Staff Spotlight: Matt Craig

With .c 50 countries and 15+ years of travel and living abroad under my belt, I honestly could not choose a single fav. But definitely in my top 5 would be, aged 18, taking an impromptu few weeks out of an otherwise diligently planned overland solo trip from Zimbabwe to Kenya and hiring an off-road motorbike to spend several weeks with no map, plan, phone, or itinerary exploring the beautiful island of Zanzibar, off Tanzania. I was 18 years old, had just completed a 12-month gap year with friends in South East Asia and Australasia, and - unwilling to return home and full of the confidence of youth - I headed off to Africa alone and for the first time (blowing the 'year' component of my gap year, and doing so without informing my parents - WHICH YOU SHOULD NEVER DO! Mum, if you're reading this, I'm SO sorry; I was young and irresponsible, and you deserved much better!). Nevertheless, I did absolutely fall in love with Africa during that trip (I now live in West Africa). I felt such a profound sense of peace, freedom, and security, and - despite on occasion not seeing another human being for up to 48 hours - I had never previously imagined you could feel such a sense of belonging to a place that you had never once before seen or even visited. I was home.

I would not describe this change as having occurred only during my time at GVI but rather as a longer-term journey of change that has culminated during my time at GVI. I am responsible for the safety, welfare, and development of our community partners and stakeholders and, of course, the hundreds of volunteers, interns, and staff members who join our team in Ghana each year. I have also been a volunteer in Ghana, and so I know what it is to be truly blown away by this incredible new country with its amazing people who constantly steal your heart, and so it is impossible to put into words the fundamental emotional recalibration you have to undertake to transition effectively from 'the person who is experiencing this' to 'the person who is responsible for the person who is experiencing this'. GVI's sector-leading health, safety, and ethical policies are incredibly complex and robust, and holding the responsibility for their management and implementation is a complete honor, as well as a colossal responsibility. Every moment of every day, I - and my team - are entirely focused on ensuring that you receive the very highest standard of experience, reward, and care from GVI. It would be impossible for anybody doing this work not to grow under such circumstances.

In 2020 we had an incredible young couple from the U.K. join us as volunteers in Ghana for 6 weeks, after which they were due to fly to Seychelles for a further 8-week excursion that they had already booked and paid for, to a value in excess of £10,000. They were not wealthy and had saved and saved for this amazing journey. After 6 weeks in Ghana with GVI, they were smitten and wished they had never booked their next leg to Seychelles. After an extremely tearful goodbye, they departed for the airport and to their onward journey to Seychelles. But as it turned out, their flight had been canceled. Seeing this as a clear sign of fate, they turned right around and headed straight back to GVI, blowing off their extremely expensive Seychelles trip and opting instead to remain with GVI in Ghana. A year later, they were still with us! They only left that day for a few hours, and they didn't actually even make it out of Ghana, but that is a return story that is difficult to top!

I plead the 5th here so as not to offend any of my GVI colleagues and their incredible operations and teams around the world or to incriminate myself by demonstrating favor for one GVI team over another. I shall not be duped here, and I shall commit nothing to write that may be used against me in the court of GVI WhatsApp group gossip.

GVI is truly unique in many different ways to many different people for many very valuable and different reasons. I'd recommend you take a moment to look through the reviews and feedback on this site, on GoAbroad, on TrustPilot, and on GVI's Instagram and Facebook account pages... don't listen to me, listen to all those volunteers and travellers and communities who have fallen in love with GVI and the work it does, for a reason that is unique to them and that will become unique to you.

I have never not been especially proud of my team.

Empathy.

With it, you can identify, understand and truly value your customers' requirements, your staffs' ambitions, and your partners' or suppliers' needs: three components that are essential for you to navigate a well-balanced business model. Without empathy, you consider others only as instruments for your own success... a business model that rarely goes unpunished (especially in GVI's line of work!).