Involvement Volunteers International (IVI)

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The construction was working on a community park. The local children worked with us on moving dirt with the wheelbarrows - very nice to see them care about their park and interest in us. The only downside in the project was that it was monsoon season which made outdoor work difficult. Local accommodations in Kathmandu were great! Very comfortable and afforded us an opportunity to interact with volunteers from around the globe. The local team was the best ever. Well managed, very professional and very helpful in all things for Nepal. Food was great, cleaning was great.

Project: Food support for the homeless. The volunteering was a lot of fun. I become more skilled in cooking techniques, and learned many things. It was also exciting for me to live by myself in a foreign country and I had a lot of fun with exploring Lisbon by myself.
The food and accommodation was very good. The staff were always very helpful and supportive. The local team was also very friendly, caring and easy approachable. They helped me with planning weekends and were there to answer any questions I may have had.

Sri Lanka Turtle conservation review... Volunteering in Sri Lanka has been the best experience of my life; I met incredible people and will definitely never forget it. Comments on local team, food and accommodation... The local food was amazing, and I will definitely want to prepare these dishes when I return home. The local team in Sri Lanka was very helpful, resolving any doubts immediately. The accommodation also met all my expectations.

I can only say one thing: if you are wondering whether you should really do a volunteer project in Vietnam - do it! Of course I was quite scared and respectful of my four-week trip, but in the end it was absolutely unfounded. The coordinators are absolutely great, the people there are super nice and immediately welcome you and this stay is simply the perfect mix of fun / leisure and work in a completely different country, which of course also comes with various challenges (especially 40 a day Especially if you get it as well as I do). The culture in Vietnam is simply breathtaking! The people there are incredibly nice (really really nice compared to Europe), the food is amazing and there is always something new to discover. Above all, working with the children in kindergarten has taught me so much! Dealing with small children, the disciplinary consequences, the way to raise children here. It was simply an experience of a lifetime. Even the three-year-olds were greeted with a huge smile every day and were so excited to learn new English words - of course that immediately fills you with extreme happiness and you really have the feeling that you can make a difference and help. Personally, I spent a month, or four weeks, in Vietnam and around day 5 I realized that I would definitely come back! My tips for your stay: don't be shy, just talk to people. Most people feel just as insecure as you do and are happy to meet new people who share the same experience. Take weekend trips if you have the opportunity to get to know the country even better. Go to the War Remnants Museum and find out about the history of Vietnam - it's really quite heavy, but you just have to see it while you're there. Have fun in life and try to do everything and take every opportunity to experience new things. And most importantly: book your trip to Vietnam, I promise you won't be sorry. Once again a thousand thanks to all the great people in Vietnam and at home who made this unique trip possible for me. I will never forget this experience and will probably tell my grandchildren about it. Thank you, thank you, thank you and lots of kisses from Vienna <3

I went over there to volunteer with those who needed it most but came back only to realise that it was me who needed to volunteer!!! I made so many friends and lasting connections but more than that I discovered how amazing and quite selfish it is to volunteer due to the amount of joy, fulfilment and love I recieved.

My favourite quote that relates to this trip is that there is only one happiness in life - to love and be loved and that has never felt so real

The kids were the cutest humans ever and being able to work closely with them was so moving! I was situated in a little village town called Yandua where there was only 9 kids in my Kindergarten! The teacher was also the sweetest human ever!

My highlight of the trip would have to be the friendships created across the world and the topic of the table which was travel! I learnt so many new phrases from different languages and I also caught as many of them called it the travel bug which has now made me want to travel to so many parts of the volunteer and volunteer with such an amazing organisation!!!

This was the most fulfilling and rewarding volunteer experience ever and I’m so grateful to have embarked on this journey until next time VINAKA (thank you in Fijian)

The local team were the most beautiful humans I’ve ever met they were so accomodating, caring and they had everything well planned out! More than they were cooking, cleaning and organising they were our friends and I thought that was super special They ensured that we felt loved, valued and accepted as well as immersing ourselves in Fijian culture and experiences! The food was the perfect mix of Western Style and Traditional Fijian dishes and the accomodation was super lovely … I was lucky enough to stay in a hotel called Casablanca which was super nice and the staff their were lovely. No improvements needed this was an amazing experience!!!

My highlight of volunteering on the kindergarten program in Vietnam was seeing the kids smile. Playing games with them, singing and dancing with them. Really brings out our inner child and our silliness. The kids are bright and excited to learn.

On the lcoal team and accommodation. Local team was amazing & accomodating. Organising family nights on Monday with games , dinner & karaoke to helping you with anything and everything. Accomodation offered breakfast, lunch & dinner with local food and offers tours.

Korea is an amazing country. At the volunteering place, people were very nice but generally did not speak English. Fortunately I always had a bilingual person to accompany me.

I was able to go out of Seoul and visit Suwon, Hamyang and Japan.

I really liked this trip!

The local team is kind and helpful. They are always available if you have a question.

I was able to try many Korean food thanks to the local team. I loved the food.

The accommodation is very quiet which is nice. You can have a Korean breakfast or just cereal. The accommodation is near a bus and subway station which I really convenient.

Hi my name is Kai. I spent 3 weeks in Nepal. Through culture week I got a real taste for the city of Katmandu - chaotic streets, crammed buses, lots of very friendly people and interesting foods. My favourite place was Pokhara - a smaller city built in the Nepalese jungle with snow covered mountains in the background. This place had a special vibe and the hikes were very fun. Lots of back packets stayed here so it was good for meeting people like myself. The last place I visited was Chitwan where I went on a safari and got to see wild rhinos. No tigers unfortunately but maybe next time. Over all the food was nice, people are friendly, there's a lot of temples and cool places to visit and if you really want the full experience you can head to the Himalayas for full week treks through beautiful snowy villages and views like you've never seen.

Volunteering in Fiji was truly a life-changing experience. It was so fulfilling to interact and connect with the youth in the villages and schools. I enjoyed teaching the children how to wash their hands and brush their teeth in the schools. The kids were so eager to learn and they couldn't stop smiling and hugging myself and the other volunteers. It was touching to see how happy the people of Fiji are, even though they do not have a lot of money, the community is super tight and connected.

The local team was extremely welcoming and friendly. It was very easy to contact them if you needed anything. Transportation always arrived on time. The food was delicious and included some traditional Fijian cuisine. The accommodation was close to nearby hotels, restaurants, shopping and beaches!

For part of my trip I was able to enter the sports program since the hours didn't conflict with health education. It would have been nice to do both for the entire trip. So maybe during registration, it could offer to add programs at your specific site.