Africa & Asia Venture (AV)

My AV experience in Tanzania was a life-changing one and has had a huge influence in where I am today and how I got here.

The crazy and wonderful experiences of travelling through, some of the most beautiful landscapes the world has to offer, making new lifetime friends (AVs and Tanzanians), swimming the beautiful Indian Ocean, safariing in the likes of the Maasai Mara and climbing Kilimanjaro were all adventure that will live with me forever.

It is hard to believe that AV can give you an opportunity to do something even more special than all of those adventures put together… but it does. Living amongst a local Maasai community in the foothills of Mount Kili and being given the trust and responsibility to teach their wonderful children (aged 8-9f or me) is just that. The emotions, the sounds, the laughter, the bonds, and the chaos were the biggest adventure of all. I think of my pupils often, and cannot thank AV enough for giving me this opportunity.

AV provided a week long training bootcamp at the start to prepare us (Swahili classes were… interesting) and were close by if called upon (not that we needed it). Not only this, but they helped us to invest in the schools in which we worked (i.e. building a new classroom, buying supplies, painting walls). I couldn’t recommend the company more if you want this incredible experience to take with you through life.

Last year, I quit my corporate job in the UK in search of a new adventure and now find myself working for a technology start up in Toronto. I doubt I would have had the confidence to make such a life-changing decision if I hadn’t taken the amazing opportunity given to me by AV.

Uganda is the most amazing place I've ever been. The country is beautiful, and the people are really very special. The AV package allowed me to get a really full experience of these things in a relatively short space of time. The set-up allowed me the freedom to tailor my volunteering experience to suit my own interests and feel fully immersed in village life, whilst still feeling fully supported. The free travel period at the end was a highlight, seeing some of the wonders of East Africa, whilst again feeling very supported. This is a fairly unique and very positive thing about AV.
I think AV's ethos about gap year volunteering is really positive and also realistic. As a young, inexperienced person volunteering in a third world country, you cannot change the world, but you can still have a very small and positive impact on a few people, whilst having an enormously valuable experience yourself.
My four months with AV were some of the best of my life, I can thoroughly recommend them!

Volunteering in Kenya over the summer of 2016 was a truly amazing experience. AV were incredibly well organised in preparing the volunteers for what to expect and what to bring. I got to meet and great people from across the globe and the local community were very friendly and welcoming. The UK and Kenya office were very friendly and efficient, making the whole experience simple for the volunteers, in addition to keeping families at home updated with our progress. The projects at Milalani Primary School were incredibly rewarding, as was working with the community. The additional activities available were amazing, with the group going to Shimba Hills safari park, scuba diving in Shimoni Marine national park and sky diving on Diani beach. I can not speak highly enough of our guide Charles. He knew how to get the most out of us and made sure we had as great an experience as possible. The more you put into this fantastic experience, the more you get out.

Malawi is a beautiful country with the kindest, most generous people I have ever met. AV were brilliant in giving basic language skills, teaching training and essential information on the culture differences for example how to get about, safety and general welfare.
I learnt so much whilst living and teaching there, and loved with working with the children, who are as resourceful as they are keen to learn!
The whole experience was instrumental in helping me decide what I wanted to do with my life, and in giving me perspective and opening my eyes. Thankyou AV!

I had the most wonderful experience living and working with the Lepcha community in a remote village outside Kalingpong in the Himalayas. I would recommend it to anyone.

I made some of my best friends and had experiences I could never have had anywhere else. Being amerced into a community and living with a family is a very special way experience another culture. I loved the teaching and also getting involved in all elements of village life.