Should I start with volunteer program?

Hey guys, need some advise here.

I've been planning to do a volunteer program to get closer with the Maldivian culture. Helping the people especially kids, it would be a new adventure for me. However, due to my financial restrictions I need to be on budget and apparently the program that the organization has been offered is not cheap. I wonder will it be wiser for me to still go on with the program (still pending some extra info and deposit from me) or find a budgeted guesthouse, travel and see Maldives on my own but with a shorter length of stay.

Will get to different island a problem and how about the cost? How is the safety in Capital? Like would it be a problem for a lady walking alone at evening/night? Is there a place that you mustn't visit etc?

I want to explore Maldives as I would like to start my photography life there. I am still a bit terrified with the idea to move to Maldives and become an expat though, but I certainly that I want to do this.

Any advise would be so helpful, thank you!
*Admin, I am not sure if I'm in a right topic category.

Hello Arymoore!

You can find guesthouses in Male or in some other islandsw around the Maldives, but this will not anyway be as cheap as any other country with a "backpackers culture".
Going around and depending in what atoll you want to go may not be cheap.
Domestic plane are not cheap, sea planes are not cheap.
Travelling by boat from an atoll to another is an option; it's cheaper, but some are not regular at all, depending where you want to go.(for exemple, from Laamu atoll where I live, to Male, by boat it's at least 15 hours. There is nothing on the boat, you have to organise yourself for food, water and eventually something to sleep on, and I think it goes something like 2 times a month.)

Organise yourself if you don't want surprises if you are on a tight budget as the Maldive are not a cheap country:-)

I'm very rarely in te capital, but it seems to me pretty safe if you are a bit clever. (avoid small parcs at night and places with demonstrations if any for example...)

Hope that helps a bit.
Good luck!