Love Volunteers
Programs and Reviews
We are just a handful of passionate people working hard to help volunteers and local communities around the world. We don't have huge overheads - no company cars, no downtown office - we're just volunteers who thought we could do a better job. We work with local organisations wherever we can to keep administration costs to a minimum and also to return as much money and skills to the local communities where we operate. We can offer the lowest possible fees, but also ensure that you are immersed in the local culture and are actually making a difference!
Programs Abroad
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Reviews
100%Overall
Rating
90%Overall
Rating
Volunteer in Cambodia is an experience for lifetime to me -- Ive seen the things Ive never seen and done the things Ive never done before there!
Love volunteers and the local organisation which was directly responsible for my accommodation and placement were both very helpful. The airport pickup, orientation, city tour as well as the local contact that we could seek help from all contributed to a safe and pleasant stay. The staff of love volunteers always give me prompt response addressing my questions and the local staff never fail to give me a hand whenever I called up asking for help ( they tried their best to offer me assistance even my prob was entirely extraneous to the placement). I do appreciate their help n assistance a lot.
I was both happy with the work and accommodation in Cambodia. The work kept me pretty much busy all the time and the tasks I was assigned to could be challenging sometimes. The host family was nice and clean, above all, the food they cooked was
fantastic!
Hope that you have a great time in Cambodia!
Critical Feedback:
I was happy about my displacement but I've heard that there are certain volunteers dont have enough work to do in other NGOs( this happens irrespective of which organisation they came in touch with). I personally didn't have such issue cos my NGO made sure I was the only volunteer there and kept me busy.
I had been particular about what kind of job I would do and which NGO I would work with before signing up for the placement. So I recommend that any prospective volunteer do the same to achieve the best understanding of the nature and workload of the NGO that u r about to work with.
50%Overall
Rating
I signed up for 5 weeks Community Development in Phnom Penh. I did not have any work to do at my placement. I went along to meetings, training sessions, conferences and visited the local communities, but I never actually contributed anything. I spent a lot of time in the office, googling things to keep myself amused. From speaking to the others staying at the volunteer hostel I know that I was not the only one in this position. I brought this to the attention of Love Volunteers and the local NGO organizers but nothing could be done about it. They said the end of year is often quiet in the Community Development sector. The disappointing thing is that it looks like volunteers (such as myself) are being accepted without anyone checking if there is a specific project for them to work on.
That said, the pricing of this program is very good and the on the ground staff were very attentive and helpful (when they could be). The volunteer hostel accom is very basic (a little shabby around the edges) but I enjoyed the social side of life there, the saving grace of my 5 weeks.
Love Volunteers's Response to Melinda:
Thanks for taking the time to review this program. We're glad you were happy with the pricing, helpfulness of the ground staff and the social aspect of your placement. We understand that the accommodation may not be what you're used to but as a volunteer it's important to remember that you are visiting parts of the world which are developing and we always seek to provide the best accommodation possible, while maintaining very affordable program fees.
It's great to hear that you made it along to meetings, training sessions, conferences and also had the chance to visit local communities. These are important to give you an understanding of the needs and problems the community are facing. After gaining this insight it is the role of the volunteer to take the initiative, make a contribution and bring their expertise to the table. We can all help work towards a resolution of the issues faced but need to remember that 'Rome wasn't built in a day' and even if we can't fix all the problems within one visit, each positive thing we do helps towards the greater cause.
We hope you learnt a lot and took home a new perspective in regards to the struggles being faced by people in other parts of the world. Thank you for all your hard work with the people of Cambodia!
100%Overall
Rating
I spent 7 weeks in Kenya in 2012 and loved every second of it. I meet amazing people, both Kenyans and other volunteers from around the world and felt that the work we helped with was extremely worthwhile.
I spent most of my time with the host family about an hour our of Nairobi near the IDP camp. The 'mama' of this family looked after me like my Mum would and I was welcomed into her family completely.
I volunteered at the IDP school and spent my time working on a reading programme 1:1 with the kids and running small medical clinics for any children that had wounds etc that needed looking after. After school finished we spent time playing with children or visiting families who lived in the IDP camp - seeing how they live was an eye opening and life changing experience.
The pogramme set up is amazing, the country coordinator and the staff from Love Volunteers kept in touch the whole time I was there making sure everything was ok. I was able to help with some special feeding programmes in Kibera, Nairobi and around the IDP camp, a big free medical clinic at the IDP camp and also fit in a safari, trip to a Massai village and a few trips to the Massai markets for souvenirs.
My trip to Africa was something I had been wanting to do for a very long time and through Love Volunteers and the people in Kenya it was even better than I imagined it would be, I can't wait for another trip back to see my 'Kenyan family'.
Critical Feedback:
I wouldn't change anything about my trip to Kenya. There were moments where I was out of my comfort zone but they just helped to make the trip all the more amazing.
100%Overall
Rating
I volunteered in Tanzania for 2 weeks in October 2012 through Love Volunteers and loved it. Organising tmy trip through Love Volunteers was great, they were helpful, friendly and efficient and were flexible enough that I was able to change things once I was there.
The placements in Tanzania were fantastic, I spent time in the Orphanage, School, Daycare Centre and with the widows groups. Everyone is friendly and welcoming and the whole experience was fantastic. The country coordinator is very welcoming and allows you the flexibility of being able to see all the projects and deciding which you like best. The children are so appreciative of any time you spend with them and always extremely happy.
