Program Reviews

His name is Dauri. This three year old boy with a sweet smile and shy eyes didn't speak much, this didn't stop him from becoming someone that I admire with every ounce of my being. These children weren't always fed during the day, so a couple volunteers and my self brought peanuts to school for them. Each child held out their hands graciously and we gave each of them a handful. Feeling pure happiness from just being alive, I began rolling around on the grass. This is when Dauri came up to me with with his last peanut placed between his pointer finger and his thumb. He looked at me and forced my mouth open, placing this peanut, his last peanut, right on my tounge. That was the best thing I will ever taste.

I really loved my ISV experience! I was extremely impressed with the leaders (shoutout to Courtney and Tasch) and all the activities provided. I truly did have more adventures than I ever imagined in just one month! I was also extremely impressed by the incorporation of sustainability/building a greener planet into the program without feeling like it was being shoved down your throat. My only complaint with ISV was the price. I felt like there were too many hidden costs in the program. Between the optional activities package (which EVERYONE does and you'd be stupid not to do), the Mozambique VISA, the extra food for the first two weeks, the overpriced group airfare (which I didn't do), and all the little extra things you buy for the packing list, it did add up. Be prepared for that, but overall, I don't regret a thing and I'm SO glad I did it! I will treasure that experience for the rest of my life.

Sometimes some people get lucky enough to experience something so life-changing that it makes everything make sense and fall perfectly into place; this is what ISV has done for me. ISV gives you a concrete purpose. They tell you the "why" and "so what" behind the volunteer work that you do; they show you exactly how you are making a difference and who and what it will effect immediately and 5, 10, 20 years down the road.

I volunteered in Little Desert just outside of Nhill, Victoria, Australia. Our group of 16 students planted 11,470 trees in under two weeks on the Salvana property owned by Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA). I physically saw a change that I was a part of. Our project leader, Alex, and a CVA employee at Little Desert, Ben, made our efforts take on a whole new meaning by explaining just what 11,470 trees would do in the years to come. We didn't just plant trees; we created a habitat for animals-a safe place for them to come back to Little Desert, make a home, breed, re-wild the area. However, it wasn't until a little conversation at the Night Markets in Cairns that this all really sunk in.

I was walking through the Night Markets in Cairns doing some souvenir shopping when I stopped at a small shop where two men were making jewelry. I started talking to them and they picked up on my American accent and asked what I was doing in Australia. I explained that I was there with ISV, had completed a volunteer project, and was now traveling up the east coast. This stranger whole-heartedly, sincerely thanked me. He expressed pure gratitude and told me how wonderful it was that I would take the time to do that for his country. I was taken back; I hadn't realized until that moment how big of an impact we had all made. We didn't just plant trees; we truly impacted our world in more ways than one.

This experience offered by ISV was an amazing opportunity for a student to get out of the comfort zone and travel to a completely new continent in the safest and most well planned way possible. For me, it was definitely one of the best experiences I have had and possibly will ever have.

I participated in the one month program. The first two weeks of the experience were spent in Cintsa, East London where our team of 12 worked on the refurbishment of the Cefani Primary School. The work itself involved plenty of scraping and painting but was not too tedious and was extremely enjoyable. The two weeks were also filled with team bonding activities, a few hikes, some cliff jumping (also known as kloofing) and plenty of cultural immersion. We even learnt some basic Xhosa which was the local language. The highlight for me was the kids who dropped by everyday. To see the smiles on their faces and the constant joy that they had was very uplifting and heartwarming.

The next two weeks were spent on tour where we got to do so many amazing activities! These included (but were not limited to) caving, diving, more kloofing, visits to reserves and of course the Kruger National park. I personally enjoyed the caving in Swaziland where we crawled around on our hands and knees in a granite cave.

Through the entire process ISV were completely supportive and helpful, answering all questions we had. We had two amazing leaders (shoutout to Kieran and Tasch!) for the project and tour who guided us and took care of us so well. No doubt they enhanced the overall experience!

Overall the experience was excellent and I would strongly encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and join one of the programs run! I am very sure you will love it as much as I did!

When I first heard of ISV programs, I knew right away that it was going to be a lifetime experience. ISV Thailand was an adventure that I will never forget. The Volunteer Project at DEPDC really touched my heart. The staff and the children are amazing people and I was privileged enough to be part of the community. The adventure tour was so much fun! Did so many different things with a group of people that will be lifelong friends! my favorite part was traveling with a group of people that had a common goal. It was to impact our world in a positive way while traveling and exploring an exotic country like Thailand.

