Program Reviews

I have never been on anything like this before in my life. I had my project at Waterfall Springs, a wallaby sanctuary. We did some work repairing fences and tick proofing wallaby pins. Some of the work can be a little repetitive and stressful but once you see the end result and a happy wallaby you realize it was all worth it. The people you work with become lifelong friends that you never want to lose touch with, and your project leader will be someone you look up to for the rest of your career as an environmentalist. Don't miss out on such a great experience.

I showed up to Australia and I looked around the group that the leader said was mine and I didn't know anyone. To be honest, we were all scared, but we all shared this want and need and drive to volunteer to the best of our ability and that made the 2 weeks simply amazing. No one wanted to be on their cell phones, no one missed home. Everyone wanted to see everyone else succeed, and ISV get's those students that want to give back and I think that in itself is what causes for such dynamic groups. After seeing more stars than I ever thought possible there is no way that I can see the world the same way again. Now that I am home, I've made little changes just to make sure that I can curve my carbon footprint. The memories and friends I made are priceless and I would gladly pay to make those 2 weeks happen all over again.

ISV has helped me grow so much as an individual. In New Zealand I was the opportunity to stay with an amazing host family that taught me all about their land and culture. I fell in love with it and them! All of the people I met, things I have learned, and things I experienced on this trip are something that I will truly treasure (taonga) for the rest of my life. From planting 12,000 trees to embracing a feeling of euphoria by bungy jumping from the Kawarau Bridge, the world's first bungy site. New Zealand was a life changing experience for me and I will miss it so so much.

Ever since I was young I always had a lot of curiosity in the continent of Africa. I fell in love with the land after what I read and saw in movies, and I hoped one day I would be able to take a trip there to experience it in real life. When that opportunity came my through ISV I had to jump on it. I signed up to go on a 28 day volunteer/adventure trip to South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique. It was 2 weeks of volunteer animal conservation on De Wildt Cheetah Centre and then 2 weeks of fun traveling through the 3 countries. It was a tough decision choosing what country you wanted to travel too and what type of project you wanted to be on, but once I landed in South Africa, I knew I made the right decision. Now let me share with you my story....

For my first 2 weeks of the trip I stayed in a house right outside of the Cheetah Centre with 9 other student volunteers. It was an amazing house we lived in, it was surrounded by beautiful flowers and vegetation with a great big hill behind the house where baboons would run by on. The people that were in charge of the house welcome us in with open arms and we had lots and lots of food cooked for us. Through the first 2 weeks, all 10 of us volunteers became a pretty tight group that formed nto some amazing friendships and memories that I will never forget. From staying up late in the night just having great conversations, playing board games that way too intense, or doing some great volunteer work, my time with these other 9 people changed my life.

The volunteer work that was done during my time here was time well spent. This Cheetah Centre was huge and it needed people like us to get the work done that they didn't have time to get to. Doing fire breaks, feeding cheetahs, and cleaning animals enclosures were just part of the volunteer work done over the 2 weeks. Probably the best part of the volunteering was meeting the Cheetah Centre staff. They really took us all in and got to know us on a personal level, and best of all was they were all genuinely great people that wanted the best for you in life. That helped me have a better outlook on my life.

The last 2 weeks of my trip was the adventure tour. Through these 2 weeks we made multiple stops through northern south Africa and one stop in Swaziland and Mozambique. This was the super fun part of the trip where we met up with the other ISV volunteer groups at that time and formed a giant group of 36 student volunteers and travled on a big coach bus. Each place we stayed at had great living accomodations. We got to choose who we wanted to stay with and each cottage/house usually held between 4-7 people.

The destinations we traveled to were beautiful, but my three favoirite places and activities on this adevtnure tour were the cliff diving in Blyde River Canyon, caving in Swaziland, and swimming with WILD dolphins in Ponto de Ouro, Mozambique. The cliff diving showed me views of a lifetime that were so beautiful and maginificent. The cool part about it all was that that there were 4 separate cliff jumps to do and we had to hike to get to each one of them which it a fun challenge. Hiking and jumping off cliffs in the middle of the wildnerness with other wildlife around is a surreal feeling. Caving in Swaziland was an adrenanline pumping event that was scary yet conquerable. The goal of the caving was to see an underwater river that flows that through the cave and it was super kool to see. two fun facts about the cave is that it is 1 of only 2 granite caves found in the world, and also they have discovered a spider like type animal that is a new species but is yet to be named. My final favorite activity was swimming with the wild dolphins. Groups of 10 would go out into the Indian Ocean, about 400 yards, jump into the water with our guide and snorkel up close with wild dolphin. It was something I will never forget.

That right there is my trip in just a a few words because there will never be enough words to describe the impact this trip had on me. Sure all of that was fun stuff, but the thing I will cherish most from this trip is the amazing friends I made and that great life conversations I had with them.

I'm not writing this to convince you to go on an ISV trip, I'm just here to share my story. You know if this kind of trip is right for you or not. But if you do decide to go, be open to everything that comes your way and just invest in the opportunity you embarked on.

This program was amazing and inspired me to spend more time volunteering abroad. Traveling to South Africa with ISV was my first time leaving the country, and the amazing staff and program made me feel totally comfortable. I 100% recommend this program to anyone who is interested in benefiting a community in a huge way. It was amazing to have your own project and experience change that you have created first hand, start to finish.

