International Volunteer HQ - IVHQ

I participated in the medical placement with Volunteer IVHQ in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This was my first time volunteering overseas as well as my first time traveling solo outside my home country. I was blown away by how wonderful my experience was volunteering with Volunteer IVHQ! You are prepped with information on your placement well in advance of your start date. This really helped me prepare for my trip and help alleviate some of my anxiety traveling alone. The information provided is completely up-to-date and in line with my experience in HCMC.

The program started with a “Culture Week” the first Monday you arrive in HCMC. Before that, there is not much to do on the weekend. I made the mistake of arriving early (Saturday), which I did not find useful as most volunteers travel during the weekends/aren't really around to welcome you yet. By Monday though, you are drowning in fellow volunteers whom eventually become your greatest friends! :) Culture week did an amazing job of helping me adjust to Vietnam in general as well as make buddies with others to plan weekend travel and weekday funsies. :) You have a chance to see most top tourist attractions during this first week, too, which helped cross off some things on my to-do list!

I participated in the medical placement as part of my medical training (as an international rotation/elective). I was a fourth-year medical student during my time in Vietnam, so I have been in a variety of hospitals and clinical settings as well as experienced in medical procedures. I knew before signing up for the program that my work would be primarily shadowing. I found that my experience exceeded my expectations. I had the opportunity to see SO MANY departments in the hospital as well as help with a ton of interesting procedures. The fields I had a chance to experience included orthopedics, trauma, mental health, daycare/special needs, physical therapy, electrotherapy, acupuncture, surgery, and probably more! This is a great program for those thinking about entering the medical field or already in it. I found the entire experience very humbling and eye-opening as the healthcare resources are much different than in the US.

Overall, Volunteer IVHQ did an excellent job of coordinating my volunteer trip in HCMC, Vietnam. I highly recommend their program! :D

P.S. Meals are AMAZING. More than enough vegetarian options if that's your jam!!!

I volunteered in Cape Town doing the childcare program for 2 weeks and it was amazing. I wish I could’ve stayed longer, but unfortunately I couldn’t take any more time off school. Arriving at the daycare every morning and seeing how happy the kids were to see me was such an amazing feeling!! They were the cutest and always had something they wanted to tell me. They were the best part of the day and I miss them so much.
I’m really glad I chose IVHQ to travel with. They had so many projects and so many destinations to choose from at such affordable prices compared to other volunteer companies. The staff at my placement were also so nice and welcoming. I met some really cool people as well. I would love to volunteer with IVHQ again in the future, and will definitely stay longer because 2 weeks wasn’t enough!

its my second time volunteering with IVHQ and im really happy that i was allowed to repeat the experience with them, Bali is a really unique place different from what you will see in any island of the world, our volunteer house was in a not touristic place, more local-farm place near ubud which for me was a big plus since i wanted to immerse in the culture o bali. the orientation week was great since it was a nice introduction to the island,their religion, their food, their culture, their handcrafting. and also was an opportunity to meet with the other volunteers. My project was health care education in a school for kids between ages 10-11, i really love the experience but i know i could do more than that so the coordinators algo allow me to be in the kindergarten project at the same time, i was really happy with both projects and in both of them i receive a lot from the coordinators. the house that i was staying was great, the food also was incredible and it was i nice touch from the coordinators to make a goodbye activities every Thursday to say thanks to the volunteers that were leaving, you can see that they really want to grow as groups and make a change, overall im really happy with the experience, it gave me more than i was expecting and also make me grow as a person in a lot of ways

My son and I were on Tom Owens Caye with Reef CI last week. The program was outstanding! The dive instructors and support staff were wonderful. The locations we dove were interesting and diverse. Willy, Pete, Felix and Matt were knowledgeable, and committed to both safety and fun. The cooks prepared great food, and it was plentiful! The housekeeper truly cared about the guests comfort, ensuring rooms were kept clean daily. We would return in the future, definitely.

I worked in the Animal Care program with several other volunteers at two animal shelters in Merida, Mexico. In both cases, I felt like I was making a difference in the lives of dogs and cats. One of my favorite memories was how grateful the permanent workers and local volunteers were for our work and support. It was incredibly rewarding to help them and support their programs. IVHQ staff were incredibly supportive before I left for my volunteer placement. They answered all of my questions quickly and the orientation process was fun, interactive, and easy to follow. Mexico was my first volunteer abroad experience deeply affected me and has increased my commitment to promoting the proper care and treatment of cats and dogs.