Program Reviews

Overall it was an awesome experience. The host family was generous and friendly. The school was wonderful. A couple of thoughts, first I would highly recommend you know Spanish. Second, the accommodations were very basic so be ready for that but the meals were delicious. The students were lovely and eager to learn. The faculty seemed organized. It can be hectic at times in the classroom but if you enjoy teaching it is a really rewarding program and something you will always remember.

I've been here for only a week but for the moment I'm having a great time. Everyone welcomed me with open arms. Richard and Franklin took me around Accra and showed me where I was going to work. The Language and Culture course is very helpful and I learned a lot in only a few days. I recommend volunteers to do the Language and Culture program as it will help you fit in.
Although as a volunteer, it is important to bear into mind that the actual impact you make is very small, I feel like it is still worth it. Being able to put a smile on those kid’s faces is so rewarding!
Richard took me and another volunteer to Krokrobite beach where we all had a great time.
We also visited Accra (Accra is much more exciting than what Guide books say) as well as a pineapple farm (pineapple trees are not what I expected them to be).

My experience in Ecuador was amazing. I was able to meet the most interesting and caring people. During the week, I felt comfortable and happy to be teaching in the orphanages. The staffs were friendly and welcoming; I was able to choose what classes I wanted to teach and which age of children I would work best with. I was happy to develop a relationship with the teachers as well as the children there. I enjoyed being able to see what it is like to live in a different culture and meet the people around me. I always felt like I was taken care of. I am so glad that I was able to take weekend trips to visit the other parts of Ecuador and see the beauty it has to offer. I saw some of the most amazing sights and breathtaking places. I would recommend a trip like this to anyone and please know that you will have a memorable experience- that will change you.

The experience was amazing, and the friendships we have made will surely last a lifetime. This trip has exceeded all of my expectations, and I am very grateful to everyone at Global Crossroad.

I worked at the Escuella Santa Cecilia, teaching and helping to make a library for the kids. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming; I feel my time there was very fulfilling and educational. I learned a lot and hopefully passed on a lot as well.

I could have accomplished more if we were there for a longer period of time. I had the chance to help develop and decorate a library, to make a better learning environment for the children. I wish I could have had more time to help clean up the outside of the school as well, and make it even safer for the kids.

By far, one of the best experiences of my life. Kenya was more than I could have imagined. From the busy, hectic pace of Nairobi, to the beautiful safari landscapes, I hope to return one day. My project was 3 weeks long - not long enough! I was stationed at peace orphanage and can't recommend this place enough. The children are the most loving, giving and gracious group. I miss their huge smiles and warm hugs daily- same for the games we'd play and enjoy. As for accommodations, I made great friends at The Volunteer house. I just loved the local food prepared by our wonderful housekeeper, Ester; and found the host family to be very kind and helpful. My 3 day Safari was perfect too, definitely a highlight.

When I signed up for my 12-year old son, 16-year old daughter, and I to volunteer in Costa Rica for February school vacation week, I hoped that we would have fun, meet new people, study Spanish, enjoy warm weather, and give back. We got all that and so much more. The orphanage was wonderful. The nuns and workers were fabulous caretakers. We loved how the older girls helped take care of the younger children and how each of the houses were organized like families. We all really enjoyed studying Spanish every night and then putting it into practice with the kids, our volunteer home host, and the orphanage workers every day. The food at our volunteer home was yummy and it was nice to be in a "real" neighborhood and not a touristy location.

When my sister told me about one of her friends that volunteered through a children program from global crossroad I got interested instantly. She had an amazing experience and at this point I was extremely interested in volunteering. After I discussed this with my close friends and my family, I decided to contact them. The initial contact was very promising, they are pleasant, communicative and explain their programs very well. From the several programs in their portfolio I decided to select the Peru children program because of two basic and simple reasons: 1. I love South America, 2. I adore children.

So, from then on everything went on smoothly all thanks to my coordinator Angelika. She was truly great, really patient and ready to answer all of my questions fast and to assure me that everything will be great. In no time everything was arranged and I travelled to Peru. My host mom was amazing. To be honest I was little scared and confused when I first arrived, but she calmed me, showed me around and told me that everything will be ok. That was really motivating and enlightening for me at that point. After that I got accommodated fast and things got great. Throughout my stay she was amazing and she told me stories about other volunteers she hosted. Indeed she is a great person, tens of volunteers hosted by here, isn’t that amazing? She treats her volunteers like family members and that was the case with me as well.

Me working with children was life changing. I tutored them to learn English, both writing and speaking. This nice group of entertaining and positive kids has indeed changed my life and way I see life. They don’t have much money and material things, but they are surely happy, positive and willing to learn and educated themselves to be great.

