ISV (International Student Volunteers) Reviews

I have never considered myself to be a person who would rather travel the world than stay at home but ISV has changed that. My few weeks in south America have changed my life forver and I am forever thankful to the people who made it possible. From teaching English to moving around gardens in the amazon we did it all. Bridge jumping, spas, white water rafting it was all unreal who am I to have gone to the Galapagos islands? People dream of things their whole life and often don't get the opportunity to do things like this. However, I did. I am so so happy and so truly blessed.

ISV offers you the chance to volunteer on a range of different community and conservation projects. I volunteered for seaturtle research which took me to the amazing town of Ostional. Staying with a home stay family was difficult as my Mamma Tica spoke no English, but she tried very hard as did I to speak Spanish! The work was was at night so sleep was often deprived but man was it worth it! You got to see 3 different species of seaturtles with the leaders making sure everyone saw them as well as the baby turtles we released.This is what made you feel like you were making a difference. After the volunteer work ISV allows you to travel around Costa Rica with a wonderful guide. You get out of your comfit zone and get to experience things you wouldn't usually be able to. Its diffidently worth going!

Hannah Richardson- Smith and I were selected to participate in a unique five-week volunteer program in Costa Rica, working alongside 50 other like-minded individuals from around the world. Together we worked under the direction of an organisation called International Student Volunteers (ISV) and this was made possible by local support, especially that of the Lorne Lion’s Club.
During our first week in Costa Rica, we were housed within local host families where we attended school- learned Spanish, and were immersed within a new culture. We then began our volunteer project, which ran in conjunction with local community leaders and educated us of conservation issues. A key tool in the project’s sustainability was protecting endangered turtle species.
Costa Rica is considered one of the most important nesting grounds for sea turtles in the world. More than fifty different nesting beaches can be found along the Carribean and Pacific coasts, where five out of the world’s seven sea turtle species come ashore to lay their eggs. One of these beaches is Ostional- where we were based for volunteering. The community of Ostional has been active in sea turtle conservation for the past forty years and is one of very few nesting beaches where turtles nest year round. Three species which travel to use this important nesting site include the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle, Pacific Green Sea Turtle and the Leatherback Sea Turtle (which were what we worked with).
The importance of our volunteer work was due to the arribada phenomenon (which occurs once per month, where thousands of Olive Ridley turtles come ashore to nest) and has lead to Leatherback turtles becoming critically endangered due to their nests being destroyed by the Olive Ridley turtles. Until 2004, no comprehensive research on the Leatherback turtle nesting activity had been carried out. Similarly, despite the high rates of poaching reported, no specific measures were implemented to protect this species.
Hannah and I participated in nightly patrols led by experienced biologists and local conservationists. These consisted of walking roughly 22kms a night, alongside hatchery shifts- where we monitored and then released baby Leatherback turtles. During a nocturnal beach patrol we measured the carapace (shell) length of nesting adult turtles, helped with data collection for future research (record time, zone, activity etc. of the turtles), tagged turtle flippers, relocated nests into the hatchery, excavated and examined nests which had been disrupted by local dogs, poachers and external unnatural causes, measured and weighed recently-born hatchlings, released and monitored the hatchlings on their journey to the ocean and built new nests to transplant eggs in attempt to receive higher rates of Leatherback success.
Moreover, during our time in Ostional, Hannah and I alongside other volunteers achieved to tag 18 Olive Ridley turtles, counted a total of 1332 turtle eggs- laid by 16 Olive Ridley turtles, measured 2 Leatherback turtles and counted their 57 eggs, witnessed a 70% Green Sea Turtle nest excavation success, witnessed 25% Leatherback hatchling success, released 13 hatchlings, witnessed 3 Green Sea turtles hatch from natural nests, participated in 40 hours of patrol per week each, participated in collecting 202 kgs of plastic from the beach and also 36 hours of log clean up.
Ostional is located seven hours from the capital city of San Jose’, where Hannah and I were collected and transported via truck out to the beach in what was almost forty degree weather. We stayed with separate host families and were forced to communicate with them only through Spanish. The typical community homes were small and basic, but comfortable, consisting of two or three bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and bathroom, where we experienced no running hot water for the duration of our project. Through staying with these families we were generating local income, which represented an important alternative activity to the extractive use of sea turtles and our enthusiasm and motivation encouraged the protection of these essential and overlooked creatures within the local community. Our diet consisted of the traditional gallo pinto for breakfast, lunch and dinner (rice and black beans), which we happily demolished at the time, however are thoroughly enjoying the variation of foods back in Lorne.
We were both proud representatives of Lorne within our project, and are extremely thankful and grateful to the Lorne Lion’s club for their support in helping us on this venture. Hannah and I feel we have learnt a lot from this experience and appreciate the support we received from everyone in Lorne who allowed us experienced this opportunity.
Although at points in this trip we experienced corruption within the local community we were living in, Hannah and I used these opportunities to learn, and allowed us to appreciate our community back home. It was inspiring.

