Program Reviews

The volunteer process doesn't just start with wanting to serve others somewhere in the world and choosing an organization that will help you get placed in a good program where you can impact those who you are helping and at the same time having them arrange your stay, is a hard task. If you are like me, you did hours of research before embarking on this great mission. I looked at many different organizations that offered a great experience and to be honest they all sounded great if not the same. When I came across UBelong's website I read many reviews along with the organization's mission statement and it triggered me to keep looking, so when I came across the Business Development project it was exactly what I was looking for. During my stay in Cusco and before, I had a great amount of support from the organization and I didn't have any issues. I had the opportunity to meet Raul Roman which is one of the organizations founders. We had the opportunity of discussing the project I was working with, his experiences while volunteering and how it all came about when creating UBelong. It was a great feeling to know that the founders care for the volunteers and their work. All in all, UBelong gave me the opportunity of helping a great organization where my work was valued, and gave me a chance to see how our work can deeply impact those who benefit from it.

Knowing that I would be taking a team of volunteers who have had little cross cultural experience, I knew that I had to search carefully for an opportunity that would provide a healthy perspective on giving abroad. I wanted the team to ask themselves questions about who the giver/receiver really was, and what kind of helpful/harmful impact they were initiating by seeking the experience of a short term volunteering project. This is why I decided to work with UBELONG. After reading about their values and the way that they choose projects, I felt like I could be confident that we were on the same mission. I liked working with UBELONG from the beginning, because I could trust that their long term presence in Morocco had them well educated on how to fill needs with sustainable systems that are fully integrated by an for the local community. Their accessibility and genuine interest in our goals helped to incubate my trust in them as we prepared for the trip, and then the trip proved to be everything that I had hoped for! I can't wait to work with them again.

I volunteered in Ho Chi Minh City for one month in an NGO specialized on public health matters, especially HIV/AIDS among stigmatized populations such as LGBT, migrant workers or female sex workers. My duties mainly consisted in drafting training material about Vietnamese Labour Law reform, organizing some English teaching lessons, for the staff, drafting a research proposal about how to tackle HIV in LGBT population efficiently and at a cheap cost.

I clearly had one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life, as I had to work in a foreign environment and had to submit proposals before a certain deadline. I really enjoyed the fact that UBELONG could appoint me to an organization for which I could use my scholar and Professional background to carry out my duties. The range of opportunities is really wide and everybody should find the program that fits the best.

UBELONG provides you some support, via the mentor, throughout your mission and it feels really comfortable to always have an interlocutor with whom you can share your experience and ask for help or support, if needed.

In the end, I urge everybody that want to use his/her university skills to apply for the NGO program because it is at the same time challenging for you in so far as it develops your Professional / contextual skills and it really helps the NGO. You feel you make a real impact!

I originally had NO idea what UBELONG was until i applied through my university for an international internship. While reading reviews such as these, I was looking for the answer to one question: Would UBLEONG give me a beneficial experience that would last longer than my six week placement?

I had been out of school for 3 years and was still working 55 hours a week as I returned to school part time. I knew that I wanted to travel, return to school full-time, make personal growth, and use my abilities to make a positive impact. Basically, this summer needed to be a launching pad to bridge my academic, personal, and professional experiences and goals. Yes, those were a LOT of expectations!

My experience working with UBELONG and the local team surpassed my expectations. Not only was I able to use my English proficiency to teach smiling and eager faces every day, their proficiency in life gave me an experience and education of a lifetime. I had always been apprehensive of volunteer programs having a negative impact by portraying western countries as "saviors," but in my experience this is not the case with UBELONG. By stressing the importance of cultural respect, volunteers arrive with an eagerness to exchange experiences, ideas, and information.

Personal Surprises/Developments:
* I have been completely moved by the beautiful people, culture, and landscape of Morocco.
* I love teaching! Maybe my childhood goal of being a teacher was on the right track!
* I must admit that I thought my low proficiency in Arabic would have helped me a bit more than it did, but I survived!
* The likelihood of me living in Morocco for an extended period of time in my life is extremely high, in which I'll need to learn more Moroccan Arabic!

SIGN UP ALREADY!

