A group of international pupils could miss out on the experience of coming to New Zealand if host families in Otago cannot be found for them.
AFS is an exchange organisation that places pupils from around the world in New Zealand homes for up to 12 months.
However, Otago AFS support co-ordinator Carmen Lobb said five pupils due to arrive in the region next month may have their trips cancelled due to a lack of host families.
The voluntary programme had never struggled to find homes for pupils before but had "hit a brick wall" this year.
Flier drops, phone calls and word of mouth had not helped to find people willing to open their homes to an international pupil.
Host families are usually organised in November and time was running out to find homes and obtain visas for the pupils, she said.
"It will stop some of them from coming, [but] some of them may be relocated."
Ms Lobb believed the lack of interest was because of financial reasons.
"This is voluntary; you don't get paid," she said.
However, the programme's emphasis was on the experience of sharing cultures.
"Our students are part of the family. They are expected to do what the daughter and the son would do. They immerse themselves in the family."
It also opened up the possibility of having a place to stay overseas, with strong ties built between families.
AFS national hosting programme manager Donna Bullock said 164 pupils were due to arrive in New Zealand for exchanges this year, but only 104 had host families to stay with.
Finding hosts had "become worse over the last couple of years". she said.
"We are always up against it a little bit with international fee paying students coming in, and I think the recession has something to do with it."
A host family provided food, shelter and support to an AFS pupil.
The organisation covered school fees, books and a uniform, and the pupil used their own spending money.
For more information about hosting an AFS pupil, visit www.afs.org.nz or contact Otago president Keppel Cooman on (03) 455-6920, president@afsotago.org.nz ellie.constantine@odt.co.nz