I traveled with bus which was totally ok. When we were at home, my host mom use to talk and spend time with me eating or drinking coffee. We also went for walks and ate out in traditional restaurants some-times. I’ve met so much wonderful and positive people, tasted so much unique traditional meals.
Usually I went to the school early and I did spent more time than needed with the children, because I loved it. They seemed very interested in my country and asked a lot of cute questions. I guess it was because of their age. When we finally said good bye, it was so emotional, I felt really connected with them, I really hope I will see them again.

After the program ended, I went on several traditional places arranged through Global Crossroad. Puno/Lake Ticitaca and of course Machu Picchu were the places I visited. Again I met some interesting people and with the local representatives of Global Crossroads. They were welcoming, warm and I’ve really spend some really entertaining times with them.

At the end this indeed changed my life in a more positive way. I returned home with great amount of energy, motivation to do better in life and to value the things that truly matter. My experience with Global Crossroad was astonishing. Everything from beginning till the very end was truly amazing! I’m glad I found them!

My experience volunteering in Ghana African I can say was truly an eye opening and inspirational experience. I went to volunteer my services at Countryside Orphanage expecting to make some sort of change in some children's lives but what happened was the opposite. The children of Ghana, including, the students & orphans at Countryside, the young ladies Mary, Christie, Josephine and Elizabeth, whom all took care of our daily needs and the children in the markets, all had an overwhelming effect on my life.

They were positive, strong and extremely intelligent and impressed and motivated me more than any experience so far in my life. The strength of the Ghanaian people as a whole, is next to none. I found that Ghanaian people have a connection between them that is missing from Western civilization. I truly believe Western civilization could learn a lot from the Ghanaian culture.

I chose Global Crossroads because of the positive ratings I read about them...there were a couple of experiences that I read about that really inspired me i also chose Africa because I am "African Canadian" myself and decided that the first place I would like to go and provide service to would be my "homeland". I also decided that this experience would be a "once in a life time" experience for my youngest daughter, not only culturally but emotionally.

The application process was painless and I received my package in a timely manner. Once introduced to my project coordinator in Ghana, Franklin, every question and concern I had inquired about was answered promptly. When we landed in Ghana, Franklin and a few others were there to greet us the moment we stepped out of the airport and about 1 hr later we were in Kasoa at the home base. You feel safe at the home base and you lock yourselves in the base every night. Franklin is also in the same building so you feel comfortable knowing someone is close by who has your safety in mind.

Upon arrival to homebase everything was going well and then within the first 20 minutes I experienced what I'm guessing was culture shock (or maybe the beginning of a panic attack)...I felt like I was going to pass out but after laying down for 2 hours I felt a lot better and did not experience this feeling again over the next 2 weeks.
The young ladies at the home base were absolutely amazing and took care of our every need. Our food was always prepared, the base was always swept and mopped everyday and where ever we needed to go they would ensure we knew our way on our own or they would travel with us until we were comfortable on our own.

At the Countryside Orphanage we met Ms Emma each day in the morning then we were left to find things to do. Since this was my first experience as a volunteer I expected more guidance on daily things to do but unfortunately did not get this. We basically walked around and played with the kids when we were not standing in a classroom supervising the students as they wrote their exams or marking test. Countryside Orphanage is not just an Orphanage it is also a school where 80% of the children there are students not orphans and it wasn't until near the end of the 2 weeks were we able to distinguish the orphans and the students where there were only about 30 orphans. We took with us 3 large bags of donations that were for the orphans but they ended up getting divided between orphans and students. If the donations were only divided between the 30 orphans the Orphans would have had enough school supplies, toothpaste and toothbrushes for an entire school year. The other issue was that the donations were also expected to be shared with the teachers where there ended up creating a conflict between a few of them thinking one got more then the other.
Regardless of whom ended up with the donations "all" the children with their positive attitudes, smiling faces and the genuine feeling that they were happy and content individuals left a long lasting positive impression on me and made me realize and respect the things I have and not to take my western life for granted.

The hydro is not constant, the plumbing is minimal in most places we went to and water had to be bought to drink. Franklin ensured that our water level for the toilet, shower, washing of clothes and dishes was always available.

The village of Kasoa seemed very safe we did not come across any volence during our stay. However I was comfortable with traveling with one or more people outside the home base as we were always confronted by people yelling at us to get our attention either just to say hi or to entice us to buy something from them which could be overwhelming at times...there were a couple incidences where some over zealous individuals grabbed our arms and wouldn't let go until we got angry. But overall 98% of the interaction with the locals was positive and helpful. You honestly get the feeling that almost every Ghanaian would go out of his or her way to help you with whatever you needed.My recommendations to those planning to volunteer (and for my next experience ) would be to bring plenty to do on your "off time" including researching the area for places to buy food, toilet paper water etc, local markets and entertainment places like beaches, local malls etc. Research the actual needs of the place you are going to volunteer including the structural needs as well as the needs of your home base - (example I would have love to have put a coat of fresh paint on the walls of the home base during my stay.)

