Program Reviews

After spending 6 weeks in Ambalangoda, Sri lanka I must start by saying thank you to PMGY for making that possible. I spent my time mostly teaching english at a buddhist temple and at an after school class. The smiles on those children's faces are in my heart forever. The projects are so well organised with local coordinators that speak english to make sure everything runs smoothly ( and it does !!). I was lucky to go to the turtle project and elephant project as well. In Sri Lanka during my time there were two wonderful women in the office ( Emma & Colby) who truly looked after me like family. Whiteout forget about Phillip who spent time explaining all of the different aspects to the trip before i booked it and made me fall in love with Sri Lanka before I even got there. My sri lankan family is real and I will love them forever. Ashika will welcome you into his home as family, such a big hearted person I hope you get the chance to meet him. And also, sri lankan people are the kindest people I have ever met, the cultural shock is to be embraced as it will change your life, well it did change mine. I could go on for pages and pages saying how amazing plan my gap year Sri Lanka truly is, but i will resume it to : life changing, a family and friends for life. From the bottom of my heart thank you to plan my gap year ( UK + Sri lanka Office ) for doing what you do.

ps : everyone should go to Sri Lanka and take me in their suitcase as I miss it everyday. I will be back! I 1000% recommend it.

I have just completed a month volunteering in Bali and it has been one of the best experiences. Teaching English was completely new to me, especially teaching in a foreign country but I felt at ease as there was a lot of guidance from the programme leaders in Bali. The children were great to work with and very eager to learn which made the experience that much more enjoyable. Their energy definitely put a smile on my face everyday!
I felt very safe and looked after the whole time I was there which gave me the confidence to explore everything the island had to offer.
I have been raving about my experience to anyone who will listen and would recommend this volunteer program to anyone looking to get out of their comfort zone and who are looking to give back in one of the best ways possible.

Travelling alone for the first time, I was very sceptic of what was in store for me. Upon arrival the PMGY team had been nothing but supportive towards me, even down to the little things like Ashika sitting up with me at 1.30am trying to connect my wifi whilst i sat their having a break down. Its these little things that make you believe that the team really do care about how you are doing in the program.

My program was the Elephant Experience, this could not have been anymore ideal for me if it tried. I really enjoyed the work we were doing and even know it was not the most ideal situation we what we could to make the best out of a bad situation. At the end of the day it was so rewarding to know the work we had done was appreciated so much.

The team a PMGY are incredible. They have this amazing ability to feel like your best friend even after the second day of you meeting them. This was very comforting to know they could be there whenever we needed to talk. The work that happens behind the scenes is truly amazing, the amount of times I would come down fr a drink and Emma would still be working away a 10pm. It is really obvious that they really do love the job they have, and its nice for us to see that.

To everyone that was apart of my little adventure, thank you. I would highly recommend this to anyone who hasn't travelled alone before, or even if you have. This experience was once in a life time!

I've just returned home after spending an amazing 3 weeks in Ghana. This was my first time travelling alone, which was quite daunting. However, as soon as I was greeted at the airport I immediately felt like part of the family. I spent my 3 weeks at the orphanage which, despite being a challenging experience, was 100% worthwhile. Seeing the smiles on all the kids faces and hearing their infectious giggles when we took them out to the park or sang their favourite songs made up for how tough it was. One thing I really appreciated during this experience was he support of my fellow volunteers. I met so many amazing people who filled my 3 weeks with so much joy and laughter and who were always there to talk to about anything. Thank you to Seth and Florence who consistently went above and beyond to help us out, listen to our concerns and make our stay in Ghana the best it could be! To anyone who is considering volunteering with PMGY Ghana, just do it! Ghana is such an amazing country and I will always look back on this experience with fond memories. The only thing I regret is that I couldn't have stayed longer!

I really enjoyed my whole month in bali! I met some amazing people and enjoyed teaching the children of all ages. All of the weekends were very fun and everyone was up for going away, I would suggest not booking any pre-planned trips and wait till you get there. Gili T was my favourite place to go for the weekend so definitely visit there :). Everything whilst I was there ran very smoothly - all transport is sorted for you and the family you stay with are extemely welcoming!

Came to Sri Lanka expecting to have a good time and got my expectations completely blown out the water. The month I've spent here has probably been one of the best times I've had so far. Can't think of a single bad thing to say about any of the coordinators, they're some of the hardest working, helpful people I've ever met. Them and the rest of the volunteers create such a welcoming chilled out atmosphere.

Helping out with the turtle project has been such a fun experience made even better with sunny's banter. Definitely going to miss getting my arms smacked up by the grumpy loggerheads and hawksbills, and coming back stinking of rotting fish. Overall, I'd recommend this project to anyone looking for a unique and memorable experience.

