Program Reviews

I arrived in Kathmandu on September 8th. My experience here has been nothing short of wonderful. I teach English at the monastery. Initially I was supposed to be here for 3 weeks. I was so pleased and happy with everything that I extended my stay until November 25th. The staff have been so helpful and pleasant and the host family has made me feel at home. The food is organic and cooked fresh for every meal. Anjana has been going out of her way and beyond her duty to help me whenever I needed it. The children at the monastery have learned a little discipline and amazingly enough they like the structure. They say good morning, listen to instructions and are happy to do so. Can not be more pleased.

I participated in this volunteer program for 2 weeks in Peru, as a 16-year-old by myself.

The reason why I chose this program is that this was flexible in choosing the volunteer dates and length. (You can choose from one week to a month)

In volunteering abroad, although I felt unsafe sometimes, I could learn a lot of things that I definitely couldn't gain from my home country. Volunteering at the orphanage made me think deeply about how I could help or support them from the outside and make them happy. Also, going to a foreign country by myself allowed me to be independent and strong as a person in many ways. If you are feeling worried about going to volunteer abroad by yourself, especially if you are in high school, I was also worried, and I won't say that it was easy, but just go, experience, enjoy, and learn. This is the place where you can pursue your desires.

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.

Through Global Crossroads I volunteered as a Physiotherapist at the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital for 8 weeks. Most of the time was spent in an outpatient setting with a varied caseload. Most of the patients suffered from either stroke, orthopedic injury, or musculoskeletal complaints. There were other unique patient groups such as patients with Bell's palsy. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. Most of the staff and patients could speak some English.

I would recommend volunteering here for Physiotherapists with a few years of experience as there is limited clinical support/supervision, minimal access to patient's notes/medical backgrounds, and a language barrier. Furthermore, the treatment approach and medical devices used in the Physiotherapy Department are "old school" compared to what is taught now. Therefore, it is important to be comfortable to go against the grain so your patients receive evidence-based active treatments.

Regarding visiting Cambodia, I can't speak highly enough of the country. Firstly the people are friendly. It is not uncommon to get invited by strangers to sit down with them and share a cold beer. While Phnom Penh isn't the most liveable city there is a lot of interesting (albeit depressing) history to explore. It is also a good springboard to explore other parts of the country that are truly amazing such as Ankor Wat and the coast.

I can't speak to the accommodation that is offered here to other volunteers as I was lucky enough to have a family friend who put me up.

I have many words to say, but to save our time, I prefer you can directly check my daily life record in my instagram account. @miss.fang66. So you can know I’m a real person, and my real experiences.

I traveled alone, I attended other volunteer program to Philippines before, 2024/2/25-3/8 I went to Nepal with the help from global crossroad organization.

I joined for one week English teaching and one week medical program. Those are great experiences for me.

Besides, I am a 31 years old female, have formal job (I took 2 weeks off for this), just want you to know never too late to do this. And I hope I can help people who want to join but still concerns.

This was one of the best trips of my life if you need thorough info on Nepal and how the project was u can just send me a massage on Instagram (@aryannaghavi) or write me in WhatsApp and I’ll be more than happy to give you all the useful information (003670357698)
You are gonna sleep with a local family and they provide you with a breakfast and dinner. The food is delicious the place has easy access to everywhere. I took bus every day and paid 20 cents each time. Every morning you work at hospital from 9 to 2-3 pm (nobody will tell you when to come when to go it’s up to you I ditched half of the days :))) overall it was an awesome experience