Make a REAL difference in Ukraine - From $285!

I don’t know where to start from. But in a nutshell, this was the best experience and the best month i’ve ever had in my entire life.
I arrived to Cherkasy on December the first, it was snowing. Too cold and new people, new language, however, i felt home in a very short period. The people here are great and friendly. The local staff in the orphanages are friendly and respectful as well. My coordinator Alexander was absolutely helpful and made it really easy for me to accomplish my volunteering work.
About the kids, nothing can describe how lovely they are, they are so amazing, they participate in every activity i prepare and made me feel really happy. I brought tears to my eye in my last day, whey came and asked me not to cry :(
Also they ask me to come back and made my promise to do so, and i will visit one day.

This month had changes my life, i realised how simple things can do for these kids.
Thanks for every one in Cherkasy, thanks Alexander and thanks Love Volunteers.

I just finished my week in Ukraine, and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. So much that I plan on coming back for 5 weeks when I am done school this year. I had been looking forward to volunteering in Ukraine for a while now and my coordinator was very fast at answering any questions I had at least two months prior to my arrival. My week was very organized, I got to do so much for the time I had, see children from different orphanages, visit the area, enjoy plenty of the local food and plan activities for the children. Another aspect of this trip is that, other than my love for Ukraine as a country and its beautiful culture, I was amazed by the children's view of happiness and their profound respect for one another. They were caring, grateful, protective, always smiling and very loving. All they wanted was to play and enjoy their afternoons together. It was so precious and simple. I also got to teach English and, my Ukrainian/Russian grammar being far from perfect, my coordinator Alex acted as a translator and everyone was very helpful and understanding when he was not around. As there were different types of orphanages, children differed on mental levels or physical illnesses, but I could never tell, because you'd be surprised how much children can communicate simply with a smile or a laugh ! It is the most rewarding feeling. All together it was a truly touching experience and I plan on keeping in touch, sending toys, crafts and pictures during the year (they promised to show me pictures of their art) and am very excited to make new memories with them in 10 short months !!!

Karine Wlasichuk, Montreal, Canada
Autumn, 2015

My experience volunteering with the children and getting to know the locals was amazing. I knew very little about Ukraine and its history befor arriving. I spent my days teaching English and face painting. However I would not recommend volunteering through love volunteers. The overall experience with the Ukraine coordinator was horrible. I've never felt so deceived and controlled by anyone like that before. My first issue was paying $535 for staying there for two weeks. I had no idea before my arrival the state of Ukraine's economy and how drastically different it is from the USA or any other European country. I didn't think it was reasonable to charge that amount since you could have breakfast for less than $1 and rent a for a room is $40 a month in the city center. The amount I paid for room and board for two weeks is what a school teacher makes working full time in 6 months. I also went out of my way to try and connect with other teachers. When Alex found out I talked with other people he became very irritated. Staff members told me Alex said it was "forbidden" to talk to me and only allowed through him. He also insisted I was working at a summer camp for orphans or extremely poor children. I later found out it's a sanatorium which I wasn't familiar with and any Ukrainian child can attend regardless of their background. The worst part for me was when he would go out of his way to introduce me to orphans. He would translate the children's responses and I would just stand there looking at their sad blank faces. I felt like he was using the children's sad stories of being abandoned or orphaned tragically to convince me that there were orphans there. Near the end of my stay I confronted Alex about my issues with him. He told me he didn't like "my kind of woman" and insisted he never lied and the cost of living is much more so the prices were reasonable. I believe that the coordinator and the host family work together to profit massively off of volunteers. I wouldn't recommend going through love volunteers if you're interested in volunteering in Ukraine.

If you're interested in Ukraine there are other options. This review is not intended to deter people from volunteering there. I received so many hugs, bracelets, and hellos from countless children. I'll never forget their sweet faces and gentle nature. There was also never a moment i felt unsafe.

My participation to this program was 3 weeks long, at the end of Autumn in Cherkasy. Despite a program "baseline" orientated towards help in orphanage, I passed most of my time helping out English teachers in a working-class school. The teaching team was really happy to have a foreigner helping them, as well as the pupils (between 7 and 17 y.o) who, for most, never had the opportunity to speak to one before. Some time in orphanages came on top of that, mostly playing with the kids.

Ukraine is a very nice country I must say, unfairly forgotten by tourists, full of sincerely kind and helpful people, who were really happy to share their culture. I plan to go back as soon as I will be able to, but this time, maybe more as a road trip.

We travel for fun, leisure and business, but seldom have we traveled for love. Ukraine is an unfamiliar nation for the people in Hong Kong. My decision to join the voluntary programme in the country is totally out of curiosity. I cannot speak in Ukrainian, I am not familiar with the Western culture though Hong Kong is an international city, and I lack experience of being a care-taker. It turns out to be the most amazing discovery of my life. My love and respect to the people, for their generosity, kindness, happiness, and all other positive qualities, will never end. Kindness is everything. We broke-through the language barriers and tried our best to understand each other. Children’s laughter and smiles shined my days and became my energizer for the stressful work in Hong Kong. Remember one day when I first met a child called Anton. He has been a rebellious boy who always hopes to escape from the orphanage. He was kidnapped and later escaped from the trafficker, he has nowhere to go but he wanted to escape. He caught my attention and I wanted to protect the little boy in all means. On the last day of the program, he came to me with a gift made of chestnuts. Kindness is everything. All through the program, I have gotten much more than I give. I was not giving enough. “You should stay here for longer. One week is not enough”, Alex, the gentleman who chairs the local organisation told me. It is very difficult for a Hong Kong working person to take more than two weeks of holiday. I am very lucky to have my company’s support. However, yes, I was not giving enough. I hope I could stay with the children longer, to understand them and teach them my languages. Now, every night, I pray for them before sleep. I wish they will grow up healthily, contributing to the society and the world. This is a mother’s wish to their future. I regard every one of them as my children. They are the unique ones. Easy to do than say, please allow me to join the force and take care of the children. This will be my life-long project.

“Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace”, once Mother Teresa said. I firmly believe in the words.