Program Reviews

Highlights:
The highlight of Sri Lanka was definitely the team; the drivers, coordinators, managers, chef, cleaners – everyone was so helpful and lovely. Everything felt very well organised and I felt very comfortable to talk about anything with them. The people of Sri Lanka in general were all so beautiful and friendly.

Team, food and accommodation:
Again the team was amazing. The food was really good both at the accommodation and at the projects! I love spice, rice and curry so I was always happy. There was plenty of vegetables and plenty of food so always had enough to eat. The accommodation was clean, a nice temperature, hot and cold showers, lockers for valuables, good location.

Fiji:
Highlights:
The highlight for me was the home stay option, being able to stay with a family and make a real connection was the best experience. I was so sad to leave the first family, only to be greeted by another really nice family who welcomed me into their home. It was great to see how they lived including eating, sleeping and everyday chores.

Team, food and accommodation:
Masi, his wife Mere and their son Marika were so nice! Marika was there waiting for me at the airport. They made me feel very welcomed (even had Mere check my hair for head lice). The accommodation with them was very nice, clean house, very comfy beds and I felt safe. Also a great location, easy to walk to town and back. Mere made nice food for dinner every night.
The food at the first accommodation was really good and traditional, getting me to try a lot of local cuisine. My room was nice and the bathroom was also nice, very clean house.
The second family on the island also provided delicious food and plenty of it! However I definitely was missing fruit and greens. The bathroom could do with some work but I understand with a large family and children it can get dirty very quick along with the rest of the house. My bedroom was the computer room next door and was clean and big.

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.

Comments on the team, food and accommodation:
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.

Thinking back to the two weeks that I spent in Vanuatu volunteering was magical and amazing. It opened up my mind much more, to see the world in greater depths as we should not always take everything for granted.

The challenges that we face in our everyday lives will always take a step backward when we see families in Vanuatu without access to clean sanitation and education as well as limited food supplies of nutritional value. Therefore, this volunteering program was extra special and made me realise that helping others doesn’t bring a sense of joy to them but ourselves too. For example, when a lady who was quite emotional and anxious about her blood glucose levels told me “god bless you” after giving her the all thumbs up news.

Even though I attempt to act as a qualified practitioner, what we can do is so meaningful and adds a little reassurance to our hearts. Throughout these two weeks, we got to measure people’s hip circumference, weight, height as well as blood pressure and blood glucose levels as a part of a free medical check-up for the villagers in Vanuatu. I initially thought that there was a blood pressure monitor provided to take their readings but as soon as we were given stethoscopes I started to freak out.

With numerous practice in our lodge, I was becoming more confident until we got to the actual village setting was a different story. I find it most challenging with background noises around as I was always used to the tranquility and laid-back environment in our lodge for practice. Even some of the children were attached to their parents so it was really difficult getting an accurate measurement from their fidgeting movements. But I think pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones and discovering new things is important as you will never predict where you can be in the future. I wanted to say this because special shout-out to Cherry who always wants me to be the best version of myself encouraged me to sign up and great memories can be made.
What amazed me was when the newborns were weighed on a supermarket scale as they lacked basic supplies. All in all the Vanuateers (amazing people who I was lucky enough to share the experience with), co-ordinators including Carrun, Meriam and Lynne (incredible mentors making our Vanuatu days much easier and co-ordinated) made it an unforgettable experience and one to never forget!

Highlights of the trip:
Being greeted at the airport by our drivers, and our first night staying in Lautoka with Litea and her family – she went above and beyond to welcome us to Fiji and ensure that we felt comfortable in her home. She took us shopping and to church on Sunday before serving us lunch and making sure we made it to Port Denarau in time for the ferry.
Getting to experience daily life and culture on the island – our hosts were extremely accommodating and attentive to our needs, and the kids were great tour guides for our afternoons after school. By the end of the week, it already felt like I was becoming a member of my host family.
It was interesting to see how developed the school was despite being in such a remote location – the classrooms were well built and the teachers were very professional and knowledgeable.
The kids, although a little rowdy, were eager to learn and share with us. It was a pleasure and an honour to have the opportunity to teach Class 1 for a couple of mornings, as well as some sessions with Class 2 and 5.
Comments on the team, food and accommodation:
Masi made sure our transport and accommodations at arrival in Fiji were all taken care of – even though he was in Suva, he made sure to phone in and check on us, and explain the arrangements for our transport to Yanuya – this was much appreciated. His son was also very helpful in arranging for our water and kava root to be bought and delivered to the ferry terminal.
Litea and her family were amazing hosts for our first night in Fiji – her home was very comfortable, the food was delicious, and we enjoyed interacting with her daughter and grandchildren.
The transport to and from Yanuya was well organised. We appreciated the efforts made to pick up and drop us off in the longboat from the ferry across to the island.
The headmaster and teachers at the school were very welcoming, and helpful with any questions we may have had during our stay. I appreciated the efforts they made to include us in their classes on the first day / orientation.
My host family were a joy and pleasure to stay with. They were very welcoming to both myself and my travel companions.
The room prepared for my stay was large, clean and comfortable. I was surprised to find that there was electricity / wired lighting provided in the room, and I could have my bedroom light on as late as I wished.
My host mother, Oni, went to great efforts to prepare all meals from scratch, including rising early to prepare fresh bread rolls for my breakfast on several mornings. She was also accommodating of my dietary requirements, making sure not to include any foods I was sensitive to, and making a special trip to the markets to get pineapple when she found out it was my favourite.
When I fell ill on the Thursday night, she was also very attentive to my needs, and prepared only the foods I requested for the remainder of my stay.
I did not see her husband very often whilst I was on the island, but appreciated him meeting us at Port Denarau on our return from Yanuya, and arranging transport for us to the resort.

