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Students who paid for overseas conservation placements have been left without trips or refunds after GVI's collapse
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Students lose up to £10,000 after GVI shuts down without warning
Jul 09, 2026
- Students claim they have lost up to £10,000 after GVI cancelled all programmes.
- Anonymous participants told The Guardian they were encouraged to pay by bank transfer before the company shut down.
- Overseas conservation projects are also reportedly facing major funding shortfalls.
Students who booked overseas gap year programmes and conservation volunteering placements through GVI have been left facing significant financial losses after the company entered liquidation on July 1, cancelling all current and future programmes. Some participants say they have lost as much as £10,000, while several overseas conservation projects are also reportedly struggling after funding failed to arrive.
According to The Guardian, GVI continued advertising its wildlife conservation and internship programmes until shortly before announcing its closure and taking down its website. Students who had planned to travel to countries including South Africa, Peru and Ghana later received emails confirming that their placements had been cancelled and that refunds would not be available.
Savings lost, plans upended
Many of those affected had spent years saving for their placements or had postponed university or work to take part. People who wished to remain anonymous told The Guardian they had been encouraged to pay outstanding balances by bank transfer, sometimes after being offered discounts for making full payments early. Because many payments were made through bank transfers rather than credit cards, several participants may not qualify for standard refund protections.
One student, who had paid more than £10,000 for a year-long conservation placement in South Africa, reportedly said they had already missed university application deadlines and now faced an unexpected gap year with no alternative plans.
In a statement following the liquidation, GVI said the closure marked "a deeply sad conclusion" to the organisation's journey and that its priority was to provide affected participants and stakeholders with information about the liquidation process. The company also confirmed that all programmes had been cancelled and that staff were helping participants already overseas arrange their departures, as stated in the notice.
Conservation projects also feel the impact
The fallout extends beyond students. Conservation organisations that partnered with GVI are also reporting financial difficulties after allegedly not receiving agreed payments.
According to the report, Peru's Kawsay Biological Station claims it is owed more than £42,000 after hosting volunteers on behalf of GVI. Its director reportedly said the station had continued operating by using personal savings after payments were repeatedly delayed.
GVI operated in the growing "voluntourism" sector, combining overseas travel with conservation and community work. Participants typically paid for accommodation, training and project placements, while local organisations relied on those fees as an important source of income.
The company said all affected participants would receive formal communication explaining the liquidation process and how to submit claims. However, insolvency experts reportedly believe customers could face a difficult process recovering their money because unsecured creditors generally rank behind other creditors during liquidation proceedings.
Responding to the closure, GVI founder Andrew Valentine reportedly said the organisation had made a significant contribution to conservation work over the past 25 years but was ultimately unable to meet its financial obligations. He added that former staff were voluntarily helping project partners develop alternative income sources in the hope that conservation work could continue despite the company's closure.
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