Program Reviews

I had an incredible time in costa rica! The people were so nice and friendly and I really enjoyed my volunteering placement there. I was working at an equine therapy barn. It was a lot of manual labour, a lot more than I thought, but it was really rewarding.

My suggestion for future volunteers would be to go with an open mind and not a have a certain task in mind of what you’re going to be doing. Whatever you’re doing it will be helpful and good but maybe not necessarily what you thought what you’re doing. Just remember that you’re making an impact and you’re doing some good.

I was picked up at the airport by sweet Gabi who was delightful. She made me feel at home immediately. The hostel, Impact House, was cute, clean and the location was perfect. My placement at the private animal shelter was truly rewarding. I walked dogs and helped maintain the premises. The little puppies were adorable.
On Saturday, a large group of volenteers took 30 puppies for a hike in the woods and to a beach. It was so much fun. I was able to explore Split, Croatia on my free time. I could walk everywhere . . . so very convenient. Croatia is a beautiful country and the people were lovely.
When I returned home I got a follow-up message from IVHQ asking how I was feeling after my experience 😅 . . . very thoughtful.
I look forward to my next volunteer experience with IVHQ.

OMG THE BEST! If you are looking for a fun, affordable, once in a lifetime trip - this is the way to do it! Not only did I get to volunteer and bond with the community, BUT also got to sight see and view the beautiful country I was in! I traveled to South Africa and was worried about making friends and finding community, but I walked away with the bestest friends. The kids are my EVERYTHING, and I miss them to this day! The ability to make such an enormous impact with little time is amazing, and at the end of my month there, I didnt want to leave!

Another great experience with ivhq. My assignment was changed due to a local holiday but new arrangements were found for me. This actually allowed me to spend time in 2 locations and meet more volunteers and locals over the course of my 5 weeks in cambodia. The first three weeks were spent teaching English at an ngo school and my last two weeks were at a special education school. Both were great programs and experiences. With 5 weeks I had plenty of time to explore the areas I was in and have a weekend at the beach!

Getting to meet and socialise with both new volunteers and locals was fantastic for me, as well as getting out of my comfort zone. The construction work I did especially felt quite rewarding. The coordinators are all great and are super easy to get along with. I did 4 weeks, with 3 weeks being in Ubud, Bali and the other week being in Nusa Penida to do the sea turtle program for a week. I found it to be a good balance between doing volunteer work and being able to relax and explore other parts of the areas in your free time. It was well worth doing.

We were able to explore the local tourist areas, beaches, etc. while being hosted by our local team members. They were helpful in suggesting ideas and providing fantastic experiences while feeling safe in a foreign environment. We were offered and took advantage of additional medical mission experiences which allowed us to travel into more remote villages to tend to wounds. We went as a group and were able to complete over 600 malaria tests at local schools, mostly on children. We felt safe and appreciated. This was an amazing experience!

When I first signed up for volunteering it was simply just to give something back and help others. The process to register and the information provided was very thorough and super swift. Ashlea was always on hand to support any questions I had. She was just brilliant.

I chose Sri Lanka as I felt it was different yet close to my own Indian heritage (my parents are from India). I also felt I could completely immerse myself into the culture and lifestyle.
The local team in Sri Lanka couldn’t do enough for you, always looking out for you, giving you advise and support as you need, including being your local travel agent giving you sight seeing options.

I love children so decided that I would choose child development programmes - Well what can I say, the two programmes I supported were so different but the children I assisted and taught were some of the warmest, purest and kindest children I have ever met, especially the village kids. They greeted you every day with so much energy, enthusiasm and love, such beautiful souls.

I started the programme wanting to make a difference and give something back however I can honestly say that actually this programme has been a gift to me and I am blessed to have been able to experience something that many will never get the chance to do ever !!

The journey has been an honour, good and difficult times but volunteering with IVHQ has definitely altered my perspective on life, in a very special way. I am forever grateful for the opportunity and experience. I am now back home and I appreciate everything in my life much more than ever but a part of me stayed with them kids in Sri Lanka ♥️.

So I would say if you’re thinking about it - don’t, just do it!! There are a lot of children out there that just need your time.
Trust me it’s a life changing experience.

The preparatory organisation was excellent. Information was provided in a clear concise manner, timely and there was always a prompt response to any queries or concerns. The personal preparation workbooks were really useful and certainly helped me prepare for the project and contributed to its success. The local team support was exceptional in every way. Questions or queries were treated quickly and considerately. The local rep was exceptionally knowledgeable and proactively helpful. All these factors contributable to one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Any volunteering trip that you do, you would meet the most amazing group of people from all over the world who share your passion. The work in itself is rewarding and the local team are always bubbly and willing to learn from you. We stayed on a remote island which gave us the chance to experience pure Balinese culture and learn from the locals. The amount of time you spend with the turtles is based around feeding time which leaves enough time to explore the island and on the weekends you can head back to the mainland

I had the best time in Bali, thank to IVHQ and the local team, and , now that I’m back home, I can’t stop thinking about the next volunteering trip with IVHQ. I was really well surrounded, from the preparation before leaving with my online correspondent, going through the local team and until the coming back home advices with an other online correspondent.
IVHQ told me everything I needed to know about the country, the culture, the food and the behavior I should have before leaving. They told me what I had to expect from the accommodation and the program there and it helped me making a precise idea of the trip and really reassured me before leaving.
Once I was there, I met the sweetest people, which was the local team, who were always happy to help, answer our questions or spending great time with us.
I had a lot of fun doing my program, I loved doing what we did, I loved thinking that we were useful and helping the local community and my coordinator were kind and funny.
The country itself was also really nice to visit, we were lucky to be surrounded by local people who were giving us advices on where to go and what to see and even helping us planning our weekends trips. I loved discovering Bali and its culture.
Finally, I’d like to say that I met so many amazing people, I got along with a lot of the volunteers who mostly were the same old as me, had the same “life situation” and the same points of interests. I made some really good friends there and will definitely meet them again soon!
Thank to IVHQ for the quality assistance that made me feel so safe before, during and after the trip.
My head is now full of amazing memories and experiences from that trip, I can’t wait for the next one!