Location
Multiple Locations +4
  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Malawi
  • Zambia
  • Mozambique
Length
40 weeks
Financial Support
Need-based funding, Payment plans

Program Details

Language
English
Age Min.
18
Timeframe
Year Round
Housing
Hostel
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)
Travel Type
Budget Family Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
4500
Price Details
The fee covers the 10-months program, including food and accommodation, training before, during, and after the phases of the project. It also covers the airfare to the 6 months project period as well as health insurance while you are there. While you are in the project period you receive a stipend that covers food and pocketmoney.

Not included: The flight to St. Vincent, personal insurance and pocket money during the 4 months in St. Vincent.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Domestic Airfare Equipment Meals Transportation Wifi
What's Not Included
Airport Transfers
Feb 12, 2024
Oct 02, 2023
23 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Study & Action Program:
With this 10-month program, we join hands with activists all over the world to fight for sustainable development and the eradication of poverty in some of the poorest regions of the world. We believe that this kind of activism is needed more than ever, and we invite you to join the Richmond Vale Academy team of likeminded people for an action-based and fast-paced program, learning and creating positive change through humanitarian work.

Program Structure
Part One - 3 months: Training in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Part Two - 6 months: Project period in Malawi, Zambia or Mozambique
Part Three - 1 month: Conclusion and information period in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Certifications:
1. Field Work Certification from Humana People to People
2. Certification of Completion from Richmond Vale Academy

Program starts in April and October.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

BIPOC Support

Non-Discrimination Policy

The policies of Richmond Vale Academy, prohibits any form of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state law with respect to employment, volunteer participation and the provisions of services.

LGBTQIA+ Support

Non-Discrimination Policy

The policies of Richmond Vale Academy, prohibits any form of unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, mental or physical disability, political belief or affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state law with respect to employment, volunteer participation and the provisions of services.

Impact

Sustainability

RVA integrates several levels of sustainability in its program: For its students, the curriculum is up to date and focused on the acquisition of technical and organizational skills which are directly applicable to future projects and careers. For its community partners, the technical resources and models are designed to be economical, feasible and scalable by the community itself after the RVA teams are no longer present. For the Environment, all technology and project models are designed to have minimal negative impact, be replicable and scalable with local resources, and fully sustainable by local players.

Ethical Impact

RVA Ethical Program Statement:

RVA works from an ethical foundation of social inclusion, participatory decision making and whole team accountability in its climate change efforts at the community level. Community members are engaged as equal team members in problem definition, project design and identification of resources and deployment of tasks.

Program Highlights

  • Live and thrive in a community with people from all over the world
  • Study about Poverty and learn to analyze the reasons for why people are poor
  • Practice and develop leadership skills
  • Improve your social and practical skills
  • Learn about international development work and strategies

Program Impact

Poverty is an menace in our society. You will through this program learn the reasons for poverty and you will also do something about it by working bottom up projects with people in Malawi, Zambia or Mozambique. You will spend the first 3 months in St. Vincent which is one of the poorest countries in the Caribbean and you will work and implement projects with people in Malawi, Zambia or Mozambique. You will realize that poverty is not a static thing but that we can do something about it. Bringing energy and good mood and project implementation into communities will help break the evil circle of poverty.

Program Reviews

4.82 Rating
based on 22 reviews
  • 5 rating 81.82%
  • 4 rating 18.18%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.6
  • Support 4.5
  • Fun 4.75
  • Value 4.7
  • Safety 4.45
Showing 17 - 22 of 22 reviews
Default avatar
Austin
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

From SVG to South Africa - my stint at the Richmond Vale Academy!

