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Mexico
Our experience mirrors other volunteers: Valeria kicked us out, insulted us, and discriminated against us based on age, appearance, and nationality. She cares for animals but treats people poorly. We lived in the "cat house"—a caravan filled with flies due to smelly liquid cat food in 38-degree heat. The listing is false: no meals provided, and she demands you be vegetarian. She invades privacy, and a car is mandatory since the village has no transport. She can evict you at any moment, even at night. Alcohol is prohibited (we didn't know). In the end, she threw our belongings and food onto the
3 months ago
The mobile home of more than 30 m² has always welcomed volunteers. The listing specifies the presence of two cats to feed, and the prohibition of alcohol and drugs is posted at the entrance. Juan spoke neither French nor English, making communication very difficult. He also arrived with a woman presented as his partner, who was not registered as a volunteer on the platform. No decision was made on the basis of age, appearance, or nationality.
Brazil
I had a wonderful experience, I loved my time at the sanctuary. The animals are adorable and so clearly loved (I've never met such affectionate cats before!) and the tasks aren't hard at all. I only have gratitude for Valérie. Definitely recommend!
about 1 year ago
Dear Élisa,
What a joy to hear from you! Sorry for the delay; the day-to-day life at the sanctuary is very intense. Thank you again for your precious help; your visit meant a lot.
I have great news: the little Raroo you had named is doing very well, he has been treated and is thriving at the sanctuary.
I hope you are well and that your studies are going as well as possible. Please don't hesitate to keep me posted; it would make me very happy.
Best regards,
Valérie
Portugal
Val is not a good person and she single handling dismantle my idea that everything that works with animals are good. I only was there a single full day . During that day the food she provided wasn't sufficient, it is all can goods or frozens which most of them are expired (ex. 2018 expired) The animals don't seem in good state. I worked 8 hours the first day where the agreement was 5 and she was still not satisfied. She call me a slur the next day and I decided to leave after I told her she started throwing all my stuff out and even at one point tryed to punch. I lost things I can not recover
over 2 years ago
Marc and I were happy to see you coming to help around
You did not booked on line because you did not know which day you will be able to come but
we were happy to see you going the next day
Sorry. I was not your good cooking and regardless mother for you
You should stop smoking
The animals are really fine …
Malaysia
I've finished a 3 weeks program here with Val. I enjoyed working here not just because it was really peaceful, the view was also amazing. I've learned about the diet and the lifestyle of the animals, as well as some basic gardening skills. I also got the chance to meet the locals at the festival during the weekends, it was unforgettable, everyone was really friendly. Some small advice for people who wish to come here and contribute: - bring a hat(summer), gloves - be proactive and independent. To Val, I wish we will meet again one day. Thank you so much for everything.
about 3 years ago
France
I had a great time in Normandy. Val is a really nice lady and i learned a lot of new things. My personal Highlight i overcame my bird-phobia here😂. I lived alone in a mobile home, with such a great view. That was my first experience as a voluntary, so I didn't really know what to expect. But all in all, i enjoyed it very much, i was very connected with nature and i learned a lot. The only negative thing i was the only voluntary, and sometimes I would've loved some company. Thanks Val for the time in your unique home! 🤌🏻
over 3 years ago
Ireland
I wouldn't recommend this experience to anyone. This is my second Worldpackers experience and I never thought I'd be treated so badly. I worked 12 hours a day sometimes, I also only got one day off in two weeks. Some of the animals aren't well, but the host didn't seem to care. The food wasn't acceptable. I had a serious accident, which required surgery and an overnight stay in the hospital. When it happened, the host kicked me out and we didn't leave until 2 hours after the accident (I was bleeding during this time). She brought me to the town but I had to walk to the hospital. Don't go here
over 3 years ago
Peru
Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the allotted time; the number of flies was excessive. Although the profile says 5 hours of work, after the first week the host will want you to do more.
And the shelter is far from any community; if you don't have a car, you can't go anywhere.
about 2 months ago
Germany
I had a wonderful time with Valerie! Everything was as agreed beforehand, the animals were incredibly friendly and I will miss them a lot. The gardening work was sometimes tiring, but Valerie always helped and checked in on how I was doing. The tasks were well organized and never too much. Overall I felt very comfortable and was very satisfied with my stay. I can definitely recommend Valerie!
2 months ago
Mexico
Fue mi primer voluntariado y ella fue una persona terrible, me sacó a la calle con mis cosas en medio de la nada porque el lugar está muy retirado de la ciudad, de desayunar fue solamente un pan con mermelada para después estar varias horas bajo el sol, no dejó cocinar mi comida completamente y sólo tenía poco tiempo para comer. Estuve 1 día pero fue horrible. Ella es muy picky, así que si no le agrada algo, ten por seguro que te echará a la calle con tus cosas en ese momento y tendrás que solucionar por ti mismo el cómo regresar a la ciudad...
about 3 years ago
Leslie was not comprehensive neither in English nor in French. We thought to host Leslie as named on the website for a month stay, and we've host her just for one night because she decided to leave the next day. We welcome her with food and accomodation on the first night. In her profile, she mentions that she is capable with gardening so we asked her to help another worldpacker with weeding in the morning and she thinks the weather 24°c was too hot for her to work outside Despite a 2h lunch break, and a plateful of food which she did not finished, she announced she won't stay. I agreed.
