Terms and Conditions of Make A Difference (MAD)

Please read the Terms and Conditions carefully. By applying to our programs you’re agreeing to MAD’s legal terms and conditions below.

1. Travel MAD’s participants are solely responsible for arranging and paying for their own travel, specifically including all airfares or other transport costs to and from the host country as well as any local transport costs. It is the responsibility of participants of our programs to carry all necessary documents when traveling abroad. While MAD may advise on required travel documentation, MAD is not responsible for any supporting documents necessary for travel needs or other purposes.

2. Mandatory Insurance To ensure that your time with MAD is enjoyable and free from worries, we have made travel insurance compulsory for all programs and events. MAD has partnered with Danish-British ihi Bupa Insurance Limited which you may purchase. It covers medical and non-medical events as well as trip cancellation and evacuation.

3. Refund Policy Compared to other organizations that provide comparable comprehensive charity events, volunteer and intern service opportunities, MAD’s registration and program fees are significantly less than the fees charged by other organizations and participants are encouraged to compare MAD’s fees to the fees charged by other similar organizations. As a consequence, MAD operates on a much smaller profit margin and therefore does not provide refunds.The mandatory travel insurance may provide refunds.

4. Program Fees Program fees are due prior to the beginning of a program or event. Failure to make this payment can result in a loss of placement with no refund of registration fee. All program fee payments attract a transaction fee charge to cover PayPal and Just Give fees (where applicable), bank fees and currency conversion charges, which we ask that you add to your payment if you pay online.

Registration fees and program fees are not transferable to other persons.

5. Fundraising MAD can issue tax deductible receipts for money raised for the children. Participants can also fundraise for their personal fees involved in MAD’s events. However, MAD will not issue tax deductible receipts. Money raised for personal expenses cannot go through MAD.

6. Change of Dates and Duration Once registered and BEFORE they begin their trip with MAD, participants are NOT entitled to change their start date and duration.

7. Personal Risks Participants acknowledge and accept the responsibilities and risks associated with their agreement to travel to, temporarily live in, and provide volunteer services in a developing country. Such travel and volunteer work can be often hazardous and involves a certain degree of risk, inherently dangerous activities and personal perils to the participants, both foreseen and unforeseen, all of which are fully accepted by and solely assumed by the participants. Therefore MAD, including any and all of its employees, managers, directors, board members, advisors, shareholders, host families and host country partner organizations are not liable, to the maximum extent of the law, for any loss or harm participant or associates may suffer, including but not limited to loss caused directly or indirectly by:

Personal injury; Emotional injury; Death; Illness or disease; Damage to or loss of property; Hostage situations; or War or terrorism.

8. Indemnity The participant agrees to indemnify MAD against any and all liability which MAD incurs arising directly or indirectly out of, or in connection (in any way) with, the participant’s travel to, living in and providing services in the participant’s nominated country.

9. Drug and Alcohol Use Alcohol and working, volunteering and traveling with Make a Difference do not mix. There are three reasons: First, Make A Difference is a children’s organization; second, the Tanzanian society struggles with problems from alcohol abuse, how to deal with it, and where to set the limits; third, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and being with wildlife on a safari are incompatible with alcohol consumption. So to set an example and for everyone’s well-being and safety, Make A Difference has a policy of limited alcohol consumption while volunteering with the children we help in Tanzania and a strict curfew of being back at the guesthouse no later than 11pm in order to get an early start on work the next day. IMPORTANT: Security will not allow anyone to return to the guesthouse after 11pm. Failure to comply with this policy will result in expulsion from the remainder of the program without refund of monies paid. If a policy breaker is under the age of 18, his or her emergency contact will be requested to make arrangements for the individual’s departure and travel at own expense.

Participants of MAD’s programs and events must abide by the rules put in place by MAD, their partner schools, and host families in regard to alcohol consumption. Drug use (unless prescribed by a doctor) is strictly prohibited and will result in instant dismissal from the program with no refund.

10. Miscellaneous The participant agrees to comply with the partner organization’s code of conduct.

MAD reserves the right to use feedback and images provided by participants for Website materials such as testimonials.

MAD is not liable for any actions or omissions of any partner organization.

To the full extent permissible at law, all representations, terms, warranties, guarantees, or conditions whether implied by statute, common law or custom of the trade or otherwise, including, but not limited to, implied warranties and guarantees, are excluded.

MAD does not warrant or make any representations regarding the correctness, accuracy, reliability, or otherwise of the materials in this site or the result of their use.

MAD and its partner schools and organizations reserve the right to remove the participants from programs.

11. Force Majeure MAD has no liability for any lack of performance, unavailability or failure of the services or its Website, or for any failure of MAD to comply with these terms and conditions, where the same arises from any cause reasonably beyond the control of MAD.