Program Reviews

In Ghana, everyone was extremely friendly from the moment we arrived. I was a little worried about our living arrangements but I was so relieved to see our house. It was clean, comfortable, and safe. Our first weekend was busy with orientation and getting to know the city, food and culture. Our program coordinators, Fred and Annette, were always there to listen and answer any questions or concerns we had.

That first day at the orphanage we learned that one of the children (Naomi) was very sick. Once we met Naomi we both felt an immediate connection with her. We knew that we had to help her. Once we talked to Annette and Fred about it, they arranged for us to take her to the hospital on our first day off. She was admitted to the hospital for malnutrition and we found out that once a child is admitted, someone has to be with her 24/7. Alec, one of the other volunteers, was part of our team to help Naomi, we set up different shifts with Fred, Alec, Sammar and I spending hours at the hospital each to care for her.

I have had a lot of memorable chapters in my life, but none compare to this life changing experience. From the culture, country, children, and people I met along the way to the friendships I've made with Fred, Annette, and the other volunteers. I am truly blessed to have met such wonderful people and I know that I have made some life-long friends.

I would recommend going to Ghana to anyone that is even remotely interested in doing volunteer work in Africa; it was a beautiful country with beautiful people. This trip has awakened a passion in me that I could have never imagined and I am hoping to add many more chapters in my volunteer journeys of this type.

My primary reason for going to volunteer was to teach English and push myself to do something I had never tried before, but living with Jack and his family offered a chance to get to know the real Thailand as well. We lived in the village of Ban Thin Dung with only a few hundred inhabitants and several kilometers from the nearest town of Phon Phisai, population less than 9,000 inhabitants. The children would start the morning with a call of 'Hello Teacher'. "Hello Students, How are you"."Fine Thank You and How are you". The students had learned some prior English by reading and writing but often didn't know what all of it meant or were often embarrassed to practice in front of the 'farange' or foreigner. I was able to assist the farmers in harvesting the rice while being rewarded with a welcome into their homes for dinner or joining for the 'rat hunt and barbecue'. For the nights where we were looking for something a bit quieter, a sunset cocktail on the banks of the Mekong would set the night up perfectly before the occasional karaoke to finish off the night. The whole experience is something I won't soon forget. Almost everyone made an impression on me and the hospitality shown by Jack and his family was beyond expectations, not to mention the wonderful Thanksgiving meal prepared as well. I only wish that I had more time devoted to do more, but I will look forward to my return as soon as I am able.

Although my time in Ghana will always be remembered as one of the best in my life, I must say that generally speaking the place where I live is much more developed and that is something that, in broad terms, we should certainly appreciate more.
The showing of affection, respect, friendship, generosity, just to mention a few was so widespread that it was hard to believe that all these things could be found altogether in one place at the same time.
The staff that works for uVolunteer made my stay really comfortable as well as pleasant. I was able to visit famous places around Koforidua and also to make my wish come true, which was to teach the Ghanaian children and at the same time learn from them. I learnt people should try to share everything they have, life is warmer and more agreeable if you offer what you have, to those not only you most love but also to the ones that have nothing to live on.
I also learnt customs I was never taught at home such as praying at assembly and before meals, etc. Their culture was something that made me think as it was very different from mine but nonetheless important.
I think volunteering with all such generous and non-prejudice people has made me open my mind and reaffirm the saying "Money can help towards happiness but does not guarantee it 100%".
The showing of affection, respect, friendship, generosity, just to mention a few was so widespread that it was hard to believe that all these things could be found altogether in one place at the same time.
Volunteering in Koforidua for Ghana uVolunteer has been a memorable experience thanks to the organization that planned my vacation but also thanks to the people that live here and make it easier for the "brownies" to feel as they were at home.