I stayed 4 weeks in Vietnam as an English teacher thanks to UBELONG. It was my first experience as a volunteer and I'm glad to say that UBELONG is a really serious organization and the people who are working there are always very helpful. If I could recommend a mentor it would be Barbara, she took care of me and prepared me for my trip and for that I thank her !!

The best part of my trip is that I met a lot of people who are now my friends. And when you volunteer of course you share your own culture with the local people but you also learn a new one. This is the part that makes you grow up, you discover something different from what you are used to. That's the thing that I really liked as a volunteer.

I like the flexibility that we had during our placement. Volunteers can choose their own time available for work and schedule accordingly to make some spare time for free exploration of the local place -- as long as the work is well arranged.
I highly suggest volunteers (of the after school centre program) to bring toys and books based on quality as well as quantity. Make sure the stuff you bring can be distributed to most of the children and durable. Be patient and open; kids are so earnest and lovely.

I spent 4 weeks volunteering in Cusco, Peru at a shelter for abused girls with UBELONG. My first week there was difficult - first with the cold, cold weather and lack of heat, the culture shock, and then getting sick; additionally, I also encountered a few unexpected obstacles with my project. However, to say that UBELONG went above and beyond to make sure that not only my stay was comfortable, but that I was also happy with my project, would be an understatement. I was lucky enough to even have the co-founder Raul in town to make my transition to a new project location as smooth as possible. Every single individual in Cusco's UBELONG program, from the staff, the cooks--I mean, I got 3 extra pancakes every Wednesday morning--, and the volunteers were exceptionally friendly. My first week in Cusco was challenging to say the least, but had I not had the support of UBELONG to get me through, I don't think I would have had enough strength to make it through the four weeks alone. It is with UBELONG that I was able to have a warm bed, despite the cold of Cusco at night, two great meals a day--the lunches especially were scrumptious--, health and emotional support when I was bed ridden with food poisoning, and make lifelong friends. I came to fall in love with Cusco, a city I knew nothing about until I set food there. This experience was rewarding in more ways than I could imagine. Thank you UBELONG! Until next time...

For me, it felt like UBELONG was driven entirely by making the international volunteer experience as wonderful as possible. Their love of volunteering and traveling and great spirit pervade everything that they do. The correspondence before you go is really helpful and kind, the projects they offer are exciting, and the website is inspirational. Also my experience as a teacher's assistant in Cusco, Peru was one of the greatest of my life. The volunteer coordinator showed me around and got me settled, I was welcomed each day by the class and I really felt like I was able to be a part of something positive and special. I'll always remember teaching some lessons the blackboard with amazing faces looking at me! Thank you UBELONG!

When I applied, I hadn’t been planning to teach English in Rabat, Morocco for three months but I wasn’t ready to return to my studies in the US and was looking to do something worthwhile. A shot in the dark Google search led me to UBELONG’s website and my impulsive pipedream became a concrete, feasible and, more importantly, affordable option. Teaching English in Salé, Rabat’s sister-city, was a challenging and rewarding experience that I will continue to reflect on for years to come. My students surprised me on a daily basis with their hunger for information, compassion, and quick-wit! I was the teacher, but they helped me learn so much.

None of that would have been financially or logistically possible without UBELONG. I cannot recommend this organization enough, both for newbies as well as seasoned volunteers. When I first stumbled upon their website, I found UBELONG to be professional, passionate, and approachable— three qualities that were upheld at every step before, during, and after my placement

My three weeks in Ha Noi, Vietnam as a UBELONG volunteer gave me a unique perspective of the world and allowed me to step out of my comfort zone. Although my original project was caring for disabled children, I had an opportunity to teach English for Community Classes, and I decided to switch to that project because I felt that I was better suited and would be more effective. I helped teach primary, pre-intermediate, and advanced level English classes. I was attracted to UBELONG because the organization provided me an outstanding and affordable program to volunteer abroad, in any country I desired. My UBELONG mentor, Barbara Barbosa, was there to guide me and make sure I was well prepared for my journey ahead. I gained new experiences and overcame obstacles by taking this opportunity to volunteer abroad. Overall, I had a great time volunteering and meeting both international and local people in Ha Noi.