ISV - Volunteer Projects in the Dominican Republic

This program was amazing! The days all had a schedule, that we stuck to, which allowed us to be excited and prepared for each day's work. When the end of the total five week trip was coming to a near, I was not at all ready to leave. At the end of the program we had a debriefing that really laid out just how much of an impact we had on the community. I enjoyed the debriefing since while you are physically cementing the floor or working with the kids everything seems so minuscule as if you could be doing so much more. As for the ISV staff-I cannot even describe how excellent they were! The project leader single-handedly made my experience 100 times better. We also got to interact with the country coordinator- he was not just some name you see in emails of someone you wouldn't ever meet. Overall ISV is an amazing organization! They were the cheapest international volunteer agency I have come across and I feel like I got so much more out of this program than I would have any other.

The whole experience was amazing!! The service project, the people we served, the volunteers I worked with, the food, and the adventure tour!

Its hard to pick a favorite memory but one thing that stands out is when we road horses through the jungle up to a waterfall. I picked a horse that liked being the leader and was competitive with the other horses and liked to go fast. The hike up to the waterfall was so beautiful and exciting. But on the way down my horse started racing to be the first one down the hike, through the village, and back to the horse corral. I've always wanted to ride a horse galloping all out, so I hung on tight and we flew. The people outside their houses started shouting and cheering as I flew past on my horse with my friends horses racing along with me. It was so fun, and a dream come true. Loved it!

This program provided me with the opportunity to interact with the local community in a way I couldn't have done on my own. The connections that ISV has with each of their countries allows for the maximum utility of time, and a great experience. I would highly recommend this program to students seeking their first experience abroad as the safety of students is paramount to ISV and the volunteering portion is very rewarding.

I had countless unforgettable experiences during my time volunteering with ISV. My volunteer group focused on community development which included, installing cement floors in homes, constructing the foundation for a daycare building, as well organizing a summer school/camp for the local children. Since ISV, I have traveled to many other places across the world. I still look back on this experience as one of my most rewarding to date. My fellow volunteers and I shared many of the same values and goals. We all woke up each morning more motivated and inspired than the day before. I have made some phenomenal friendships that I will cherish forever! Some of us have kept in contact and flown across the globe to visit one another. Aside from the amazing people who participate in these programs, ISV empowers young adults to have a positive impact on communities. This opportunity personally opened a door for me and helped me to discover my passion for travel and helping others. I cannot thank ISV enough for putting on such a wonderful program and helping so many people in the process!

I had a wonderful time in this program. I taught health education to young children and built cement floors for families. We also helped build the foundation of a daycare. The impact you make by helping these families is amazing. The people are so grateful and it is such hard work, you feel accomplished. It really opens your eyes to what life is like outside of your bubble. I met amazing people who I am still friends with and you experience life in a new way. Our team leaders were also great and made me feel as comfortable and confident as I could possibly be. I recommend everyone to have an experience like this in their life time.

This volunteering experience ended up being the most wonderful experience of my life. Being surrounded by new friendly faces and a completely different culture gave me a sense of happiness that allowed me to express myself completely and laugh the entire time. There were serious times when we needed to get to work and pour our hearts out into our volunteer work, but even this ended up being fun and extremely rewarding. I think the children and environment made more of a difference in me than I could ever give back to them. I know it's cheesy, but when I committed everything I had to experiencing such a beautiful experience, I now look back at that time with such a desire to go back and laugh with the people I met during these four weeks. The two weeks of adventure after volunteering made me wish everyday was filled with that much thrill and excitement. I tried so many new things and made so many fulfilling memories with people that I daydream about when I'm having a bad day.
One of the most memorable moments on this trip was on the adventure tour when we ziplined into a pool that was 50 feet below where we started from. A few people had successfully gone down and plopped into the water shouting and laughing. The next person to go did not hold on tight enough and when she got just barely past the edge, she fell and hit the wall when she plummeted to the bottom. Not a second after he saw her let go, Adolfo dove to the rescue and was in the water before she even got there. He was like superman and although it was a scary situation, the girl who fell was completely fine with nothing but a scrape on her knee, and Adolfo was our new hero.
There is a treasure chest of priceless memories I have of that trip, from skinny dipping in the atlantic ocean, to being intentionally bitten by ostriches, I can't say I have experienced such freedom to do whatever comes to mind. Propelling down waterfalls was by far the scariest thing I have anticipated to do, but once I started, it was beautiful and rewarding. In the volunteering portion, the children were so lively and energized, it gave me a sense of playfulness and happiness. I remember one recess session where the children all lined up to the swing, and I began swinging them and laughing at their extreme excitement to get a turn with the swing!
Another beautiful memory in the school was at the very end when we had a talent show, and two talented dancer boys competed against one another in a dance off. I could see the freedom and beauty in this culture and the joy within themselves spread through their dance moves and into my heart. It was also extremely rewarding to work on the house we finished for a school teacher at the school we were helping with. It was amazing to see a direct correlation between the two types of work we were doing, and it was also amazing to swim down the river behind the house except when we saw a chicken floating down it, inflated with water. This was definitely a memorable time. Yet another memory was when we spent time in Santo Domingo and got to see all of the ruins from the colonial times. It was fascinating to hear the history of this beautiful place, and to spend time in a large city for a change. Dinner at Blue Moon was always special, we ate chicken, beans and rice for basically every meal, and it was delicious to be immersed in the food of this country. There are too many beautiful memories to list them all, but these were a few of my favorite ones!

There were countless things I loved about my five weeks in the Dominican Republic! Whether it was the beautiful scenery of the trees and beaches, the genuinely down-to-earth and kind locals, the amazing kids we worked with, or the friends I made; I will never forget this experience! Each part of the program had a rewarding component. The first week every 2 student volunteers were placed with a host family and taught about some of the local culture and the Spanish language. The second and third weeks consisted of the volunteer portion of the program where we laid down cement for local homes, built the foundation for a nursery, taught Dengue Fever prevention, and worked with the local children. The last 2 weeks were the adventure tour which involved all sorts of exciting activities such as white water rafting, waterfall repelling, horseback riding, and paragliding to name a few. Ultimately my favorite part of the trip were the people I met and the friends I made. The friendships I formed are some of the most meaningful ones I have ever had.

I was lucky enough to spend one week in the Dominican Republic with ISV, and I got to meet locals and children who were so unbelievably happy even though they had so little. Many families don't have running water, clean drinking water, and clothing, which are basic necessities that many Americans tend to take for granted. The work ISV does in the DR is truly needed, and those who we helped were so appreciative of everything.