I researched it a little bit more and emailed the coordinator to receive more information about this awesome program. Everyone I worked with was kind, friendly, and willing to deal with me and my busy schedule.
In Costa Rica I was met by a Uvolunteer coordinator right at the airport. I never had to wait for any inconvenience at all. What I really love about the Uvolunteer program is that is gives volunteers to network with people from around the world, build friendships and bonds, and volunteer at the same time. I was fortunate to meet people from England, Massachusetts, Texas, California, and Costa Rica.
All the people are great and we still keep in touch all the time through email and Facebook. They are life-long friendships. I, specifically, had the opportunity to enjoy diversity in my volunteer experience here in Costa Rica which I was so grateful for because it allowed me an advantage to work with more volunteers and more people within the community on various projects. I volunteered at the Community, teaching English, writing, and reading, playing organized games of soccer, basketball and baseball, and working with kids of all ages.
The children are so great, despite their living environments at home, they were tolerable toward the volunteers and they were polite and appreciative to all of the volunteers as well. I was also given the opportunity to work in construction and aided in the development of a house for a woman and her daughter, mixing, pouring, and leveling cement and working with the local constructors was amazing. Lastly, I was given the opportunity at night to teach English at the University, which was an immense pleasure because the people and the environment are so great and they are there and willing to learn every lesson that is shared with them.
I enjoyed my experience overall with Uvolunteer and I am already making plans to schedule another trip through them in another part of the world. I am grateful that I had all the opportunity that I did have and I look forward to coming back. Thanks Uvolunteer, for all the amenities, the love, the patience, and the hospitality; you made it a pleasure and I am forever grateful.

One of these students Som who was previously a buffalo farmer has even managed to get a job working with computers in Bangkok. The fact that you're only teaching to 6 people at a time also makes the computing class an ideal place to start if (as I was) you're nervous about standing up in front of a class for the first time.
Initially I found myself having 5 minute conversations in which neither party understood anything the other was saying.
I quickly picked up quite a bit of the Thai/Isaan (admittedly some of this isn't appropriate for use in the classroom) and its amazing how well you can get on with that little language, even if you do sometimes find yourself having the same conversations over and over again.
Phon Phisai really gives you the chance to experience Isan village life. The dorm is located in the middle of a group of Thai houses in which the people are like one giant family. This initially seemed quite daunting, especially as they spoke virtually no English, but with the help of Jack (uVolunteer Representative) we were quickly made to feel part of the family and where constantly being invited to eat and drink with various neighbours.
Phon Phisai is pretty quiet but there are still plenty of things to do. Jack has his own badminton court and there are nightly competitions with the locals as well as a swimming pool at the local guest house, football, pool tables and the karaoke bars. If you get bored of these there's always eating weird food to keep you occupied. Since I've been here I've tried buffalo, dog, eel, ant, frog, grasshopper (good in a peanut style snack sort of way), cricket and scorpion amongst other things. My only regret being that I wasn't here during rat eating season. Another big plus point is that Nong Khai, where there are always numerous other volunteers and Bar Nana (the disco), is only 35 minutes away so it's easy to return there for the weekend.
I'm really sad to be leaving Phon Phisai and have made some great and hopefully lifelong friends here in particular Jack, his girlfriend Pim and neighbour Noung, not to mention the semi-legendary kii mao drinking partnership of Mr Nung and Mr Kum who I'll certainly never forget even if I won't miss their insistence on me drinking Lao at 10 o'clock in the morning.

The importance of faith, love, not to take anything for granted and the value of a smile are just a few lessons that I have learned this past month. Fred introduced me the Queen mother and her family and during my stay I have become a member of their family and their love, kindness and generosity will never be forgotten. I attended the wedding of her son and mourned a loss with them, ate fufu (of which is my understanding am the present record holder, 3 fufu meals), celebrated and danced with them. Their door was always open to me and their spirit of kindness and hospitality will always be treasured. They are my family now. My passion for photography was more than fulfilled and I was able to extend my interest of photography with the older children at the orphanage. My young friend Bryce certainly took a liking to my cameras and I happily gave a few pointers to this young man's new found interest. Market days were certainly a favorite day of mine as there were many interesting subjects to be found and photograph.
My introduction to the Chief of Adweso and his family has allowed me to have some insight in the everyday activities of a Ghanaian family. My friendship with Chief Nana has given me the opportunity to meet some very interesting people and to witness the responsibilities that come with this position. I also had the opportunity to befriend a man whose life purpose is to eradicate some of the customs of the Trokosi Tribe. Stephen Awudi Gadri is the founder of Trokosi Abolition Fellowship International and author of the book: The Revealed Myths about Trokosi Slavery: Human Rights Violation.
This kind and gentle man has helped save and free over 3800 girls and women from a life of slavery within the Trokosi community. I consider myself truly honored to have met this man. Last but not least my new found friends, Annette my compass, Fred my dance partner and Naomi my care taker. There are not enough words to describe how you have made this opportunity one of my life's most amazing experiences and journeys. Your friendship, insight and guidance have been more than helpful and you have helped me deal with some of the difficulties and comprehending some of the challenges of being immersed in a new culture. Believe me that at the end of each and every day as I washed my feet of the Ghanaian dust I counted my blessings and even though I washed away the dust I will never wash away the lessons of my 28 days here. Again I am truly blessed to have met such wonderful people and I am definitely planning on coming back to Ghana as now I have family.