Bring a medium sized mirror, a radio and maybe a DVD player, tablet or ipad to play movies or play games etc. Bring along slippers and a robe. And if you love sweets and chocolate bring it along too but remember that the climate is hot and that refrigeration isn't always an option.

I would definitely do this again and I would use Global Crossroads. I did not have any negative issues with their company.

Several events in my personal life inspired my desire to volunteer. I searched online and several countries and organizations were in my mind and favorites. After I contacted several of them, I liked the communication, price and the conditions offered by Global Crossroad. I choose Sri Lanka because I have never been to that country and it looked really interesting and entertaining from the several photos, videos and documentaries I saw online. I applied through their online form and I was soon contacted. Everything was arranged quickly and my program started only after 2 weeks after I applied. I loved that!

I applied for the project offer for English teaching programs in Galle. I didn’t expect much from this city, although it is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the district capital of Galle District. I arrived to this town with a bus and had the chance to enjoy many Sri Lanka landscapes.

My foster family was very welcoming and the stay was accommodating. I had my own room, bathroom and everything I need for reasonable stay. The project I applied and participated in was English teaching program. I worked with youths aged 2 and 6. My group were mostly boy and girls aged 4-5, but there were also little ones aged 2 and little older around 6.

The kids were incredible to me. I guess they are learned to respect authority and were eager to learn. Even though they had experienced some horrible life circumstances they were positive and wanted to learn. I really felt like a worthwhile and wonderful experience. Also I want to emphasize that the children are so full of warmth, so dynamic, and so loving! I felt a really strong connection to them and looked forward each day to seeing them again. Normally I’ve spend few hours in the school which was not that far away from the house. These kids filled me with positive energy. At the end it was sad saying goodbye to them. I hope I improved their learning speaking and writing skills.

Regarding the time I spent off, in the afternoon I usually explored the town and the Sri Lankan life and traditions. I want to thank my host family for helping me adjust and learn so much about their culture and traditions. The place was really friendly, interesting and safe. They were always warm and eager to talk about their life, their ideas, experiences and wanted to know a lot about my city and country.

I want to thank Global Crossroad for enabling me this amazing volunteering in Sri Lanka. At the end of the day, it was indeed a life changing experience. Something I truly needed at this point in my life. Thank you for enabling me this safe, risk free and highly enjoyable volunteering experience.

I have volunteered two times so far, but this time I wanted to combine volunteering with traveling and visiting tourist destinations as well. As I’ve never visited India, this program from Global Crossroad looked interesting to me and I’ve bookmarked it the first time I read it. As it was probably the best offer for me I decided to go with it. Everything was easy, I applied and got the needed info from their excellent custom support. I chose the 4 week program and I choose Jaipur to be my base. I participated in the teaching English program.
I arrived to Jaipur by plane and my hosting family took care of my transportation. They were really great right from the beginning. They are open people, very kind and gracious. I had good time with them from the first moment I arrived to the very last moment when we said good bye.
Their house was great. It was located in a good neighborhood with lots of shops and restaurants. I had 2 days off before I went to the orphanage. My first day was great. The children that I worked with were truly amazing. It was easy to see that he children lived in very poor and hard conditions. However, they still had a big smile on their face and very happy to learn. I met some very inspirational children and completed workshops on learning English as well as educating the children in a fun and engaging way. We clicked right away and they really appreciated my effort. They were so nice and positive, besides their hard life.
My hosting family cooked really good food for me. I love spicy food and they are literally the masters of it. They treated me with respect and always wanted to help me feel welcomed.
As this program involved traveling as well, I was really excited about that part. Actually one of my best memories of the volunteering in India were the discoveries. I truly appreciated the differences. This country is proud of its culture and you must get into it. The hotels during traveling were amazing. Also, I’ve spent many hours in trains and overfilled bus, tried unusual food that was sometimes too much spicy, saw several temples and experienced monsoon. They are all parts of the immersion and you must live it without any regret.
In this program I’ve visited major Indian tourist attractions. I am talking about Red Fort, Lotus Temple, Qutab Minar, Lodhi Gardens. I also had the opportunity to visit Delhi, also an amazing city! At the end, everything was amazing and I really learned a lot from this experience. Definitely a way to get out of your comfort zone and experience something new. I love to travel as a volunteer, it is a unique experience that made me grow in every way. My only regret about the whole trip is that I didn't spend longer than 4 weeks there. I highly recommend it!