Program Reviews

I was looking to do a program like this for months and I am so happy I chose to do it. You guys were so supportive in everything I wanted to do. My goal when I came here was to help children and try to make an impact on their lives the best way I could in the three weeks I had and with your guys help, I feel like I was definitely able to do that and I am so grateful for the opportunity to do so. Costa Rica is such an interesting place and I am very happy I chose to do the program here. People and staff are so friendly and my host family was so kind and generous. I met so many great people here along the way, saw so many cool and interesting things, and I can´t wait to come back and to keep traveling to help more kids through your organization!

My experience was incredibly rewarding and the time I spent there felt impactful. The dogs were very receptive to any love and attention they received, and it was made apparent that a little would go a long way.

I was able to work with individuals from all around the world and learn more about the culture in Peru. Everyone was very helpful and eager to share experiences, which made every moment worthwhile. Learning Spanish was challenging and exciting, and it was great to have the opportunity to practice the language on a daily basis.

Travelling with Carrun and just a small group of girls who were all amazing….going around the Mamanuca Islands and working in different communities each day was really cool.

Epic team and i’d love to volunteer again with the same group of amazing girls if I could! Carrun was a legend and made the trip super fun.

In the brief it stated we would be working shorter days, and some of our days ended up being 10 hours of work. If I wasn’t working this would have been fine, but I had anticipated being able to work in the evenings. For any students studying during the trip, it would be a bit difficult with the super long hours.

Highlights of the trip:

-Interacting with the kids, who are so genuinely excited to see you. It’s amazing how accepting, grateful and respectful they are!

-Meeting people from all around the world, particularly Europe! Made friends with girls from all over Europe and America, whom we met up in Bangkok for the weekend!

-The locals: everyone was so friendly and welcoming, and more than happy to help with directions.

The team, particularly the team leaders, were lovely and always tried their best to answer your questions and were very informative regarding plans, times, meeting points etc. The shared dorms were also great, and were important in getting to know to others. The food was nice most days too, and kept us going throughout the day.

I am not the same person I was when I arrived in Thailand. Just when I thought I gave enough of myself with the work that I do, I have now uncovered another level of giving that I never knew existed. My heart is filled with love for all of the children and of course this beautiful country and it’s amazing people. They have all taught ME so much!

Thailand is definitely the land of smiles. It will be extra special to me now after this experience. Everyone wasnothing but supportive and welcoming. I have made so many amazing friends who I will cherish for the rest of my life and I definitely know that this is something I will continue to do forever. I’m hooked!! I am going to encourage people to consider volunteering, it has been one of the most humbling, incredible experiences- words just can’t explain what I feel right now. I’m so sad it has come to an end, but I know I will be back for more.

Once again thank you for everything- your support before and during my trip was much appreciated. You are all amazing!! Kind regards.

Thank you! The highlight of my trip was definitely the children. They were the happiest most friendly kids, they made my trip so special! A favourite moment was when we poured water into the dirt and built sandcastles to pretend we were in Australia! They loved it – I was so sad to say goodbye to them.

The team were lovely and so accommodating. There was a great variance of food – I particularly loved the mangoes so delicious!! The hammocks were awesome for an afternoon relax and I very much enjoyed riding the bikes to school every day. Overall I was very happy with the my stay and can’t think of any improvements – amazing experience I didn’t want to leave!!

Highlights:

– Learning about the project and seeing first hand the good work it’s doing for its local community
– Getting to know some of the truely devoted teachers, volunteers and of course the inspirational and dedecated Director, Dherendra
– Singing, dancing with the special kids and experiencing the pure and innocent joy and hopefullness of all the children at the school.
– Getting to meet and know Monique. Love her spirit and can do, seemingly casual approach. I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of hard work in the background that
Monique shelters the volunteers from.
– Getting to know more culturally about the Bihar.
– Cooking with Emala (our cook). Always keep in “good” with the cook 😉

Many warm wishes Maria 🙂 x

The month I spent in dog shelter Abaj Tacalik in Antigua, Guatemala was amazing! I got to really bond with the people and the dogs at my placement and loved going there everyday. We helped out with walking the dogs, cleaning and just giving them love. Next to that, with fundraised money, I was also able to contribute by helping rebuild parts of the shelter and providing them with food and medicine.

In the morning I had private Spanish classes which I really enjoyed and which really helped me in learning the language even faster and being able to talk to my host family and the people at my placement. My teacher Alma was great and made the classes fun and interactive.

The city Antigua is lovely to live in and the host family I stayed with so kind. I easily felt a home at my host family and loved walking around the streets of Antigua in the morning and working out ideas in one of the many coffee shops. During the weekends we had enough time to travel and stroll around the city.

The staff, especially Katia, have given me good support. Katia is super kind and stayed in touch and provided the resources needed at the placement. Whenever I needed something, the staff were always willing to help. Also, when I needed to see a doctor in the evening they immediately let him come and gave support.

I would advise all future volunteers to be open-minded and believe in your own abilities to make a (small) change! Look at the resources you have available and try to make the most out of it! I had an amazing experience and I would highly recommend anyone to sign up for a volunteer placement like this.

I volunteered in Costa Rica for 5 months and it was the best choice I have ever made! I worked alongside nurses and doctors in a retirement home and learned so much! As a nursing student, I felt the medical project really helped me become eager to learn more about healthcare in poverty countries. The staff was beyond helpful and so compassionate, they always made sure I felt at home and never had any questions! Even my host family felt like real family by the end of my trip. My housing was beautiful as well, and I still keep in contact with the family! I highly recommend volunteering, even if you can only make time for a week, take the chance and do it anyways. It truly is life changing!

Highlights of the trip:

– I met amazing other volunteers who became my friends
– Teaching the kids English and make them happy with very little things

Comments on the team, food and accommodation:

– The coordinators were very kind and helpful
– The food was very good. The people who cooked the food put a lot of effort into it
– The accommodation was always very clean

Any improvements to help us be better:

– The only thing I was not happy about were the beds. The matrasses were very thin and uncomfortable other then that everything was fine