Program Reviews

Our volunteer experience with IVHQ was excellent! I was concerned about getting all of the details together beforehand but they made it easy. The local team in Hua Hin were very organized and they were helpful in every way. We enjoyed the volunteer work at the schools we helped to restore. The sights were incredible and the local team had planned free time activities if volunteers wanted to participate. My husband and I felt very safe throughout the entire trip. Next trip will definitely be with IVHQ.

Amazing experience! Very beautiful team/teamwork. Meaningful work done in the community. Lots of collaboration with other projects- able to work together with other volunteers and expand our impact. The local group in Hua Hin was absolutely amazing- very responsive and supportive throughout the whole experience. The diversity of the volunteer group was incredible. I was able to meet some really amazing people with different backgrounds and perspectives about life. Such an eye opening, once in a life time experience. Highly recommended !

The experience was unique and something I will never forget. I met great people, and friends that I will take with me for life. I learned a lot to grow as a person by living in a completely different reality from my own. Zanzibar is amazing in every aspect and being part of its conservation was a magical experience.

The culture, the food, and the beaches are beautiful, but I will not forget that it is a poor country and the people live very little. I also hope that the IVHQ team's efforts to raise awareness about pollution and the protection of natural landscapes will disappear in the future, as it will mean that the locals have learned to take care of their precious environment and all the effort made by the team and volunteers will have gone a long way.

The first day of our volunteer teaching experience in Xi'an we were personally escorted from our homestay to the school by the Head Teacher so we would know how to make the 45 minute commute by Metro. Thank goodness, we were good to go after that. Well, we all were not sure what to expect as we were handed off the to Kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms. The children LOVED us!!! They were so adorable and enduring and wanted to touch and hug us an say hello. The teachers spoke no English and were mostly not sure what to do with us. So the first day was a little stressful as we each taught a 15 minute impromptu English lesson. We all thought they would have a lesson plan prepared for us, but we made our own. At this young age and beginning levels it was just about having fun. We completed out first day and returned to our gracious homestay hosts where we had a dumpling making lesson!! So much fun. All I can say is that as the day went by we became more comfortable with the children, teachers, food, culture and City. It was definitely a life changing experience. IVHQ provide great training and preparation support while the Local Team offered a place to live and advice on culture and sightseeing . This experience is not for the faint of heart, you need a spirit of adventure and to roll with a new environment and culture (no one speaks English, but it is okay. A little Chinese language goes a long way.) The project was all about the children and giving them an advantage to learn English. I am so happy I went through with this project , it was very rewarding and such a learning experience for me. Be brave!!!!

I volunteered in Argentina and loved almost every moment of it. As a non speaking Spanish person the first day at the program was a bit much as no one spoke English but as the days went on we were able to connect with clients and employees despite the language barrier. I was impressed with IVHQ they were diligent from the start and were great to connect us to the local program coordinators who were always there to help. Our placement was wonderful, I didn’t enjoy that supper was served at 9:00 pm but that is the custom there so I got used to it.

I completed 2 weeks of construction and renovation volunteering in Bali. IVHQ were super easy to book with and incredibly helpful with any complications or queries that I had. Obtaining the visa for Bali was quite complicated but they were quick to respond to my questions and very helpful. Their online program guide is also great, it gives you all the information you could need before arriving and if you have any other questions, like previously mentioned, you can just contact them! The local team were also amazing! They were incredibly kind, helpful and friendly. They assist in any issues we had and made my experience 100x better. I definitely want to return in the future. I couldn’t recommend it enough!!

As a current medical student in New York, I could only spend a week in Costa Rica. When I first applied, I assumed that by the end of the program, I would be ready to head home. I had never stayed with a host family abroad or traveled internationally on my own before, so along with excitement, there was also a bit of worry. However, those fears disappeared the moment I arrived, met the local team, my host mother, and saw my volunteer site. I quickly fell in love with Costa Rica's culture, nature, and people in just seven days. Even though my stay was brief, I truly believe I made a positive impact and I wish I could have stayed longer. As someone who is passionate about social justice and helping others, this program felt like a dream come true, and I hope to return one day.

I thought the volunteering in Sri Lanka was exceptional because the manager used the skills and experience of the volunteers (in my case anyway) so they were of maximum benefit to the community meaning I felt I had contributed to the community and done something worthwhile. The health interventions I set up are being duplicated and implemented in other groups now by other volunteers.

Similarly, the coordinators were educated and invested in the programs so could provide invaluable feedback and support. Thirdly the manager went above and beyond to make the individual requests of volunteers happen - no matter how off-beat. And lastly, a visit from an IVHQ coordinator, flown in from New Zealand, demonstrated the authenticity of IVHQ in knowing first hand about the experiences and places that they promote.

This project was AMAZING. I feel that I made a real contribution to the project, and I learned a lot and really grew as a person. It puts you outside of your comfort zone to travel alone for weeks at a time, away from friends and family, in a country where you don't speak the language or know anybody. However, this project made me feel very safe, empowered, and a strong sense of connection both with the volunteers as well as the local community. It was absolutely incredible, I'm so grateful to have participated in such an empowering project.

I had a wonderful experience volunteering with IVHQ Ghana. The Local Team were incredibly supportive, and I learnt so much during my time there - both about the local culture and myself. I found my experience way more challenging, both physically and mentally, than I expected, however, I think this really helped me to grow as a person, and is what made my experience so transformative. I am walking away from this programme a changed person, and I am so grateful to IVHQ for this experience - it is one I will never forget :)