IFRE Volunteers Abroad

Program Reviews

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Pablo
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Experience in San Jose.

It has been a great experience so far and the team is very supportive.
Logistics could be improved : for example, pair up volunteers who live in the same house and have the same assignment to work on same shifts so that Uber costs can be minimized.
Buses are reliable, but complicated to transfer and return to point of origin .
Overall, great experience!
The family where I stayed was so welcoming and the food was delicious .
I particularly enjoyed the salsa class given to participants. I would recommend the partners to lower the cost of the program to draw more volunteers and potential repeats.

Response from IFRE Volunteers Abroad

Dear Pablo,
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear that you found the program enjoyable and that our team provided you with great support. Your suggestions regarding logistics are very valuable; we will certainly consider pairing volunteers with similar assignments to reduce transportation costs. We're glad you enjoyed your stay with the welcoming family and the delicious food! It’s wonderful to hear that you liked the salsa class as well. We appreciate your recommendation about adjusting the program cost to attract more volunteers and look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Safe travels!

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Simone
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Teaching ICT in Zimbabwe

My volunteering program, come to an end. It was really a special experience.
The teaching activities in Shalom Primary School went over my expectations. When I arrived at school on the first day, I discovered that I was supposed to be in charge of the “7th Grade” of primary school. In Zimbabwe, primary school lasts 7 years and so at 13 years old you take exams and then you go to high school. August is a sort of revision period in which the students, who had finished lessons in July, go to school to review and prepare for the September exams. The principal decided to put me alongside the “7th Grade” teacher to give the kids the opportunity to have additional support in preparing for the exams. I had a very nice interaction with the teachers and with the class. As long as the languages spoken at home are Ndebele and Shona, all subjects are taught in English. After discussing the program with the teacher, we decided that I would review ICT "Information and Communication Technology", basically computers and software. It seems that my ICT (Information and communication technology) lessons were useful even for the teacher; kids always asked me questions and the "final test" showed a good understanding. It was a huge satisfaction, it means that they understood me and despite they having had very little time to study, they assimilated my lessons, there could not have been a greater emotion. I was happy to have been able to donate some of my time to these African kids, they, with the affection they showed me, certainly gave me much more than I was actually able to give them. I therefore reap the benefits of these very few weeks of volunteering, with the certainty that I will want to make myself available again, because yes, I taught them a bit of ICT, but being able to participate in their lessons, enriched me, a lot, listening first-hand to what they teach in a school in Zimbabwe was the deepest cultural immersion I have ever experienced.

I want to thank you all and all the local staff that supported me in everything at the house and in town, I felt at home.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Go and enjoy Zimbabwe that is a super safe and friendly country
Pros
  • Zimbabwe is safe
  • Zimbabwean are friendly
  • The house is comfy
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Angela
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An eye-opening experience in Nepal

I joined the volunteer program in Kathmandu and had the amazing experience of teaching in both a school and a monastery, the latter being one of the best opportunities I've had. I've learned tremendously with the monks and the children were the best students I could have ever asked for. I also had the chance to go trekking the Himalayas, namely the Annapurna Sanctuary Circuit, and all the preparations were very good. I loved my daily life of exploring the city and spending time with my "didi" in the hostel, with amazing food, fun conversations and impromptu dance moments and dramatic turns. I was not alone in the hostel and saw a good number of other volunteers coming and going, and definitely created frienships for life. The coordinator of the program was very nice and organized everything very promptly. I recommend anyone to join this program, especially if you would like to go on a spiritual adventure and self-discovery trip as well.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Definitely the trekking to Annapurna. I would never have trusted myself to stay in the mountains for more than a week, and here I am, finished and conquered my first 4130m.
Pros
  • Amazing food at very reasonable prices (dal baht power!)
  • The experience in the monastery was definitely a life-changing one
  • A lot of opportunities to discover Kathmandu (and Nepal) on your own
Cons
  • A lot of rain! (well, it was Monsoon season so understandable)
  • The teaching in the school was unfortunate (but the IFRE team was very helpful with all the issues)
Read my full story
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Ron
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

HIV Social Work, Ngong/Nairobi

The HIV Care project just outside of Nairobi is exceptional. Run by a social activist with an infectious personality and endless energy, the experience felt like a graduate-level course in social work. I was given a detailed orientation to learn about the history, purpose and organization of the program. On day one I was also given a schedule for my two week volunteer work, which I greatly appreciated. My work was a mix of teaching/assisting at the school, doing home visits of clients and writing up success stories for social media to fund raise. I also participated in a weekly support group with new clients. The office staff is kind and vivacious, treating one another and guests like family. Accommodations are comfortable but basic a d food provided varied and high quality home cooked meals. I will treasure the work I did here and always remember the resilient women I met who have overcome so many adversities.
I did have some communication issues with the IFRE representative regarding arrival and the location of my placement, so I recommend to future volunteers to be mindful of this and ensure proper arrangements are made in advance. That said, this was an invaluable program and I encourage anyone considering it to take the plunge and work with Living Positive Kenya.

