Program Reviews

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.

Highlights of the trip:
The trip would not have been the same without the amazing pals I shared it with. Sharing this experience with them was bonding to the max haha. The rural villages were definitely a highlight of the trip! The villagers are incredibly friendly and caring, and they were grateful for our health checks as much as we were grateful for their hospitality. One particular villager, which was our live-in rooster, was most entertaining. Every evening he would climb the tree outside our bedroom and would wake us up no earlier than 4am, all I can say is that we were very ready for the day ahead haha.

Comments on the team, food and accommodation:
The amazing Danielle, our super coordinator, my personal hero, what a babe. Mere, my mother from another country. Food wise, I’ve learnt that my body can eat way more carbs than I thought possible haha. This trip has expanded my recipe book, not sure I can live without roti parcels and that marvellous spinach recipe now haha.

Sharing the accomodation with the rest of the team made it feel like home, which eased my apprehension.

Living outside your comfort zone, in a new country with a different culture from yours, sharing rooms and sleeping in bunk beds, having cold showers (which by the way I will miss) makes you look at life differently and appreciate the simple things.

I can’t put into words how rewarding it was working with the children. Teaching was a challenge but the feeling of contributing for their education and just being part of their everyday life, either in the classroom or just laying outside, is more than fulfilling. Energy that never runs out, eagerness to learn (and teach me), cheeky curiosity and genuine happiness. Pure happiness. Those are the words that would describe them.

My experience in Tigman, taught me how to be more present. Enjoy every single moment and dedicate my time to people. People who became friends just in a few days.
I will always remember the sunsets on the beach, eating the best banana fritters, the long talks in Tiki hut, dancing around the bonfire with a full moon, singing my heart out on Karaoke nights but most importantly, all the people I’ve met and were part of each moment. Kind hearts with open minds that went to make a difference. I leave Tigman with a full heart, ready to come back.

Highlights:
The whole two- week trip was a highlight from me. From being picked up at the airport by Masi’s son to being driven to the Denaru by a family friend. I arrived on the island with the headmaster’s family in a small fibreglass boat and it is certainly something I’ll never forget. Fiji is such a family orientated culture, which made me feel so comfortable from the start. Everyone welcomed me with open arms and I felt right at home from the beginning. The children melted my heart with their beautiful smiles and cheekiness, the locals always greeted me as I wandered past with the kids and the pristine beaches and coral reefs that surrounded the island were stunning. My host family were incredible, so generous with everything they had. They answered my questions, talked to me, laughed with me and my two Fijian “brothers” I had for two weeks,I will never forget. I left Fiji feeling like I was a part of their family. The teaching staff were so appreciative of everything I did and they made me feel like part of the school.

The island is such a picturesque island with natural beauty everywhere you looked. I loved waking up in the morning to the sun shining and the sounds of the children going about their morning jobs. I felt that I have experienced the “real” Fiji in staying on a remote island and living like a local. I would not have wanted it any other way for my first experience as a volunteer.

Comments on team, food and accommodation:
Lauren was fabulous with her communication and any questions I had were answered promptly. Even though I had no reason to contact her whilst in Fiji, I felt 100% supported the whole time. Masi and his family were incredible hosts and I felt right at home staying with him and his family. He was informative and extremely helpful when my bags went missing (haha) and more importantly a kind soul. The food on the island was quite bland compared to what I was use to back home but there was plenty of it and I enjoyed trying out the various Fijian foods that were prepared for me. As we were briefed, vegetables and fruits were few and far between but this was expected. Once again I was expecting clean but no frills accommodation in comparison to what I am use to. The toilet for me was somewhat of a challenge in the beginning (haha) and the shower was buckets of water. You just have to embrace it and go with the flow because that is how they live and it was important for me to be grateful for what they had given me. This experience was out of my comfort zone but hands down one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Fiji was such an amazing experience working in the villages with such humble, happy and beautiful people who truly valued our input an experience I’ll never forget. I would just like to also say a big thank you to Danielle, her approach to the project with such a positive and can do attitude was definitely notable, she went above and beyond to make sure we were all happy at all times. She did a great job of looking after us and her training/knowledge was highly commendable. Also Masi and Mere are absolutely fantastic hosts so very kind, nothing was ever a problem they are such beautiful people – safe to say Mere is a FANTASTIC cook too haha.

Vanuatu was also amazing! I had so much fun there and learnt a lot about marine conservation, even got a few surfs in Pele really was a little treasure such an incredibly beautiful place. Lynne and Willie both looked after me so well while I was there nothing was ever to much to ask. Being on my own I spent a lot of time with Lynne and the other people in the village outside of work it really became like a second home for me. Lynne looked after me so well always making sure I was taken care of and happy, very lovely lady.

