Global Crossroad

I came to volunteer in the Khawalung monastery in Kathmandu Nepal and it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. The support from the program is amazing, they picked me up from the airport, answered any question and even hosted me for dinner. The monastery is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who love kids, teaching and interested in Buddhism. You get to experience the day to day life of a monk and teach the kids english, math, science or anything you like. Everyone in the monastery is so nice and willing to help.

With previous preparations, our organization helped us get into contact with our caretaker Mama Alice who was undoubtedly the best person to be with on my trip. She has experience with travelers and the ability to schedule your tour, such as my waterfall and coffee tour, Mount Kilimanjaro ascent, and safari which were amazing. The school we taught was very welcoming yet we struggled with the children. I recommend talking to your caretakers when visiting and seeing what they can book. Overall was an experience that can help you with your resume or just a cultural exchange if you are interested in African life.

I spent 3 weeks in the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle (Sri Lanka) where I stayed one week in each other following departments : general surgery, paediatrics and internal medicine. As a second year medical student it was a great valuable experience for me to be able to follow doctors in the hospital and observe how the healthcare system works overseas. Unfortunately, the language barrier with the local population hindered my ability to communicate with most of the patients and create contact with them but the doctors, nurses and medical students were very helpful and always eager to teach me more. I am especially grateful for the amazing support I had from the local family who took great care of me and hosted me. They were very welcoming and helped me with my volunteering in the hospital but also to plan some visits during my stay in Galle and organise my trip in the rest of Sri Lanka. They really introduced me in their culture and involved me in a lot of family events such as a wedding where I got the amazing chance to be invited. I recommend this experience if you’re looking for an authentic experience and if you are eager to learn more about the healthcare system in developing countries.

Earlier this year (March 2024) I spent a month in Galle on the SW coast of Sri Lanka, a trip organized through Global Crossroad. I wanted to work with children and teaching English was an obvious way to do it.

All my contacts with GC were helpful and friendly and I was provided with plenty of information prior to departure. I was picked up at Colombo airport and taken to the house of Michael Ferreira, the local organiser. The accommodation was spacious and the food (three meals a day prepared by his wife) was excellent. I frequently met his children and grandchildren. We talked, drank tea, played games, watched cricket(!) and I rapidly felt I was part of the family. Michael also has many friends and contacts in Galle, and I was often on the back of his motorbike for shopping or for sorting out official business downtown. This was total immersion in the life of Galle which was exactly what I was looking for.

During the week I helped at a government-aided school for children from very poor families, which was about 20' away by bicycle. I helped with the English class mainly teaching 3rd,4th and 5th grade children (6-9 yo). The resident English teacher, Prarthana, was kind and helpful and the children were a delight to work with: so happy, enthusiastic and respectful despite their clearly difficult home lives. It was a pleasure getting to know them all.

During my stay Michael organized 4-day road trip around the island. There is so much to discover: beautiful landscapes, an incredible diversity of plant and animal life, many historical monuments from the time of the kings over 2000 years ago, sacred sites from the time of Buddha around 500 yrs BC, and the remains of the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial periods. We also visited a tea plantation, an Ayurveda spice and herb garden, producing a wide variety of natural therapeutics, a turtle hatchery, and an elephant clinic, necessary because in some parts of the island the elephants roam free and sometimes are injured on the roads! I never expected such a rich experience. It was a great trip and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who visits the island.

This was my first experience of voluntary work outside Europe. It was a memorable, and without exaggeration, a life-changing experience. I am definitely planning a similar trip in the future, and I will gladly choose Global Crossroad as a partner for the next project. My thanks to the whole team and especially to Hom, Anjana and of course Michael and his family

My wife and I work from home and the last few summers we have worked from a country in Latin America. In each country, we have looked for something unique for our kids (11 and 13) to do while we work during the day. We were so fortunate to have found this opportunity in Peru.

Our kids spent 2 weeks volunteering in the afternoons at the orphanage. In prior summers, they have done summer camps and/or classes, so we were not sure how they would embrace "volunteering." They loved it. They made bonds with the kids. They practiced Spanish that they were reluctant to practice elsewhere. And (though they don't talk about it much), I think it helped give them a perspective about life that they hadn't received through more curated experiences. My wife and I also went there for a day to experience it ourselves. It had an impact on all of us.

While there we also had a base to explore a gorgeous city--Cusco! We'd absolutely recommend this volunteer experience.