The facilities are quite basic - bucket showers etc (although with a trip to Africa I was expecting this) and it is amazing how quickly you get used to a much more simple life.
During my short stay I meet amazing people and experienced a different and beautiful culture. I would love to go back and would recommend it to everyone.
Critical Feedback:
The only thing I would change is that I would take more things with me for the children. They love learning new things and having fun activities to do with you.
Alumni Interviews
Staff Interview
Meet Kelly, Love Volunteers Director
GO: Tell us a little about Love Volunteers and your role at the company.
Kelly: Love Volunteers is a volunteer agency run by people who are passionate volunteers themselves. We started the company after our own volunteering experiences with other agencies and simply thought (knew) that we could do better. We keep our overheads down and run a sustainable agency, which is reflective in our fees. Volunteers tell us they appreciate this.
Our focus is on making a real difference in developing communities around the world. We achieve this by carefully choosing our partners and forming real relationships with them. Because we understand their needs we are able to place the right volunteers in the right environments. We would rather keep to this than place too many people in one community at the same time, which swamps the project and leaves people feeling as surplus. The formula we employ leads to a win win outcome for both the volunteer and community.
We have project partners in 28 countries and programs that range from working with children or the elderly, medical care, community development, teaching, conservation and even animal welfare. There is something for everyone when you become a Love Volunteer.
I am a Director and my daily duties involve every aspect of the business. On any given day I can be working on screening applications, communicating with our project partners around the world, helping newly signed up volunteers with questions they may have, working on and developing new marketing initiatives, scouting for new programs that would compliment our mix, doing a stationary order for the office and more. It's a real hands role, extremely challenging and I love it!
GO: How did you get involved in the volunteer industry?
Kelly: I'm very fortunate to have been raised in New Zealand which is a great country to have grown up in and has provided me with lots of opportunities, travel being one of them. I love helping others and its through my travels and interest in other cultures that I came to be a passionate volunteer myself.
My brother Julian founded LV and after I visited several programs in the early days I wanted to do more and became a Director of the business. My background is in logistics and customer service so found it a good fit in terms of the skills that were needed to do well in the roll.
GO: What makes Love Volunteers unique?
Kelly: We are a passionate volunteer agency that is run by volunteers. We form strong relationships with all of our volunteers and project partners, making sure each placement is the right fit. Lots of other agencies work on sheer volume and put pressure on communities to work exclusively through them. This strikes us as counter intuitive and isn't in the best interest of the program, community or the volunteer.
Because we are passionate about and still volunteer ourselves we understand what is needed from both sides of the equation and work hard to achieve mutually beneficial results. We feel we do a pretty good job with this and regularly get feedback from volunteers and partners which supports this.
GO: How do you ensure your programs are sustainable and mutually beneficial for you, the community, and the volunteers?
Kelly: Because we have done it ourselves and work hard to form real relationships with all parties involved, we have a good feel for what will work and what won't. Communication plays a huge part in this. We are regularly in touch with our project partners, discussing how placements are going, what projects they have coming up and how we can best fit any needs they have now or in the future.
On the flip side we screen our volunteers and get to know who they are, what they want out of the experience and importantly, any skills they have which can lend themselves to specific programs. We prepare them as best as possible (setting real expectations so they know what challenges lay ahead) for their placement(s), keep in touch with them through their tenure and follow up with them afterwards. We love feedback and without it we wouldn't be able to have come this far.
By putting the volunteers and projects first the growth of LV is purely a by product. We are always working to improve every aspect of what we do. Being open minded to new ideas and opportunities definitely works in our favour too.
GO: What does the future hold for Love Volunteers?
Kelly: The year ahead is an exciting one! We are growing and developing some fantastic partnerships with both travel companies and organisations. Our latest project is the formation of a scholarship program which will give us the opportunity to place more people into our programs.
Our main goal is continued growth, placing more volunteers into more projects and helping them make even more of a difference around the world - We want to get bigger, we have to if we want to help more people, but we are committed to never losing focus of why we do this and what makes LV unique.
I volunteered in Ethiopia for 10 weeks over the summer through love volunteers. Love volunteers was absolutely wonderful. They are affordable, and answered all my questions and concerns quickly! I was really impressed with them.
I had the most wonderful time both in Ethiopia and volunteering with the organization there. I was placed in a hospice program, but also spent time with the teaching program and I really enjoyed both. The members of the organization were welcoming, wonderful, and a lot of fun. They made it an easy adjustment to a very different culture. They also were really great at helping with anything that was needed.
I did the hospice program in the morning, and then went back to the house for lunch, and then would do the after school program in the afternoon. Sometimes on fridays I would go with the teaching volunteers to the school because I wanted to see what that was like!
The country is very religious, and so are the members in the organization. I am not religious, but they were very respectful of my beliefs. Of course they asked a lot of questions, but so did I because we both wanted to understand our cultures, and they were always respectful of it. I never felt that they were pressuring me. Religion is also a big part of working with the kids and hospice program, but that is because religion is a big part of their culture. I was not off-put by it, but instead found it inspiring how rich in beliefs and culture it was.
There was a lot of freedom to explore the city, and I even ventured to other parts of Ethiopia, which was absolutely amazing. The food is so good, and the people are so kind and friendly. There is a lot to do in the city! Or even to just relax for some downtown at home! It was such a great experience!