My time volunteering in Fiji with the IVI public health program was one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences of my life. It was a fulfilling experiences to help such beautiful people that are facing very serious but preventable health issues. The services, accommation etc. provided by IVI were far better than I could of ask for. The other volunteers were all wonderful, friendly people, with a shared desire to give their time to help others and work as a team.’

Highlights of the trip:
The biggest highlight for me was the connections and time spent with Fijian people in the village. The people were without reason so genuinely friendly and beautiful even though by ‘our standards’ they have little in terms of everyday living. It was a real privilege to stay in the remote villages and see how the people live, eat there food most of which was grown in the village and stay in there homes. Health checks was also a great experience and I really enjoyed the face to face time with the villages gathering information on the lifestyle and health. It was an extremely rewarding feeling at the end of the day after doing health checks, especially when we would find people with dangerous reading and send them away to hospital as simply as presences there may have saved that persons life. I really did love every minute of the trip to be honest.

Comments on the team, food and accommodation:
Jules our program manager was amazing I feel she was perfect for the role as she really knew how to keep things in order, get things done and had confidence to deal with serious and confronting situations in terms of some of the medical emergency BSL and BP reading that we got. The food was great as we got to have lots of traditional Fijian food which was just what I wanted. Accommodation was better than I would have asked for even when we stayed in the village homes on the floor this was exactly the experienced I wanted.

Highlights of the trip:
Living so close to the local people and spending all my time with them.
I remember that one day where the kids showed me a secret beach. Another volunteer and around 20 kids, including my two host brothers climbed over a hill, just to arrive on this breathtaking beach. We played in the water and in the sand all day, the kids climbed trees to get coconuts and papayas. One of my favorite days ever!

Comments on the team, food and accommodation:
Masi was really helpful and it was easy to communicate.
The food is very basic. It’s basically instant noodles, taro and cassava every day, some canned vegetables and chicken. For me it was not a problem and I got used to it very quickly. Some more fruits and vegetables would be great though.
My host family was amazing! I have rarely met such a caring and hospitable family. I had my own room to sleep in and I shared bathroom, toilet and kitchen with them. The standard was higher than I expected. The house is on the school compound, so it’s close to where the boarding students live and close to the village.
It’s a fantastic island, there are many pretty beaches and the village is beautiful. Of course there are problems, for example the stray dogs that are treated very badly or the insufficient drinking water supply.

I did an internship in Fiji for 1 month in the framework of food advice and insist people to practice physical activity. I enjoyed this course immensely and I had a wonderful meeting, the people in Fiji are very friendly and they are open to esprits, they love to make discover their cultures as well as their histories and make discover their magnificent islands. this internship allowed me to realize that by giving advice to people we could change them better and that is felt in their behavior. it is an unforgettable experience and I recommend everyone to visit this beautiful island to see for yourself the beauty of the country and the population.

I am convinced that everyone who goes to fiji is happy, I hope this message has reassured you to go to fiji and you can only appreciate this place

Highlights
The highlight of the trip was meeting new people and living the Fijian life and not a tourist life. We used the public transport to get to the orphanage. It was a 20 minute walk to the bus station and another 40 minute ride. Our family organised a card for us to use. Bus tickets were only $2.78 one way each. We also used the taxi service which is amazingly cheap compared to Australian Taxi fees. Tasting the different types of foods was great.
At the orphanage we were blown away how friendly the mothers were and how well behaved the children were. Everyone had a role to play. I have taken some photos of the orphanage. On our last day we were together with two other volunteers from New Zealand. We worked well together and set up an area for the children to play. There was a lot of washing each day. Every day we sat with the children and they loved doing the word search puzzles that we had brought. I donated two bags of art and crafts supplies which were gratefully received.
Food, accomodation, hosts:
Our hosts were amazing and made sure that we were taken care of. We had our room together that was well equipped with everything we needed. We were taken on a tour to the shops, bus station and to be inducted at the orphanage. One of the mother’s took us through and explained the routine and our jobs for the day. It was better when we had another team there that we could do projects together with.
I will aim to sent some donations to the orphanage and use my experience to encourage other’s to do the same. It has been an amazing experience.
Regards
Andrea

I’m truly thankful for the past two months I’ve spent in this special country. I’ve met so many beautiful and inspiring people and have been exposed to a completely different way of living and have seen a completely different appreciation for life. I will cherish the memories, the friends and all the unconditional love and smiles I received.
Daisy Coffey, Rural Community project Bodhgaya India 2016