Policies

Safety
Safety has always been a top priority in our choice of program countries and volunteer locations. We maintain a toll-free 800-number in the US, for friends and family to contact us for any urgent matters. Our local in-country staff and home office monitor news reports on a daily basis to stay informed of any safety concerns. We also monitor daily the travel advice and safety warnings issued by the U.S. State Department and the U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Age
Participants must be at least 16 years of age on their program start date. For participants under 18 on their program start date, we require a phone interview with both the participant and his/her parent or legal guardian before we can accept the participant into a program. We also require the parent/legal guardian to sign our standard release form. Children who are at least 10 years of age may accompany their parent/legal guardian on a trip.

Deposit
We will start to process your application only when we receive the deposit, which is due within seven (7) calendar days of the date you submit the online application. After seven days, we will notify you by email that your application has been canceled. The deposit is non-refundable, unless we are unable to find a placement for you. The deposit counts toward the total balance of your program fees.

Program Fees
The full balance of the program fees must be paid at least 30 days before the program start date. If the full balance is not paid within 30 days of the program start date, your trip may be canceled.

Ground Transportation
Ground transportation to and from the airport to the program site is included in the program fee. Travel is normally on public transport (buses, minivans). However, if volunteers want to use private transport (eg taxi) for long-distance, city-to-city travel, volunteers are responsible for those costs. Volunteers are also responsible for costs of daily transport from the accommodation to the program site, as well as extra sightseeing travel costs.

Group Discount
There are discounts available for groups. For groups of 3 or more there is a discount of 5% off the program fees. The group must have the same start date and volunteer in the same location.

Alumni Discount
There is a 5% discount available for our alumni.

Cancellations
In the event that you decide to cancel your program, we must receive a letter or email from you informing us of the cancellation. When you cancel your program, Cosmic Volunteers retains your entire deposit of $250 as a cancellation fee. The amount of the program fees refunded depends on the date you cancel in relation to your program start date:

Insurance
Cosmic Volunteers neither provides nor requires participants to have insurance for their trip, such as medical or trip insurance. However, we strongly urge participants to purchase an insurance policy for their trip. We can provide participants with information of reputable travel insurance companies.

Gift for Host Families
You are not expected to bring a gift from home for your new host family. Just sharing your culture, experiences and yourself is the best gift you can give your host family. However, if you really want to bring a gift from home, you might want to consider a photography book about your hometown or country, or perhaps chocolates or sweets (especially for the children). One option we highly recommend is to get to know the family first, their interests, needs, and then buy something for them locally. This way, you will get them something they truly want and need; you will be supporting a local business; and you’ll have less luggage to pack. For example, one volunteer bought his family in Nepal an electric stovetop cooker for $40, so that mom didn’t have to cook any longer with firewood in a smoky hut.

Gifts for Organizations
You are not expected to, nor will you be asked, to make any donations of any kind for any purpose (like money, medical supplies, clothes, books, etc). All of the parties we deal with in our program countries are informed of this policy, including Program Coordinators, host families, and the organization where you do your volunteer work.

Such giving, although well-intentioned, creates a “Santa Claus” mentality that we want to avoid. It fosters dependency on foreigners, which is not the best approach in finding solutions to local issues. Instead, we want our volunteers to contribute their time, skills, and caring to the projects and organizations we work with.

Materials brought from your home country, such as flash cards and books, might be biased or entirely irrelevant to the local culture. For materials that might be beneficial, such as arts and crafts supplies, local organizations probably do not have the money to buy more supplies when yours run out; or the materials might not even be available locally.

Another consideration is that the giving of money/gifts/materials creates expectations in locals that future volunteers will also do the same. This is really unfair to those volunteers who arrive in the host country “empty-handed.”

Academic Credit
Our participants often receive academic credit for their programs with Cosmic Volunteers. Normally, students find out the eligibility requirements for academic credit from their school, then the school provides Cosmic Volunteers with paperwork to complete and/or contacts us by phone.

Conflict Resolution Abroad
Volunteers may encounter challenges and difficulties during their placement. If you require support, you must follow Cosmic's support procedure:

1. Attempt to resolve the issue yourself.
2. Contact your In-Country Coordinator to explain the issue and the steps you have taken to resolve it. Then together try to arrive at a solution.
3. Contact Cosmic's US office, outlining the facts in writing. We will respond within 48 hours.
4. If you have a true emergency, such as medical problem or are in any danger, please call our 800 number (given to volunteers upon signup) which is answered 24/7 in the US.

Drugs and Alcohol Abroad
Alcohol may be consumed, within reasonable limits, by participants who are of legal age in the host country. Participants who choose to consume alcohol do so with the knowledge that they remain responsible for their actions at all times and are expected to drink responsibly. Alcohol is prohibited at your host family, volunteer location, and local Cosmic Volunteers' office. Cosmic Volunteers prohibits the illegal distribution of alcohol to participants who are not of legal drinking age. Further, excessive and irresponsible drinking leading to intoxication and behavior that interferes with the program or the rights of others is subject to immediate disciplinary action, and may result in dismissal from the program. Participants are prohibited from selling, using, or possessing any drugs that are considered by host country law to be illicit or illegal. Participants are cautioned that the possession of drugs is often dealt with harshly by host country law enforcement. Any drug infraction will be considered a grave violation of policy and will result in immediate dismissal from the program.

Use of Photos & Comments
Participants agree that we may use any photos that we or someone on our behalf take of them or any comments (written or verbal) they make during or in connection with their program for our promotional purposes, without obtaining the participant's specific permission or making any remuneration to them. We may include their name, age, city, and the dates and nature of their program with us.