I decided on committing 2 weeks so packed my bags and started on my adventure.

From the moment I arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, the coordinator was there waiting for me and was so welcoming it put whatever reservations I still had at ease. We made the short journey from the airport to the dorm in San Ramon which was my home away from home for the next 2 weeks.

Throughout that time, I helped to construct a new home for a well-deserved family - who I was lucky enough to meet. The work was physically hard but it was the exact opposite of sitting in an office and exactly what I was after. It would've been helpful if my Spanish was a little better than it is however the guys on site are so helpful and it wasn't too difficult to pick things up after the first day.

Throughout the 2 weeks, the team also involved me in dance classes, community English classes, the festival of San Ramon and everything else Costa Rican. Amazing! It was also wonderful to wake up every morning to a cooked breakfast and come home to a traditional Costa Rican meal each night, cooked by the lovely Dona Isabel who takes care of all of the volunteers in the dorm. When it arrived at the weekends, it was easy to jump on a bus and check out the other remarkable places in Costa Rica and the team will help you organise it all. Perfect!

At the end of my 2 weeks, I can definitively say now that I'm exhausted and exhilarated and would recommend everyone takes the time out once in a while to do something different, meet new friends, experience a new culture and feel like you're giving something back at the same time.

Thanks for making this a special time in my life that I will treasure forever.

Pura Vida!

I arrived in Accra and the volunteer coordinators were waiting for me at the airport; they have been helpful and kind since then. My experience was wonderful because of their guidance and support.
Saturday's orientation provided useful cultural information and helped me to navigate through the busy town of Koforidua. Every sight and smell was a new experience for me; the community was welcoming and made me feel right at home.
On Monday I met the amazing children of the Orphanage. Their smiles and kindness exceeded my expectations. Brenda, one of the volunteers, introduced me to the volunteer room filled with medical supplies. I quickly learned to nurse a wound and care for the children. The rest of the week went by quickly; I kept busy teaching the third grade class lessons. Each day we reviewed math, English, and science. Teaching this class has been the most rewarding experience. My students greeted me each morning without a complaint, eager to learn.
I spent the following weekend in Accra. My roommate Katie and I took a tro-tro ride into the capital on Friday. We dined at a beautiful outdoor restaurant and toured the city. We had a chance to see the Nyame Memorial, Independence Square, and the local beaches. On Saturday we walked through the Art Center and local markets. My African mask will be proudly hung on my wall when I get back to the United States. The fun continued on Sunday. Fred, Annette, Katie, and I hiked to Akaa falls and had lunch on top of Umbrella Rock. The scenery was breath taking. It was great to get away from town and experience the outdoors.
My final week at the orphanage was better than the first. I formed close bonds with the children and took in each moment with them. I was the assigned teacher, but I found that my students taught me just as much each day. I purchased a pencil and sharpener for each of my students because I noticed their lack of supplies. This small gift made their day and mine.
Also, we ventured to Shia Hills Resource Reserve. Our tour guide had a gift. After meeting the ostriches, we went deeper into the reserve in hopes of seeing the baboons. Within a few minutes several baboons emerged from the forest. We feed them bread and learned interested facts about the group dynamic. The lands of the reserve are beautiful; I highly recommend taking this trip.

