IVHQ Globe

International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

Why choose International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ?

International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) brings people together from all walks of life to make a difference on the adventure of a lifetime. We offer the world’s #1 rated and largest range of volunteer programs with 300+ projects across 40+ countries - from teaching and working with children to medical missions, conservation and wildlife volunteering.

For the past 6 years, we've won the "Top Volunteer Abroad Provider Award" from GoOverseas, so you can trust that you're in good hands! With over 17 years of experience, IVHQ provides safe, impactful and affordable fully-hosted volunteer experiences. Our multi-layered support network and flexible booking policy means you can volunteer abroad with confidence.

Our programs range from 1 to 24 weeks across premier destinations in Africa, Asia, South America, Central America, North America, Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the Pacific.

Join 130,000+ IVHQ travellers who have spent over 8 million hours supporting local communities.

Reviews

Default avatar
Jay
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sri Lanka

When I first signed up for volunteering it was simply just to give something back and help others. The process to register and the information provided was very thorough and super swift. Ashlea was always on hand to support any questions I had. She was just brilliant.

I chose Sri Lanka as I felt it was different yet close to my own Indian heritage (my parents are from India). I also felt I could completely immerse myself into the culture and lifestyle.
The local team in Sri Lanka couldn’t do enough for you, always looking out for you, giving you advise and support as you need, including being your local travel agent giving you sight seeing options.

I love children so decided that I would choose child development programmes - Well what can I say, the two programmes I supported were so different but the children I assisted and taught were some of the warmest, purest and kindest children I have ever met, especially the village kids. They greeted you every day with so much energy, enthusiasm and love, such beautiful souls.

I started the programme wanting to make a difference and give something back however I can honestly say that actually this programme has been a gift to me and I am blessed to have been able to experience something that many will never get the chance to do ever !!

The journey has been an honour, good and difficult times but volunteering with IVHQ has definitely altered my perspective on life, in a very special way. I am forever grateful for the opportunity and experience. I am now back home and I appreciate everything in my life much more than ever but a part of me stayed with them kids in Sri Lanka ♥️.

So I would say if you’re thinking about it - don’t, just do it!! There are a lot of children out there that just need your time.
Trust me it’s a life changing experience.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Just be open minded and embrace all elements. There will be difficult times but the good times are much better
Pros
  • People
  • Food
  • Support
Cons
  • No kitchen facilities
  • Bugs
Default avatar
IAN
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A most amazing life changing experience

The preparatory organisation was excellent. Information was provided in a clear concise manner, timely and there was always a prompt response to any queries or concerns. The personal preparation workbooks were really useful and certainly helped me prepare for the project and contributed to its success. The local team support was exceptional in every way. Questions or queries were treated quickly and considerately. The local rep was exceptionally knowledgeable and proactively helpful. All these factors contributable to one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

What was your funniest moment?
For me this project brought together so many different life experiences of working with people. The disability challenges faced by the adult clients of this project are many and varied however with encouragement, support and a can-do fun approach these disabilities presented could easily turn into the most creative and amazing 'abilities'. One example was a simple fun walk in the gardens picking small flowers and leaves soon turned into the creation of beautiful works of art. The fun was infectious and soon several clients all wanted to join in. It was a joy to watch and be a part of the fun.
Pros
  • Learning the power communication through engagement, smiles, gestures and encouragement
  • Working with the most amazing professional care givers, listening to them and providing extra supportive hands.
  • Forming positive, meaningful and genuine friendships with the clients that developed each day
Cons
  • Next time I would learn more of the local language - just simple phrases before I went
Default avatar
Alissa
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Once in a lifetime

Any volunteering trip that you do, you would meet the most amazing group of people from all over the world who share your passion. The work in itself is rewarding and the local team are always bubbly and willing to learn from you. We stayed on a remote island which gave us the chance to experience pure Balinese culture and learn from the locals. The amount of time you spend with the turtles is based around feeding time which leaves enough time to explore the island and on the weekends you can head back to the mainland

What was your funniest moment?
Funnies moment was every time the island lost power, we all brought out our torches and a pack of cards, sat in the dark and enjoyed a digital free night of games with a group of fellow volunteers and coordinators
Pros
  • Lifelong friends
  • Immersion of culture
  • Turtle knowledge
Cons
  • Roommates not willing to interact
  • Little volunteering time due to feeding
Default avatar
Eva
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I had the best time in Bali

I had the best time in Bali, thank to IVHQ and the local team, and , now that I’m back home, I can’t stop thinking about the next volunteering trip with IVHQ. I was really well surrounded, from the preparation before leaving with my online correspondent, going through the local team and until the coming back home advices with an other online correspondent.
IVHQ told me everything I needed to know about the country, the culture, the food and the behavior I should have before leaving. They told me what I had to expect from the accommodation and the program there and it helped me making a precise idea of the trip and really reassured me before leaving.
Once I was there, I met the sweetest people, which was the local team, who were always happy to help, answer our questions or spending great time with us.
I had a lot of fun doing my program, I loved doing what we did, I loved thinking that we were useful and helping the local community and my coordinator were kind and funny.
The country itself was also really nice to visit, we were lucky to be surrounded by local people who were giving us advices on where to go and what to see and even helping us planning our weekends trips. I loved discovering Bali and its culture.
Finally, I’d like to say that I met so many amazing people, I got along with a lot of the volunteers who mostly were the same old as me, had the same “life situation” and the same points of interests. I made some really good friends there and will definitely meet them again soon!
Thank to IVHQ for the quality assistance that made me feel so safe before, during and after the trip.
My head is now full of amazing memories and experiences from that trip, I can’t wait for the next one!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I saw a coq fighting, and was really surprised to see all these local guys betting so much on the chickens and spending all the night watching the fights. I didn’t know that that kind of bettings existed and I felt so bad for the chickens.
Pros
  • Meeting amazing people
  • Learning more about foreign culture
  • Have more experience
Cons
  • The program places were sometimes a bit far from the accommodation
  • The accommodation were sometimes not really clean and not confortable
  • The beach was full of wastes
Default avatar
Hannah
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An Amazing Experience