This month was the most impactful experience of my life and Southern Africa will forever hold a very special place in my heart. The first 2 weeks were spent working with cheetahs, wild dogs, meerkats, hyenas, and vultures. The food at our accommodation and throughout the trip was absolutely delicious and really helped immerse us in the culture. The second 2 weeks were non-stop adventure and breathtaking views. From the white sandy beaches of Mozambique to the top of the Magaliesberg Mountains, each day held a new experience that would push our limits. Our leader for both the volunteering part and the adventure tour made sure every moment was filled with laughter, fun, and excitement. There is no other group you could go on a adventure like this with. No other place offers trips with nearly as much as we got to do and in such a short time span at such a reasonable price. ISV is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Overall, the experience was more that I ever could have imagined. Being able to make a difference everyday at the Cheetah Center was so rewarding! We could tell we were helping accomplish a lot of things that they wouldn't have gotten to do without the extra help! And having the chance to be next to so many beautiful animals constantly, including on the adventure tour, was so magical! I have dreamed of those animals being so close since I was tiny, so being immersed in the environment as a whole was dream like. The adrenaline pumping experiences of the adventure tour are some I will never be able to forget! I truly got to see South Africa while doing these things, and I am so grateful I got to immerse myself as much as I did! On both the project and the adventure tour, we had AMAZING tour leaders! Graeme Hillary, Kelly Gowar, and Courtney Moxley all helped to make our experience that much more personable and enjoyable!

When I was in Ostional, Costa Rica, I had an amazing experience being able to help work with the sea turtles. Not only was I able to make a difference, but I got to interact with other volunteers, employees of the wildlife refuge, and the locals. Along with all of these positive experiences I had, my favorite was being able to witness a small arribada of 3,100 nesting sea turtles. I will never forget my experience with ISV.

ISV is an amazing program that affects the communities it serves as much as the volunteers who are doing the work. Every aspect of signing up and working with ISV is professional, efficient, well thought out, and fun. ISV has selected excellent leaders and guides to work with their volunteers - every project manager, contractor, activity instructor, host family member, you name it, was knowledgeable, welcoming, and comfortable to be around. I had the honor of working in the El Castillo community which was as wonderful as I could have ever hoped for.

One moment that I think exemplifies the total work that ISV workers completed is the work we did on Marun's house. Marun is an older man who lives in El Castillo. For the past 18 years he has been living in a stick and plastic tarp house barely the size of a college dorm room, and at one point lived with 9 other people. In addition to construction work we did on 2 other houses and the school, we were able to build Marun an entirely new house with a sturdy foundation, secure walls and roof, and a cement floor. So many members of the community came to join in on the labor and when the home was complete, it was so evident how grateful Marun and all of his neighbors were. On days when we weren't doing construction work, we were running a summer camp for the kids who live in the community. I cannot express the love that is shared between the volunteers and local students. The end of the project was full of tearful goodbyes, long hugs, and the knowledge that both the volunteers and the children made huge impacts on each other.

So what are you waiting for? Be a part of helping amazing communities like El Castillo develop through community construction and education. Push yourself out of your comfort zone by signing up for the Spanish Immersion week at the start of the trip (I would HIGHLY recommend this week. You become connected to the country, the culture, and your fellow volunteers so much faster this way). Conquer your fears and see even more of the Dominican Republic by sticking around for the Adventure Tour. If you have any hesitation about signing up with ISV, don't - you are not going to find an organization as valuable, supportive, fun, safe, or welcoming as International Student Volunteers. ISV changed my life and I know it can change yours too.

There is not much else to say than just do it. Just step outside of your comfort zone and go on this trip, trust me when I say it will be one of the best experiences you will ever have. Don't worry about the cost, you will make the money. Money is replaceable, the memories you will make and the people you will meet are absolutely priceless. Not to mention a trip with ISV is an incredible value, no dollars are wasted no matter how you look at it.

I signed up for this trip not only to travel the world, see new a countries, go on crazy adventures and meet amazing people; but mostly to get experience with large exotic animals in the best way possible and really make a difference for endangered species. I had absolutely no idea what I had signed up for. I knew this trip would be amazing but I never knew that it would change my life. And yes its cheezy but its cheezy because its true.

I got to volunteer at the DeWildt Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Center for two weeks every day and spend time with these amazing creatures. I was in the Pre-vet group so not only did I get to be around them I got to work hands on with them, sedate the cheetahs for vaccinations and medications as well as watch surgery preformed on both the cheetah and wild dog. I got to learn information on why the cheetah is endangered and what we can do to help but also information on countless other species that were also at the center. I honestly cannot say enough good things about what DeWildt is doing and I am so thankful that I went with a program like ISV that brought me to such an amazing place.

The second two weeks of my program was the adventure tour, we went to Mozambique, Swaziland and then back to South Africa staying at game reserves and other amazing accommodations. Yes we got to do crazy fun activities like caving and kloofing (cliff jumping) but ISV made education just as important in the second two weeks as the first. We got to meet local people, visit villages, and see so many species of wild animals that live in Africa. Instead of riding elephants that is completely unethical we walked next to them in their natural environment so instead of training them to interact with humans on our terms we interacted with them on theirs, a beautiful thing that I am so happy I got to experience. That is the difference between ISV and other tour groups, ISV has a moral code unlike so many other companies and really care about the impact that they make and the volunteers make while abroad.

If you want to travel abroad and have the best experience of your life, believe me when I tell you to just do it and go with ISV, it was the best decision I ever made.