Highlights of the trip:
There were plenty of highlights, just to name a few, team building. It was a great sensation, knowing how quickly we all bonded and how the program is run. I think you did a great job managing the team and also making everyone feel comfortable. The pre-training before entering the villages was great. I enjoyed learning about the culture and a bit of Bislama! I enjoyed the fact you are open to ideas and let us (the students) come up with suggestions which you took on board.
I enjoyed exploring the markets as part of the program! The warm fuzzy feeling when people from villages wanted to make a change. I didn’t realise the lack of nutrition knowledge. I felt I grew as a person on the trip, and felt I accomplished what I wanted. I was actually disappointed that I couldn’t stay and continue to explore Fiji with the team.
Comments on the team, food and accommodation:
The accommodation was nice, I didn’t mind having cold showers! Maybe it’s a guy thing, but I wasn’t on this trip for luxury, so the fact that I had my own room was a bonus. It was an advantage being a guy in this case. The food was nice! I was happy Lynne catered for my diet, which ensured I was in top condition for the expedition.

I have just spent 3 weeks on Bali and enjoyed every minute of it.
Going there, all by myself, I was a bit nervous. I didn’t know what to expect, so I expected nothing. During the first breakfast with the other participants I already felt at home and welcomed. We also met our coordinators who took very good care of us during our whole stay there.
The first week was introduction week and it was SO fun. We got to experience all of the Balinese culture, visit temples, be part of the flower offering and explore the city with the help of our coordinators. I went in March which is in the end of their raining season so we did also experience a lot of rain during our tours.
I learnt that most of Bali believes in hinduism and that reflects very much in their culture, which is very different from my own culture. Visiting temples, watching a traditional balinese dance show and learning the language really makes you feel like you are a part of their culture. Even If you don’t believe in hinduism it’s nice to enjoy the culture.

One of my favorite days during the introduction week was the day we had a cooking class and our coordinator taught us how to make typical balinese food like Gado-Gado, sweet tempe and fried banana. Most of the balinese food is vegetarian, which makes me, a vegetarian, very happy. If you ever go to Bali you must try the Sweet tempe, it’s amazing.
During that lunch we got to discuss a lot of different topics with our coordinator, who was very open to talk about his beliefs and his culture. We realised that in some cases we have very different opinions and other cases we think very similar. It’s cool to see that even if we grew up in so very different conditions and so far from each other, we can still agree on a lot of things.

Without knowing it, I went there the week that Bali celebrated their new year (they have a different calendar). Because of this there was a big festival in the town, where we lived, called the ogoh-ogoh festival. People carry big, scary looking mascots which are supposed to capture all the bad spirits and then later in the night you burn the big “monsters” and the bad spirits inside them. The first day of the new year is celebrated in total silence. You are not allowed to work, no fire, no travel and no partying. That day me and the other participants had to stay at home and not use any electricity. We ended up playing games the whole day and night so we didn’t bother that the wifi was off.

At the end of introduction week I felt so happy that i got to do this with these amazing people around me, not only the other participants but the coordinators and the staff at the accommodation as well. I was so excited for the next two weeks.
The second week it was time to work, we had got our schools, the curriculums and the groups on Friday so that we would be ready on Monday. Since I was in primary school I had planning in the morning and teaching in the afternoon. In our first week, we mostly tried to understand at what level the students’ english was and we planned to work from there. We taught them numbers, body parts, shapes, directions, places and clothes. They were only 9 years old, so we taught them very basic english. You’ve got to start somewhere. When in school, we always had a coordinator with us to help us translate if we were going to explain a game or something the students didn’t understand. The coordinators were so helpful there, we literally couldn’t have done it without them.

According to balinese traditions it gives you luck in life if you get married in the beginning of the new year. Therefore we had a big wedding at our house in our second week. The son of the house owner was getting married. The whole week was spent preparing for the 700 guests that was going to come on Friday. There was food, flowers, fancy clothes and a lot of people coming and going during the week. I felt so lucky getting to experience both a balinese new years and a balinese wedding, it was amazing.