When we first signed up, a month seemed like it would be a long time away from home. After the first couple of days that was quickly changed, the time flew by. Meeting all the coordinators and all the other volunteers helped make things even easier as everyone is so friendly. The turtle project was really fun as well. The staff running it join in on the jokes and make the stuff that would normally be boring (like cleaning the tanks) fun and easier. Getting to feed the turtles and pick them up was a unique experience too. Emma and Steph made moving accommodation smooth despite multiple problems with a room. Even with all the pressure on them they were able to stay happy and motivated. Overall, it was really good.

Travelling to Sri Lanka with PMGY has been one of the best experiences of my life. The program was ideal for me as I was apprehensive about travelling alone, and I was given more support from the coordinators than I could ever have expected. When I booked my trip there was less than a month until departure so naturally the stress was on to get it organised. I was given such brilliant support that my trip was fully organised within a few days.

The people who are a part of PMGY made my experience unforgettable. By the end of my trip I really felt like I was around close friends and it was difficult to say goodbye. The coordinators are such hard working and positive characters, which I think creates a great atmosphere for the volunteers. Through working and living with the other volunteers you quickly become closer than you could have ever imagined and I have made some amazing friends.

The projects gave me an opportunity to get to know the Sri Lankan way of life, which I doubt I would have really found if I wasn't volunteering. The teaching projects In Sri Lanka are an incredible opportunity which I would recommend to anyone. Being around the children was energizing and it surprises me how much I miss them already. I hope to take the positivity I learnt from them with me. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country full of beautiful people, and that's how I'll remember it.

I have recently finished a 2 week Orphanage placement in Ghana, it was a very eye opening and amazing experience. When you go on this placement you really need to go in with an open mind and with no preconceived expectations, this will make your experience even more worthwhile. As well as this, I got the privilege to go on one of the weekend trips to Mole National Park, which really allowed me to experience the culture further. Additionally, when in the volunteer house, the staff and other volunteers are very supportive and help you with anything, especially if you have specific dietary requirements they will go out of their way to accommodate you. In terms of safety during my Ghana placement, I did not feel like their were any safety issues, as you would either by with a group of volunteers or a member of staff in the volunteers house will guide you and keep you safe wherever you need to go.

I have just returned home from a four week stay in Ghana and I cannot even put into words what an amazing and life changing month I had. I was able to do two placements while out there, in the morning I would go and teach at Divine International School and in the afternoon I went to Kumasi Children’s Home and helped out there.

It was refreshing being able to do two placements as it gave me the opportunity to really help out as much as I could. There was also a really nice difference between the placements, as in the morning it would be hard work trying to keep the attention of 6 year olds while you’re trying to teach them the difference in pronouns and adjectives, while in the afternoon at the orphanage, it was more relaxed and you got to play, feed and bond with the children which was a nice change compared to the busy morning. However, there was nothing more rewarding than when a child came up to you to get their work marked, and it all being correct. The hard work definitely paid off and I wouldn’t change it for the world. There was a culture shock with discipline and the children but going there open minded, being able to adjust and remembering you’re in a different country where they do things differently will help. This should 100% not put you off if you are worried.

As well as the placements being amazing, the opportunities involving doing weekend activities and excursions was amazing. It allowed me to travel around Ghana and see what a beautiful country it actually is, as well as giving me the opportunity to do things I would most likely not get the chance to do in the UK. I would definitely recommend the weekend trips not only because they are fun but it gives you a chance to explore and really find out about local culture and lifestyle. In regards to safety, I never had an issue, all of the locals are very welcoming and I felt safe the whole time I was there.

I would like to thank all of the local team for all the hard work they do, they made my time in Ghana outstanding and I can’t thank them enough. I found that after the first couple of days I actually realised that the local team were more like family which was lovely. A special thank you to Seth and Flo for always going the extra mile, nothing was ever too much trouble and they bought nothing but fun and laughs to the house constantly. Food was always so tasty so a massive thank you to Christy and Cindy and also a big thank you to Dennis, Prince and Roland, I love you all very dearly. I also found out that Ghana is a very lively country, I went out every weekend to bananas, one of the clubs and not going to lie it was probably better than here in the UK so honestly don’t miss the opportunity to go out I guarantee you’ll have a jokes time. From returning home, I realised how lucky I was to meet lifelong friends, not only is it nice to go independently to a country but having those few you can share those memories with is once in a lifetime. So glad I got to share this unforgettable adventure with them.

Returning home was a sad time, this programme has made me realise how lucky, thankful and appreciative I am for everything I have. Even though many of the children have nothing, you would never see them without a huge smile on their face which would brighten up my day. I would recommend PMGY Ghana to anyone and everyone without hesitation, the whole four weeks was better than I expected and could have hoped for, I was able to fulfil a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.