I taught English in Cambodia for 3 weeks and it was an amazing experience! The staff was well mannered and very helpful. They did everything in their power to make sure the trip went smooth with no bumps along the way. The food was amazing and the school was as well! The living space was clean and overall it was incredible. I tried new food, met new friends, and explored new places that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I would recommend using IVHQ for volunteering abroad, as I will be using them again as well.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
I ate crickets and beetles! It was not a part of the program, but while you are abroad you must try new and interesting food that the locals eat!
Pros
  • A new experience
  • They taste like chips or peanuts
  • Something to remember
Cons
  • None

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

AP Johnson

She is from South America born and raised and now lives in the United States. She has a career in Finance, enjoys playing golf, traveling and helping others.

Interview

Why did you choose this program?

I chose International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) because of the reviews from previous volunteers as well as their comprehensive website. Everything I wanted to know about the program was right there and very organized.

The reviews were well written and provided insight into the program. All of the reviews I read were consistent with my experience.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) Provided me with everything I needed for my trip.
The program and all of my pre travel requirements were presented in an organized manner. This included a pre-departure webinar ( was EVERYTHING!) culture, airport pickup, accommodations, meals, list of what to pack, volunteer placement and transparency regarding fees. They provided me with everything I needed!

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

I will offer two pieces of advice if I may. The first is to be open minded. My host family were amazing!!! But, its much different to being at home. Second, I highly recommend taking a few extra days to go site seeing. Third make friends and have fun!!! Ok, that may be four, but seriously, its a great opportunity yo not only give back, but enjoy the rich culture that country has to offer.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Once you land you’ll be picked up at the airport, then its off to orientation! It was for me!!!

The next day was a free day for me, so got up and was greeted with the most amazing break-fast (see pics). Hung out with my host family and room-mate (whom i had just met), we explored some on that day, then home for dinner.

On Monday our host took us to the Volunteer center via bus and showed us the route and the cost. I was then taken to the Community Center where I was placed and a tour, but not before helping to unload some donations with the other teachers… back to the community center for Spanish class and another orientation.

The rest of the week, I taught my students, did done site-seeing, took Spanish lessons and hung out with my new friends. Oh! Did I tell you the real reason I went was to give back during my birthday?! Well my host family and room-mate threw me a surprise birthday party!!!

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

There was an article trending on Yahoo that questioned if Americans should travel to Costa Rica - so I had some reservations and in fact was planning not to go evening after paying for everything except purchasing my ticket up until that point.

Luckily I called my program manager! She was very professional during our Teams call and answered all of my questions and let me know that she was reading the same articles as well. After our call I felt comfortable enough to make the trip. I followed all of what was shared in webinar training and orientation.

What was most rewarding about your experience?

Gosh! I had a terrific experience! My host family was amazing, they had breakfast and dinner ready every day (never the sane meal). I made four new friends - one is like famous. Yup!!! Lol Finally, the kids at the community center were everything! Please don't forget to pack some school supplies to donate!!!

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Why did you choose this program?

The IVHQ program seemed to offer all that I was looking for: destination, available projects, affordability, plus the fact that it not simply an adventure travel company. Their programs were dedicated to helping communities in need. The schools where we worked had all been built by volunteers, and we provided materials and labor to renovate and build toilet facilities for the children. A few weeks of work by a few people eventually build a school.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

IVHQ assists with everything: flight information, visa and health requirements, airport pick up, travel to placement, orientation, daily visits to the worksites, and regular meetings at our residence to discuss any issue.

The website provides most of this information in advance, but it's reassuring to meet "face to face" with the organizers. On our own, we have to arrange emergency travel health insurance, criminal background report, vaccinations, and visa requirements if required.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

In Africa, bring as few clothes as possible, and nothing with long sleeves and long pants. Clothes can be washed daily if necessary. Insect repellents are only required at night, as they simply wash away in the daytime by the heat. Bring anti-malaria medication and personal toiletries, and a small first aid kit.

My advice: DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING! You will be with an outstanding group of people and you will have a fantastic adventure.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Because of the heat in Ghana, all 10 of us only worked in the mornings.

In construction, we left for our 30-minute walk to the site around 6:30 am and it was an enjoyable walk, as everybody waved and greeted us. We returned to our compound around noon on motorbikes.

The childcare group prepared breakfast and lunch for the school children and were finished by 1 pm. Their school was only a 5-minute walk. Afternoons and evenings were spent reading, playing games, interacting with the children.

Weekends were for sightseeing, usually gone for 2 days (at our expense).

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I had no fears, no concerns. The website provides all the information that you need about your program. The country website (tourism) provides the rest.

As for safety, always remember that you are in a group. There are no safety concerns at the placement site, and we traveled on weekends in groups for 8 or more. Local people are very hospitable and helpful. You will soon discover that you have no worries.

Enjoy your stay.

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