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Allie and Maisie
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Khawalung Monastery

It's the kind of volunteer program that grows as you reflect. We were only there a week and the first few days were difficult. We didnt feel welcomed by the teaching staff who used us as time off. We were given little training and no level of expectation. So we worked a few classes a day, mainly sitting in on a teacher if the was one. The resources were good but often the class being taught wasn't what was timetabled and it was hard to teach without the text book. We felt a bit displaced to be honest. But the other volunteers were great and so we're the moms, both young ones and the seniors monks. We went to prayers when we wanted and respected their culture and kindness. It's an open minded monastery with girls as well and the volunteers are able to chat amongst all the monks. By our last two days, we had grown in confidence and took decisions about what and how we would teach. And the teachers then sat in on us.
All.in all it was such a privilege to get close to such a different environment and be privy to conversations and experiences so different to home. Without realising it at the time, we have learned so much, both from a teaching perspective and from a visitor one. It's an experience we will treasure.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
It can be a bit overwhelming to begin with as you're out of your comfort zone but it's one of this things where the more you put in the more you get out. You could sit in bed all day or give yourself the energy to emerge. There's no one telling you what to do so it requires self motivation which is worth it.
Pros
  • Living inside a seemingly closed cultural environment
  • Encourages and requires courage
  • Introduces skills you didn't know you had.
Cons
  • Being left to your own devices can be isolating
  • Not really teaching, you're improvising
  • Tough at the beginning till confidence grows
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Joe
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Teaching English in Nairobi

My experience teaching and living in Nairobi was rewarding and unforgettable. I taught 6th and 8th grade “learners” at St. Paul’s public school and collaborated closely with a wonderful teacher. The head teacher, all the faculty, and the beautiful children welcomed me with open arms.
Most of the “learners” are impoverished. I was taken back by the lack of books (one book for each three and sometimes four students) and classroom size (60) and was not prepared for the amount of material which must be printed on the blackboards or on poster boards. Despite these difficulties, the students were very disciplined, polite, and curious about my presence.
There is a lack of government support which is reflected not only in the paucity of books but also in the number of learners (60) in classrooms and lack of individual desks that required many learners to sit together on benches with very narrow desktops. Student sitting at the back of the room had difficulty seeing the blackboard, and I had difficulty hearing them at times in their accented English. The line up for daily porridge for students who did not bring lunch was very large, and even larger when it was announced that learners whose parents did not contribute to the porridge fund (that pays for porridge and the cook) could receive porridge due to a surplus. The teachers told me that the porridge may be the only meal in the day for some of the students.
Due to flooding, there were only three toilet facilities – one for girls, one foy boys, and one for faculty and staff. The toilets were outhouses which required standing up. Everyone had to bring their own toilet paper, including the learners but some could not afford it. There were not enough places for handwashing.
The largely female teachers were very enthusiastic and dedicated, and teaching was only part of their responsibility and deep commitment. The teachers routinely keep track of the tough economic and social circumstances under which most learners live and learn. I saw numerous acts of kindness demonstrated by individual teachers. I watched as my mentor teacher brought in a bag of shoes from her son to give to the “head learner” whom she noticed was having difficulty walking because his shoes had fallen apart.
There was a day of celebration when local elected officials came to deliver sanitary napkin supplies for the first time to the school to end the plague of “menstrual shame” and stop girls from missing school during their periods. St. Paul’s was chosen as a pilot project and each girl having her period would receive two napkins – one for school and one to take home. On another occasion when my mentor teacher pointed out that one boy could not see the text in the shared book, because his mother could not afford to buy him eye glasses, I had a pair of non-prescription reading glasses with me and gave them to him. A whole new world opened up.
I was surprised to learn the language of instruction for all subjects is English, although Swahili is spoken more to the younger children. One suggestion I have is for those who teach English in the volunteer program to receive more specific information about area and school where the will teach, the grade levels, and more precise recommendations on teaching English.
My room and meals in a family home were excellent. As a senior citizen, it was important that I had a single room with shower. But even better was the relationship I developed with the family who were wonderful, understanding, and accommodating. The host father, who is both a minister and a dean of students at Daystar University, was very generous and is planning two projects to assist impoverished youth in Nairobi and in his native village. He also arranged for me to give a lecture to students at Daystar. I wrote a white paper for him outlining some ideas about raising funds and setting up a non-profit corporation in the US. I pledged to donate funds to one of the projects of my host family after an organization is formed. I also plan to send some funds to St. Paul’s to purchase supplies.
As a final comment, I was struck by the role of Christianity plays in the daily life of Kenyans and even in the public schools where there is also a required course on “Christian Living” that I found fascinating. As I non-religious person and American where there is a legal separation between church and state (although changes are underway on this principle), I was not offended at all having observed what is taught which is more about discussing the importance of proper behavior rather and less about religion.

