Founded in 2012 by Holly Penalver, Indigo Volunteers came to be in response to the steep fees, dubious marketing practices, and questionable projects she had encountered whilst volunteering abroad. Holly was keen to find a more ethical way to get involved in volunteering since first coming across these malpractices back in 2009. While working as a paediatric nurse, she identified a small health clinic in Malawi and organised a non-profit volunteering placement for her and her colleagues. The trip confirmed two things: 1. Local grassroots projects had great interest in the assistance of independently placed volunteers. 2. Holly’s colleagues and friends were inspired by her experience and wanted to get out on the ground to make an impact for themselves. Back home, she realised that the core way she could influence the volunteer sector was to start a matchmaking organisation for volunteers and organisations built on responsible principles and ethical engagement. Thus, Indigo Volunteers was born. With the support of Holly’s dedicated friends and family, Indigo Volunteers identified several projects across East Africa and started organising placements for a handful of volunteer applicants. Gradually, more projects in more countries were added to the website and more aspiring volunteers signed up. The 2015 refugee crisis caused a sudden growth spurt and change in focus, yielding an unprecedented demand for immediate independent emergency aid on European soil. As a response, our team moved out to Greece in 2016 to provide on-the-ground volunteer coordination and project support at several crisis hotspots in Greece, Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Indigo has been present on the ground ever since, placing over 3000 volunteers to well-over 80 partner projects along the refugee route. Today, our team of volunteers and staff continue supporting over 50 grassroots organisations across Greece, France, Serbia, Poland, Moldova, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Lebanon and Cyprus.