Because of test week in the ordinary school we got to go to the kindergarten the first days of our third week. Due to the fact that we had our lessons outside of the ordinary schools hours and it wasn’t mandatory attendance, we had the student rest after a long day of tests instead of going back to school for another 2 hours of english. It was nice to try kindergarten for a few days. The kids there were only 5 years old and knew almost no english but we had a wonderful teacher there to help us translate. Compared to primary school, kindergarten is more playful. We did some coloring on the theme communication and we played with them a lot, which was very fun!

Our last day in kindergarten we also got to experience a birthday party. All the kids in school gathered in a classroom. There were hats handed out to all the kids and the teachers. Cake was served and all the kids got a gift bag to bring home, consisting of candy, a drink and fried chicken.
The last two days of my third week I was back in primary school, in the same class as last week. By now I knew some names and could play with the kids in break. It was so fun being around them and seeing their smiles when we entered the room, it gave me so much energy. They were also very thankful, giving us presents and drawings every other day. Leaving the class on Friday, knowing i was not coming back, was so hard. I really hope that they keep learning and that they go far in life.

Since we had a lot of free time in the weekends and when we weren’t teaching or planning we also got to explore the city and surroundings by ourselves. One morning I went to do yoga, another I visited a waterfall nearby. In the evenings when all the participants were done with work. we usually went to a cafe in town or a pub nearby. We came from all over the world and we were so different but all so similar. I can really say I got some new great friends on this trip. Our last night together we went to a karaoke bar, that was a night I am going to remember a long time.
As well as the last night I am going to remember my time in Bali for many, many years. I learnt so much about myself, about the balinese culture, I met so many great people and saw so many stunning places.

If you have the opportunity to be a part of this program- DO IT, you won’t regret it. As my mom said, it’s the perfect mixture of tourism and working, it can’t get better than that. I can just agree. So thank you for making this possible for me and for so many others. Thank you for letting us explore Bali and assist you at the same time.
Ebba Jönsson, Sweden

The highlights of the trip were of course the children. They are such happy children, keen to learn and I was really impressed with the generally neatness of their bookwork and their handwriting.
The people there are so welcoming and accepting of people into their village. They showed great concern for me and my comfort and for my age (apparently I was the oldest volunteer they had ever had at the school) and I know a lot of work went on behind the scenes to make sure I was comfortable and safe.
Some of the highlights were travelling with the students to Mololo Island and Sigatoka for sports events. The logistics of organising up to 76 students 7 teachers and a couple of volunteers to travel in small fishing boats and the school boat to Mololo and in the case of the trip to Sigatoka transferring to the ferry off the island of Tokoriki and catching a bus from Denarau to Sigatoka were pretty formidable but were managed very impressively.
I loved reading with the students. They work so hard and are so keen to learn. I also enjoyed walking along the beach with the students after school singing songs we had learned that day or collecting shells and also spending time with the women who were so very kind and generous. I felt I really made some good friends. I’ve enclosed a photos of the children but I’m afraid I am not a very good photographer and I also missed a lot of photo opportunities. I am truly grateful for the opportunity of being a volunteer at Mamanuca school and I would love to do it again. I would need to save the money, which I’m sure I could do, and I would have to do it before I get too much older but let’s see how I go. Could you please give me the email address and the postal address of the school? I have some books from a reading programme I would like to send and also gifts for Master Te and Mala, who took such good care of me while I was there.

I had an amazing time volunteering at the KAT center. I really loved spending time with the animals. Answers are below.

Highlights of the trip:
The highlight of the trip was working at the KAT center. It was so rewarding and I just loved being able to spend time with the dogs and able to bring them so joy throughout the day.

Comments on the team, food and accommodation:
The team was amazing. Lok was fantastic and assisted with every request. The team at the house were also great especially Sapna.
The food was great also. The staff who did the working at the house were so kindly and friendly.
The accommodation was good. My bed was very hard but I did expect. My only disappointment was the bathroom and that the toilet didn’t work all the time and some of the other volunteers didn’t have enough respect for others to clean up after themselves. It was really quiet gross at times. I did inform Sapna about this.

Sri Lanka:
Highlights:
The highlight of Sri Lanka was definitely the team; the drivers, coordinators, managers, chef, cleaners – everyone was so helpful and lovely. Everything felt very well organised and I felt very comfortable to talk about anything with them. The people of Sri Lanka in general were all so beautiful and friendly.

Team, food and accommodation:
Again the team was amazing. The food was really good both at the accommodation and at the projects! I love spice, rice and curry so I was always happy. There was plenty of vegetables and plenty of food so always had enough to eat. The accommodation was clean, a nice temperature, hot and cold showers, lockers for valuables, good location.