Pros
  • A lived experience with deep immersion. Opportunity to make a difference.
Cons
  • Don't do it if you are looking for an adventure. Do it because you want to make a contribution.
  • Arrangements for the chosen school were a bit sloppy. My host had to find the school which turned out well.
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Eleonora
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

One of the best experiences of my life!

I absolutely loved my time in Kenya, volunteering for HIV positive women under the LPK program. I not only met amazing people (some of the most welcoming individuals I have ever met), but I was able to experience the kenyan culture and contribute to the program in a meaningful way. We carried out home visits to work on each case individually and speak with the beneficiaries of the program. They allowed me to visit the school (in which many students are funded by the program itself) and the slums where many of these women live. It was a culture shock to say the least, but truly eye-opening and humbling. I think everyone should contribute to this program, as it both enriches you and the organization. The food, the accommodation, and the staff members were all great and have made a life-long impression on me. I am definitely coming back for a longer period.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would get in touch with the spokesperson at the organization, asking her what I need to bring that might support the program/the beneficiaries. If I had known in advance, I would have brought resources for both the kids and the women under the program.
Pros
  • Experiencing the kenyan culture
  • Meeting women with HIV and seeing how they overcame their challenges
  • The chance to travel around Kenya and do safaris
Cons
  • no internet (SIM card needed)
  • Different working hours than what specified in the program
  • had to pay extra drop-off fees (40 USD)
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Arthur
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Photojournalism in Nepal

This was my first time in Nepal, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but as soon as I arrived I felt welcomed and made myself at home very easily and quickly.
The food prepared for us was always amazing, and the location of the guest house in Kathmandu was a short walk from the town centre.
I was on the photojournalism course, which was an amazing experience in itself. The first week was a bit tough to get in the working rhythm. I also thought I would be having photography classes, as the program presented it in such a way - but ended up having a few talks with the teacher to understand what my work was and that was sufficient for me to get on my way.
Overall it was an amazing experience where I learnt a lot and met amazing people. 100% would reccomend.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would go trekking and explore the remote areas of Nepal more
Pros
  • Close to city center
  • Lovely food
  • Beautiful views
Cons
  • Outside of the city center
  • Not many people
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Sarvesh
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Medical Shadowing

I volunteered at Sahid Memorial Hospital, a small community based hospital in Kathmandu,Nepal. During my volunteering stint, I was attached to the Emergency Department (ED). In the ED, they had a different medical officer in charge every day, which allowed me to interact with and learn from multiple doctors. Despite being a small hospital, there was a significant number of walk-in patients in the ED with diverse medical needs. During the afternoons, I was given the opportunity to explore different departments in the Hospital. My personal favourite was the Surgery department. The highlight of the program was observing live surgeries.

Registering for the program was easy. The program cost is fairy affordable as well.
Anjana, my program coordinator was friendly, accommodating and supportive throughout my stay in Nepal.

I would strongly recommend pre-med students to apply for this program to witness firsthand the diverse medical practices and gain invaluable clinical experience.

Pros
  • The staff at IFRE are friendly and helpful
  • The hospital had various departments for exploring niche opportunities
  • I had an opportunity to interact with different medical officer on a daily basis
Cons
  • The accommodation (Hostel) wasn't comfortable for my stay.
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Michael
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sahid Memorial Hospital Experience

I volunteered in Sahid Memorial Hospital in the heart of Kathmandu in April 2024. I was assigned to the ER. I also made rounds in the General Ward with two of the ER young doctors. I participated in the assessments and treatment plans for some of the patients. The nursing and medical staff I interacted with were friendly. I felt at home after the first day. It’s a wonderful experience for me. I’d definitely seize another opportunity to go back. I spent some time touring the city. I also took a guided hiking tour of Shivapuri Peak which was exhausting but fun.

What was your funniest moment?
Riding on a commercial scooter.
Pros
  • Eye opener
  • Fulfilling
  • Cost-effective
Cons
  • Travel time
  • Long layover