Responsible volunteering - people and places

02/03/2026

heres our latest newsletter

We know that the new team will continue the work Sallie, Harold, Kate and Dianne started - they will continue to champion responsible volunteering and we could not be more confident that our legacy will not only continue but will also thrive in the years to come.

11/02/2026

Weve just sent the following to all our volunteers and supporters - HOW EXCITING
Next year we will celebrate 20 years since we placed our first volunteer. - working with them to use their skills to help communities around the world build the future they want for themselves. A heartfelt thankyou to every volunteer who has helped us achieve that goal.
When Harold, Kate and Sallie started people and places they chose to make people and places a social enterprise – run for the benefit of the projects we work with not shareholders. Our aim was to share skills and build capacity in the communities where we work, so it was logical and important that eventually people and places should be run by our partners already working with us rather than sold to a private company. This was our dream.
As most of you know Kate retired 7 years ago and Dianne assumed her role as Placement Director. It was Kate who first likened our work to a relay race – explaining to each volunteer that they are part of a relay team passing the baton forward to get it safely past the finishing line.
We are all now in our 70s and it would be irresponsible – the very thing we strive not to be! – to fail to plan for the future.
We have been working with our partners for the last 2 years to plan for that future.
We are thrilled to announce that The ITTOG team in the Gambia led by Dr. Adama Bah and Sheik Tejan Nyang have agreed to take the baton and continue the work of people and places around the world.
This could not be more appropriate – Adama’s wise counsel helped us build our award-winning responsible volunteering model all those years ago. Adama is a leader in the world of responsible and pro poor tourism –
Dianne and Sallie have been working with the new team members for the last 18 months. Mariama Bah is Adama’s daughter living in the UK - she is working with Sallie and will now take on the role of Programme Director. Musufing is a Yorkshire woman of Jamaican heritage now living in The Gambia! - she is working with Dianne and will now take on the role of Volunteer Co-ordinator.
Dianne and Sallie will continue to serve as active directors for the next few years guiding and mentoring the new team – having made people and places the main focus of their lives for the last 17-20 years respectively they cannot and will not just walk away! Professor Harold Goodwin will hand over as chair of the advisory board to Adama and will instead become Patron.
‘I am delighted that what began in The Gambia will thrive under the wise guidance of Adama Bah and that I shall continue to be involved as patron. Working to ensure that people and places continues to be a leader in responsible volunteering. ‘Harold Goodwin.
‘The Gambia is where the idea of creating people and places was born and it is here that it will continue to grow - rooted in fertile soil and nourished with the right care to germinate into a strong and beautiful baobab tree. Thankyou for the trust and confidence you have placed in the Gambian team to take over people and places, as a company that faithfully upholds the principles and values it stands for.’ Adama Bah
‘A big Big thank you to the pioneers of people and places for starting the relay in a winning position and passing the baton to us. I would also like to sincerely thank Sallie and Dianne especially for not only trusting me but for all the time and effort they put into training me and the team to carry on their great work. I am determined to carry forward our shared values and ensure that they reflect very clearly in everything we do. I feel lucky to have such great people to consult and feel very excited about the future! ‘ Mariama Bah
We want to assure you that this change will not change the way we work - serving volunteers and communities alike.
We know that the new team will continue the work Sallie, Harold, Kate and Dianne started - they will continue to champion responsible volunteering and we could not be more confident that our legacy will not only continue but will also thrive in the years to come.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sallie at [email protected]
Kind Regards
Sallie Harold Dianne and Kate

02/02/2026

10/08/2025

We are so very proud to partner with this initiative - a huge thankyou to all our volunteers who support our work with Education For All

📚 700 girls supported. Over 200 in university. One simple idea: give her a place to stay.

In some of the most remote valleys and mountain villages of Morocco, school isn’t just far - it’s out of reach.
Even the most determined girl can’t walk 20 kilometres each way, every day, just to sit in a classroom. So she doesn't attend secondary school.

Not because she isn’t capable. Not because she doesn’t care.
But because the system was never built with her in mind.

EFAM’s first project opened in 2007, giving access to safe boarding houses for up to 36 girls - so they could live close to school, access secondary education, and be part of a community that believes in them. It was challenging to convince parents to send their daughters to us, but after only a few years we needed to expand to meet the demand for places!

We're proud of our progress over the years:

➡️ Nearly 700 girls supported with access to education
➡️ Over 200 enrolled in university
➡️ Hundreds of young women now empowered leaders in their communities, creating generational change

Every one of those stories happened because someone like you decided to help.

Donate now to support our mission.
https://lght.ly/j65c3hm

13/04/2025

Happy new year to our friends in ConCERT.. Cambodia and Treak Community Centre

13/04/2025

💡 Educated women reinvest 90% of their income into their families and communities - compared to just 30–40% for men.

That reinvestment fuels better nutrition, healthcare, and education for the next generation. It also strengthens local economies and reduces poverty over time.

📈 In fact, closing gender gaps in education could boost GDP in low-income countries by up to 10%.

When girls learn, entire communities rise.

20/02/2025

https://blog.travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk/blast-from-the-past-international-volunteer-teachers-wanted-open-to-all/

Blast from the Past – International Volunteer Teachers Wanted – Open to All??? Blast from the Past – International Volunteer Teachers Wanted – Open to All??? 10 January, 2025 Dianne Ashman This is an article I wrote for our blog and newsletter in 2019 but I believe it is just as relevant tod...

04/02/2025

Dianne Ashman and I have just returned from after a very busy but worthwhile trip to work with our partners Adama Bah Sheik Tejan and Fatima Hydera -wonderful lunch with yabouy home cooking thanks so much Ida

01/02/2025

01/02/2025

12/01/2025

https://blog.travel-peopleandplaces.co.uk/morocco-the-best-of-my-volunteer-placements/

‘Morocco – the best of my volunteer placements!’ ‘Morocco – the best of my volunteer placements!’ 10 January, 2025 Dianne Ashman In October Penny set off on her third volunteer placement with people and places – this time to Morocco.  She was the first in-country volunteer they had be...