The journey began in March 2009, when I enrolled myself in the Richmond Vale Academy's development instructor program. I joined a team with 18 other persons from all across the world including Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, the United States and Japan. The first 6 months was spent doing community work including recycling bids, hiv/aids awareness campaigns and teaching in schools within the region. We were also involved in Gardening, fundraising, cultural nights and morning courses. The courses covered the history of St.Vincent & the Grenadines, current affairs, and health education. A lot of the work which was covered was done through the "learning by doing" method which meant that everyone benefited from each other's knowledge, which proved quite beneficial when I started in my project in South Africa in November the same year.
Journey to south Africa
Total Control of the Epidemic in South Africa was an HIV/ AIDS awareness program that was aimed at stemming the rampant spread of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic through empowerment of local people. As a development instructor the community outreach and cultural events conducted during the prior 6 months at the Richmond Vale Academy proved quite useful when having to adapt to the Africans who were of a totally different background, and had different beliefs, concepts and understandings. I partnered with local government ministries to assist in getting the locals certified to perform pre and post HIV 'test counselling, as well as conducted classes on health, as well as exchanged lessons about culture during lessons. I assisted in setting up gardens that were used to feed persons who were already infected, as well as organized events for persons who were of vulnerable groups to receive information.
I returned to the Richmond Vale Academy for 2 months which was used to share my experiences. This was done through classes with other students who were enrolled to take part in similar programs, radio, television and newspaper interviews. After having time to reflect, the program proved to be quite educational and was a great eye opener and aided a lot in my personal development.

What would you improve about this program?
The classes, courses and events can be better structured and/or strategic so the persons going into the projects may have better insight as to what their expected roles would be.
52 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Anna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Do you dare to challenge yourself?

Richmond Vale Academy is a very special place, running different programmes at the same time. As the participant you will be fully immersed in the running of the international community of activists which aims to be self-sustainable. You will also spend 6 months in Latin America, living the lives of the local people and trying to improve them - or rather, to help the people improve their own lives. This is what first drew me to this programme and to me still remains one of its bigger values: you don't go to some exotic place with an idea how to change it and just do it; instead you must always get the community's support with the projects you are running. That way you are sure that the projects are important, otherwise nobody would voluntarily spend their free time helping you!

18 months is a long time to spend away from home, and work hard. You can learn a lot about yourself and the world, and make wonderful new friends from all over the world - provided you keep an open mind. This programme will give so much to anyone willing to take charge of their own learning experience. This is a place where you learn by doing, and the more you're willing to do, the more you will learn in the end. You can have an amazing time - but don't think it's a tropical vacation. You will be "on" the whole time and there's always something to do. It's a hard and challenging programme, but it's also an experience of a lifetime. I don't think there is anyone who's finished this programme and hasn't had their lives change directions completely.

47 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Alex
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great Experience!

Going to RVA was a smart choise. Nice human & enviromental experience.
I learned to be more conscious and being involved with our planet and also realise of the potential damage we can cause with a simple action.
Sharing with people from all over the world was amazing and I learned from them too.
St. Vincent is a beautiful place and it is nice to know they still doing well for the local communities.
I would chose the same certainly!

50 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Johnny
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Richmond Vale Academy Experience

Richmond Vale Academy is an amazing place, beautiful caribbean views, amazing jungle around. this academy is working 100% with solar energy, they have an organic vegetables garden and a fruit forest, chickens too, so the eggs always are fresh, to relax and enjoy the time is amazing, for the development programs are really good, but very strong, is an activist academy, not a ¨normal school¨ so if you want to relax go in a tourist way but if you want to impact and help people you will have a lot of work because you have to develop yourself before to develop the world.

so go enjoy your time, i recommend it but be focus first in what you want to do...

What would you improve about this program?
i think they are going in the correct way.
48 people found this review helpful.
Thomas
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Another Kind of School

Richmond Vale Academy is defiantly another kind of school. Here you have a lot of different opportunities to learn, not just about the subjects we study but also about yourself and the world around you. For me it has been one of the most vigorous learning experiences I have had. The program Fighting with the poor offers a great way to discover you own capability to do somethings that makes a difference for others, especially those who needs it the most. Besides this the life at the school have many things to offer, you will live and work together with people from all over the world sharing experiences, ideas and make them come true. To those who interested in this program I also have to say that sometimes it is not easy, it can be very challenging, there might be things that are not always perfect but personally i think this just makes the experience so much more awesome.

48 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jocelyn
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Jocelyn Flores

The program FWP is for people want to do something for the people, if it's your interest come and do it, but if not, don't take, you will be in other place really quick.
For you, if still you are reading this, I will say, the experience you will have is unique in your life, combine the experience to live with different persons in the world and help, grow in the timing you work with the communities and living different challenges

52 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers