Program Reviews

Volunteering in India was one of the most rewarding and life changing times of my life. For one, the international travel experience and then the opportunity to meet similar volunteers from all over the world, and also host families and staff was so educational and culturally expanded my ideals. While there I had the opportunity to volunteer at the local hospital, help at a local school with computer education, and women's studies since I was in a rural area.

These memories are something that I will carry the rest of my life, and always share about the rewarding experience this opportunity provided me.

It was unfortunate that I could only spend a week in Hohoe because I immediately feel in love with the country! From the moment I arrived in Ghana I was welcomed by Makafui, the in country director and upon arriving at the home base I felt like I was part of the CCS family. The entire in country staff was so welcoming and helping. The really make it a point to give you the best experience. I was happy to find that my placement was at a local school and I chose to work with a JHS 1 class. My time working with the students in that class was so rewarding and positive that I look forward to returning and seeing the progress each student has made. I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience with CCS and my time in Ghana. Ghana truly is a beautiful place and the people are some of the most friendly people I have interacted with while volunteering!

I know you're are thinking it's pricey and it is but it is with eve penny. I have volunteered a few places and I think this is a great location for pretty much any demographic. If you are a hardcore backpacker or super familiar with Southeast Asia you might me just as well coordinating something more independently. Homebase is a great location in Bkk that pulls you out of the city tourist traps and makes for a safe neighborhood setting! Incredible staff and the sweetest neighbor...cute dogs next door if your missing your pup! Volunteering is impactful if you do your homework! The program offers multiple resources to help you prepare but I've found of you don't utilize them you may fell less impactful than you hoped! They've compiled some free and low cost options for learning basic Thai. They've created some language lesson files. But let's be real only you can learn the language and you probably won't pick up much...it's Thai, a very tricky language! So just keep an open mind and be flexible! Program offers great balance of volunteering and free time but most of cultural exchange!

Right from the beginning of my volunteer experience I felt at ease. I was picked up from the airport in Kilimanjaro and taken to the CCS house where I would spend the next month. The staff were soooo welcoming and supportive. The orientation is extensive and provides you with the chance to get to know your felow houseguests/volunteers. My volunteer experience wasn't quite what I expected. I was teamed with a local NGO. I expected that there would be a project that I would just pick up with and get to work. But it wasn't really structured like that. Nevertheless, I made use of my time and hopefully made a contribution to the local community. This was and experience and opportunity I hold dear and I'm so grateful I was able to participate.

Overall, this is a very well organized program, with a great support structure. The program management staff was just okay, but the in-country staff was absolutely amazing. I will remember them forever. It's been a while, but I wonder if Makafui is still there running the show!

When I did the program, I was placed in Akatsi, a very small "town". I'm not sure if they're placing there anymore. Our volunteer house was in the middle of a small village, where we were greeted by the village chief every time we entered! The housing was very safe, but did feel a bit removed from the community in terms of immersion.

The food the staff cooked was incredible - more than you could ever eat, but we'd force ourselves just to see the look of joy on their faces!

Don't forget to take your malaria pills! I got it while I was there, despite being on the pills, but I was well taken care of.

Most inspiring is the love I received from the children. They received so much more then I feel I gave. So many of them are like sponges soaking up all the learning opportunities. The kids , teachers, and locals won my heart. My heart and soul now lie in Tanzania until I return for a year on my own. I will depart again only 10 weeks after my return from the first trip to the Kilimanjaro Region. I will be home in Tanzania.

I stayed in a house for my month-long stay. I worked in a local elementary school for my internship. While it was very enjoyable, volunteers should be aware of cultural differences. The school was often closed on random days for no reason, making it hard to make a lot of progress through lessons. There wasn't a lot of prep on how to teach a class, so having previous experience, like I did, is helpful. Everyone we worked with was amazing and helpful and friendly. The people that I met during my stay were also great, and we traveled together on weekends to sight-see. There was a little bit of a divide between people that stayed a month or longer and people that were only there a week or two, but overall everyone was very friendly. It was pricey, the only downfall. You pay a lot to volunteer your time, although much of this likely covers the cost of your stay at the house and food (which was delicious!). Overall I loved Costa Rica!

The eastern experience coming from the west was amazing. I love the food, culture, history, and the people. They were so open and friendly. The overall volunteer experience was life-changing. I would definitely go back and do the same volunteer work in Bangkok. I loved the metro feel and energy of the city. The house that we stayed and the overall staff were unbelievable. They made you feel at home and it was very safe!

I thought this was a great experience. I worked in schools and loved it. Teaching kids how to add and subtract is incredibly rewording and so much fun. We also went to water falls, the market, monkey sanctuaries, which are just fun memories I'll never forget.

In the last few years I had grown tired of hearing about luxury vacations. Also, when I suddenly became a widow, I looked for a vacation experience that I could do by myself. Volunteering in Guatemala satisfied my need for interacting with real people and everyday life.

I observed that the very young children in the day care center, whose parents made a meager existence by picking through the city's trash, were bright and curious and loved to learn new things--like young children everywhere. Though supplies were limited, I thought of simple activities that involved movement, singing, playing with balls, and simple art.

My basic knowledge of Spanish came alive for the first time in my life, and I was so grateful to use it and to be understood! (One would not have to speak the language in a fancy hotel.) I was able to converse in a very person-to-person way with the cook, caretaker, and driver at home base.

During my stay I encountered no difficulties with regard to health, safety, or interaction. I accepted whatever accommodations or food were offered with thanks. Also, I endeavored to interact with everyone as an equal, not as if I was in Guatemala and knew more than they did.