Rather than a home-stay it provided a dorm for all the volunteers to live in together and their office was down the street so if anything happened they could easily get to you. I know a lot of people who have stayed in a home-stay in foreign countries, and while some people think it makes the experience better there are others who did not feel comfortable with their home-stay families. I personally would have felt uncomfortable in a home-stay situation and uVolunteer seemed to be the only organization that offered an alternate living situation. The range of programs uVolunteer offered also intrigued me. I am studying environmental science but I also enjoy working with children and uVolunteer allowed me to do both.
When I finally decided on uVolunteer it was only 2 months before I wanted to leave. The application process was simple but took some time. The organization was very helpful when I had questions concerning my application and payment and sent me my information in a reasonable time frame. While the information I received prior to arriving in Costa Rica seemed to answer all my questions it still seemed limited. When I arrived I literally had no idea what I was getting myself into. The weekend I arrived in Costa Rica was Independence Day and I was the only volunteer. Fortunately the uVolunteer coordinators, Ligia and Mario, made sure I was not alone in the house. They took me to the parades, neighboring towns and out to coffee. It was a hard adjustment but having them around made it a lot easier.
For my first six weeks I worked on an Environmental Conservation project. I was placed at a nature park in the neighboring town where a handful of other volunteers were working. The other volunteers were from various organizations and countries. My first day I explored to park with Mario and met the other volunteers, for most of the day we didn't really do much. There was no one there to over see the volunteers or tell them what needed to be done so we had to find our own projects. During my time there I helped clear the trails, maintained the main area of the park, worked in the butterfly garden, built a trail in the medical garden and other miscellaneous activities.
The next 6 weeks I spent time working the Hogarcito, children's home. This project was similar to the environmental conservation in the sense that you had to find your own personal project. It was always an option to just play with the kids but if I was going to be there for six weeks I wanted to do something more permanent. After speaking with Ligia and the Tias in the home I decided to build them a garden. I had never built a garden before but after my experience in the medical garden I felt confident I could do it. I researched the most efficient way to make a garden and spent half my time at the home working on it. During my last week I finally completed it with a fence. The other half of my time at the children's home was spent with the kids. We would either play games or run around or I would plan a craft or special activity to do with them. I tired to plan an activity once a week so they would have something new and different to do. I like to think my time spent at the Hogarcita was successful and that I gave the kids some good memories during a hard time in their lives.
Every morning I woke up to the smell of breakfast or the sound of the blender making fresh juice. Dona Isabel is the cook and maintains the volunteer house. She made delicious food and was extremely nice. If we ever wanted something specific to eat for breakfast or dinner, she would make it and just when we were realizing we were a little homesick she would make meals that we were used to from home.
Throughout my stay in Costa Rica I feel like I achieved my personal goals and so much more. My 3 months here were incredible and I literally had the time of my life. I could not have wished for a better experience, and for anyone who is unsure about taking the leap and volunteering in another country all I can say is, do it.

The kids are really eager to learn everything you tell them, so if you prepare some good lessons, you can really expand their vocab and understanding by a thousand per cent.
After school, Jack took us to see many things: We went to see the sunset on the Mekong in the boat of a fisherman, we saw an Isan pottery maker (and they let us make one ourselves, no great success!), we saw the market of Lao coming over the river to sell their goods at the side of the Mekong, we went to a village celebration (one of the funniest things I've ever done!) , Jack took us to his master, a monk in the mountains of Loei, for two days... and many many more things. If you want to really get to know Isan and its people, Isan is the best place to stay!
After two weeks, the two Dutch girls continued their journey through Thailand and I remained in Jack's house 'alone'. I was afraid that it would be not as much fun as it was with them, but that turned out to be not true at all! Isan is just never boring.
Two weeks later again, I stopped teaching at Dungkhampee school and went to Chumphol Phonphisai, the highschool of Phon Phisai. That was really one of the best things that ever happened to me! I've had so much fun with the teacher (Ajahn Yu) and especially with the students (many of them were my age). Thanks to Chumphol, I let many tears when it was time to leave Phonphisai. Thanks to Chumphol, I've got many friends in Thailand.
Leaving Phonphisai was really hard for me, having to leave Jack and his lovely family behind, leaving Chumphol and my friends behind, it made me realize I was actually leaving home. I'm going back there in a month to celebrate Songkran and, although I just left this morning, I just can't wait until April... to go back to my second home.