US$1000 to do volunteer work?!?

i'm not giving up.. =)

was searching for organisations which i can work with for my overseas volunteer work.. came across quite a few, majority are US-based.. still trying to find more organisations that are Singapore-based, or with branch offices here.. so that i know they are in existence, something i can trust..

and to my horror, many organisations charge more than US$1000 for the fees to volunteer overseas.. my goodness.. why would people pay that much to volunteer??

i understand that fees are required, of course we can't be staying and eating for free in foreign lands.. but US$1000?!? and some organisations require a fee of US$2000 for a month's stay.. wah biang.. with that amount i can go tour Europe.. my god..

and i don't understand why people always have this misconception that you need lots of money in order to help the poor, or to do volunteer work.. yes, money can do a lot of things, but it can't bring you everything.. wasn't i able to gather boxes full of clothes and toys for the children? wasn't i able to get sponsors to donate stationery?

but anyhow, i still need my parents' support and approval.. pray for me.. pray real hard.. =) it's gonna be a long road down.. must persevere.. haha..