I went to South Africa with ISV to volunteer on the Zingela Game Reserve not knowing anyone. Now I have 30 new friends from all over the country! Everyone on the same trip is basically on the same boat (not knowing anybody and ready to make an impact), so it was very easy to make friends. Volunteering was so much fun. I felt like I was on a safari every day. I also felt like I was laughing for 2 weeks straight. The project leader (Leti), and our host always made us feel like we were right at home. So much so that I didn't get home sick even once. They also teach you very valuable lessons on the environment you're in and on sustainability and the environmental impact we have every day. The volunteer part of it was collecting data from the camera traps and then identifying all of the animals on them, game drives, bird counts, and VCA's (which is basically collecting data on the environment). The Zingela Game Reserve was out in the middle of nowhere with no wifi and very limited cell service. I had never experienced the sound of only nature and no cars or planes or machines anywhere and a night sky full of shooting stars and the milky-way. I loved Zingela so much that I cried when we left to start the adventure tour.
The adventure tour is definitely worth the extra money if you can afford it. It was 2 weeks full of adrenaline rushes and humbling experiences like visiting the orphanage and getting to donate food, clothes, and toys in person. We did activities like cliff jumping, caving, surfing, elephant encounters, petting a cheetah, snorkeling, scuba diving, cultural villages, and a ton more. I will never forget this trip, all of the experiences I had, all of the people I met, and this beautiful country!

I spend five weeks in the Dominican Republic, and I want to go back! The country itself is it beautiful and unique. We were welcome with open arms. The Dominicans are very proud of their roots. They love to show it in their family values, food, music, and history. The first week was the Spanish week. We were placed with host families and learned the history and culture of Dominican Republic. The next two weeks, we were off to El Castillo, near Constanza. We spend time with the local children with their English skills and help to rebuild two houses. We also constructed the "jam place" where the local women will make jam and sell it. Those two weeks was the highlight for me. It was worth it to see all the hard work we put in to give a community and the connection we had with the community. The adventure tour which involved a lot of water activities, yet it was fun. We travel around the country, experience new things, see breath taken sites. However, the best part was that you meet amazing people. Our ISV project and tour guide leaders are great. In a short period of time, everyone is family. I would love to go back again and see everyone again.

I can't get over how wonderful this trip was!

It all started out in Lithgow, a town in the Blue Mountains. We were working with AEFI, Australian Ecosystems Foundation Inc., at a wildlife sanctuary called Secret Creek. We spent two weeks there repairing trails, planting trees, and helping with the animals (which was a dream come true for a wildlife major!) Our operator here was amazing and knowledgable, we learned a lot as we worked and had a blast at the same time! By the end of volunteering, we could really see how far we'd come. Our trail started at the bottom of the mountain and our ragtag team of 10 made it all the way to the top! After planting all 1,700 of our tree saplings, it felt amazing to look over the once empty field and see nothing but the barriers we put around each baby tree. The end of volunteer work was definitely filled with a feeling of accomplishment.

Then on to phase two- Adventure Tour! We were encouraged to try new things and explore new places every day as we traveled up the east coast. Each and every person had something big that they overcame and accomplished while Brodie (the wonderful tour leader) kept reminding us that "life begins at the end of your comfort zone." I began living this idea as I pushed myself to the edge of what I thought I could do by taking up each opportunity I got to try something new- rappelling being my first major fear conquest. The more open you are to trying new things, the more you get out of adventure tour. ISV did a great job lining us up with great included activities and I wholeheartedly recommend the OAP (optional activity package) to get as many activities as possible. You will definitely find yourself doing something you never thought you'd do!

During my time in Costa Rica my group participated in so many crazy activities. We went white water rafting, surfing, kyaking, swimming in hot springs, tubing down rapids, horseback riding, and more. However, my favorite was a zip lining and repelling excursion we did that ended at the home of an indigenous tribe of Costa Rica, the Maleku people. The first part of the trip was 6 zip lines that brought us to a waterfall. We repelled down the side of the waterfall 285 feet. Then we had to climb back up on a 200 foot cable ladder. After we did 5 more zip lines that landed us right at the Maleku peoples' home. They had set up shop for us, given us a religious presentation indicitive of their culture, and welcomed us. They displayed artwork that we could buy from them to help support their community. Every second was amazing. I will certainly be back.

Before leaving for South Africa I didn't know what to expect. I would have never guessed I would leave with a new outlook on life. ISV South Africa was the perfect place for me because I love to travel to see exotic places, but I also enjoy volunteering for those in need. South Africa was just the place! The first two weeks were some of the most rewarding weeks of my life. The children I got to meet were children with so much joy and sparkle in their eyes. They were genuinely happy to see us each and everyday as we helped them refurnish their school. Some of these children had no reason to smile, but everyday, without fail we would see 100 children smiling and ready to have fun with us at break time. It is one of those moments that I think about quite often when something isn't going right in my life. Those amazing humans had that effect on me! I also learned so much about their culture through the outstanding leaders we had. It is so exciting to learn more about a culture that you have never been introduced to before. It was also important to me to learn more about protecting our planet. Volunteering starts with you. I am trying to make a difference in my life everyday to make this world a little better. That is something I didn't do before traveling to South Africa. What a humbling experience my first two weeks in South Africa were.

Let's just say I wasn't ready to leave my new little family after two weeks, but I didn't realized the amazing opportunity the next two weeks would have in store for me. The adventure tour was a once in a life time opportunity! I have never felt so at home with the group of people I was with and it was a time to do crazy things with new friends. Everyday I woke up to a new adventure. This was a chance to really get to see new cultures, new people, and new places everyday. I will never forget the quote from Back to Basic Adventures in Mozambique, " There is no adventure within your comfort zone". I lived by those words throughout the trip and I am still living them today. The adventure tour wouldn't have been as amazing as it was without our incredible tour leader. He was a great leader that gave us so many learning opportunities throughout the trip. He was also one of the most laid back people I have ever met. Without him, our group of 20 would have been so lost in Africa.

If you are looking so some of the best weeks of your life filled with adventure and humbling experiences then this is the right trip for you!
Ubuntu.