The volunteering was absolutely amazing. I developed friendships I still have and loved every minute of it. The traveling/vacation part was awesome as well. The planned activities were exciting and eclectic. Overall the trip was one I will never forget

With ISV you usually spend 2 weeks volunteering in a local community. There you do various activities from community development to conservation based on your preferences. Everything is oversaw by a group leader who works with ISV. Meals are provided this entire time. Then the fun begins with a second two weeks traveling via bus around the country with a tour leader. This is great because my tour leader got us all sorts of extra perks and activities because she had befriended a ton of people along the way, so our bike tour guy made us lunch, and the guys who took us waterfall repelling gave us a tour of the local bar scene and the rainforest. The lodgings were absolutely amazing and there was always someone around to help with translation if needed. Traveling in a group was nice to because we became a family by the end of our four weeks. I also took an optional week with ISV before hand in a local school to help learn some spanish and local customs.

ISV is a perfect combination of volunteer work and fun. I was nervous to go to Africa for my first time but it ended up being so safe with ISV that I am returning again this summer. You get to meet locals with ISV, which is not something you would get out of traveling alone, and they truly know all the best things to do for fun.

Every single day was full of action and there was never a dull moment. We were either doing something cool and unbelievably crazy (microlight flights, caving, kloofing, safari, surfing, sailing, bungee jumping), or hanging out with our new best friends (who I have plans to see this summer also, because the friends you make on this trip really do become a permanent part of your life).

Best yet is knowing that the kids who's school I fixed up will be able to continue their education without the government shutting their classrooms down because we made them safe and sanitary. I know I made an impact, and that's priceless to me.

In terms of cost/value for money, don't kid yourself if you want to go to Africa for 5 weeks, of course it will have a price tag attached. I've looked into cheaper, purely volunteer-work organizations but would still choose ISV over them because with ISV I got to see 5 countries in Africa and have so many amazing experiences from doing the activities they include, and this isn't something you get from most other organizations.

Bottom Line: I don't know a single person who went on my trip who regrets that decision.

This was an amazing experience that I will never forget! I think there are many volunteer opportunities for sea turtle conservation, but I think this one would top it off as being the best one. At Ostional, by day we would relax, enjoy the beach (and because the beach was large and there aren't many people living in the village, it was almost as if we had it all to ourselves), participate in activities with the local community, and occasionally clean up the beach. Just be prepared for the heat and mosquito bites. By night we would spend glorious walks along the beach in search for sea turtles.
The scene at night was absolutely beautiful. Imagine, walking with a small group of friends on a dark beach, only lit under the starry sky, including the Milky Way, and occasionally by the silent flashes of heat lightning. You feel the gentle breeze coming from the ocean and only hear the sounds of the gentle waves. After walking for a certain time, you rest on the dry, soft sandy beach before turning back. Most of my night experiences were like this.
My favourite one includes the night when we suddenly spotted thousands of sea turtles coming onto shore during "la arribada" to nest their eggs. It was sudden because I thought the beach was mostly empty until a heat lightning flashed and thousands of large turtles were seen surrounding us. The next night, the moonlight kept the beach lit enough for us to just watch all the turtles do their things. These nights were unforgettable sights!

