monies paid to Free to be Wild are not refundable should You have any issues attending the programme due to visa or vaccination issues that are outside of Our control.

10. Code of conduct

10.1. You must abide by the code of conduct as set out within the pre-departure information within the volunteer handbook provided. A general copy can be obtained here. If for whatever reason the code of conduct is breached and the local team believe your actions or behaviour is serious enough, then Free to be Wild may terminate your placement with immediate effect without any liability or refund on our part.

10.2. We ask that all Volunteers behave in a reasonable and professional manner and maintain a polite and respectful attitude at all times. All Individuals should dress appropriately in respect of local cultural expectations.

10.3. All Individuals should treat the accommodation and any project equipment with care and do their upmost to maintain high levels of hygiene and cleanliness.

11. Complaints process

11.1. If while on your placement you become dissatisfied with any aspect of the programme you must inform the in-house coordinator at your earliest opportunity who will attempt to resolve the matter to your satisfaction. If you are not happy with the response and feel the incident has affected your programme enjoyment, you should contact Us as soon as possible. If such a rare instance occurs you should let us know the nature of your complaint and what steps you have taken to overcome any of the issues. We ask that all communication be via email and at the time of the incident.

11.2. If you wish to make a complaint once you have completed the programme, you must acknowledge that this massively reduces our ability to try and find a resolution.

11.3. All complaints should be emailed to us before they can be registered and acted upon.

12. Personal risk and liability

12.1. Your programme booking is accepted on the understanding that You realise the potential risks and hazards that could be involved with this kind of travel. Trips include a certain degree of risk, inherently dangerous activities and personal perils to the Individual, all of which are fully accepted by and solely assumed by the Individual.

12.2. As it is your responsibility to asses the risks of any activities while overseas, We take no liability for any loss or harm you may suffer. This can include but not limited to; personal injury, emotional injury, death, illness, disease, damage to or loss of property. We strongly recommend that you insure yourself against any of the above.

13. Copyright

13.1. All materials produced by Us remain Free to be Wild property and cannot be used without prior written consent.

13.2. You acknowledge that any photos, reviews, comments or videos submitted to Us can be used for promotional material by Free to be Wild.

14. Data protection

14.1. You agree that We can collect information such as Your name, contact details, address, travel information and use it within the confines of the Data Protection Act 1998. Information collected by Us may be used for marketing purposes to which you can opt out at anytime.

14.2. You agree that any information submitted to Us can be passed onto our partner organisations for administration purposes.

14.3. We may disclose some of Your personal information to current and potential participants in Free to be Wild programmes so volunteers can get to know each other prior to starting.

14.4. Any information provided to Us in any feedback materials You are asked to complete can be used to share with potential and current volunteers.

14.5. You agree that any reviews, photos, videos, feedback or other information provided to Us or where Free to be Wild has been tagged on social media can be used for marketing or promotional purposes. These may include but are not limited to; websites, videos, emails , social media and brochures. If you would prefer this information not to be disclosed you can request this by emailing volunteer@freetobewildsanctuary.org.