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel with International Student Volunteers (ISV) to the Dominican Republic in 2005. ISV gave me a very unique experience where I was able to impact the lives of local families by volunteering and also travel around the Dominican Republic doing a bunch of different fun adventure activities.

When I arrived with ISV I immediately fell in love with the Dominican Republic. The well trained Tour and Project Leaders who guided my group of 20 students along the way, and the children that we were able to help on a daily basis, made this trip the most memorable of my life. ISV took us whitewater rafting, surfing, snorkeling, rappelling down waterfalls, cliff jumping, canyoning, windsurfing, and exploring the Dominican culture giving me the adventure of a lifetime. The organization and number of activities that were set up for me in just two weeks far exceeded my expectations.

As fun as the adventure tour was, the biggest impact that ISV had on me was during the 2 weeks I spent on my Volunteer Project at Crossroads. Seeing things I would have never imagined and the conditions that people have to live in was a very eye opening experience. I instantly fell in love with the place and people we were helping. Seeing the smiles on the kid’s faces as our old bus pulls up to their village on the dirt roads, with the kids chasing after us to greet us with hugs, climbing all over us as we arrived each morning still brings a smile to my face today. I was able to really connect with the people in the village. The families invited me in their new homes showed off their decorations and home with so much pride and joy. Seeing how grateful they were for what we were doing is one of the biggest rewards I have ever felt. I can’t thank ISV enough for giving me this amazing opportunity and organizing the trip of a lifetime.

We made little mission trips to poor villages giving toiletries, food, milk, and medical treatment for the sick just made me appreciate everything I have so much more. I'll never forget the time I had in the Dominican Republic and the people we were able to help. Their smiles and the joy they shared with me will last forever. As much as we gave to them, from our suitcases full of clothes to the shoes we had on our feet to the houses we helped build giving them running water and electricity for the first time, to teaching the children, it still felt like I was the one they were helping. It gave me a whole new outlook on life and made me appreciate everything I have so much more and gave me a whole new outlook on life.

I have been on other volunteer trips before and nothing comes close to comparing with experience that I had with ISV. ISV’s professionalism and organization in setting up such an amazing program is something I would recommend to anyone who is looking to travel. The friendships I made in the Dominican Republic, the lives I helped change, and the kids hanging all over me with smiles on their faces are things that will always be with me thanks to ISV.

I would pick doing this again over any vacation at a resort or any other tour. Unlike staying at a five-star resort, I gained so much more through hands-on work experience with the local communities and being involved in their cultural activities. I also saw so much more of another country's lifestyle than traveling with any other tourist agencies I've had. Furthermore, the new friends who I made during this program was certainly the best part of this trip. They all have similar interest and passion for adventure and volunteer abroad to be here, so it was always fun and enjoyable wherever I go with them. It has been almost a year since my four-week program in Ecuador and even though I am apart from them now, they are my lifetime friends who I think about everyday.

This program was amazing! There was a clear schedule about our daily activities both when volunteering and on the adventure tour. I would have loved to stay and volunteer more because it was the most rewarding and fun part of the trip. I got to meet so many local community members and talk with them about their lives. It was a great feeling knowing that I was making a difference in their lives and that I was bettering their health and safety. To end the day, there was nothing better than the delicious cuisine. Everything I was served couldn't have been better! I stayed in bungalows with my fellow volunteers and the owners were amazing. There really are no words for how gracious and welcoming they were. They felt like family by the time I left and I still keep in touch with them and all the other travelers. After volunteering, the adventure tour began and it was so much fun! I did everything from jumping down waterfalls to horseback riding through the mountains. I would definitely, 100% recommend this program to people. Fundraising is the best idea to cut costs. It helps so much. ISV is a very organized, safe, and fun program. I would travel with them again in a heart beat.