Program Reviews

The AMIGOS program was a great opportunity to make friends with and learn from people from a completely different culture. I loved learning about myself as well, and the campamentos -- time in national parks -- were a great way to make friends with Costan Rican youth while learning about the environment and experiencing the country's natural beauty. Definitely recommend!

I am writing right now from Nicaragua and I can tell you these last few months have been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I am a AMIGOS Gap Year participate and live here with a host family and work during week days at my host agency. AMIGOS staff lives nearby and checks in weekly about how our work is going, how comfortable we are at in our homes, and our progress with our goals and projects. Through AMIGOS we receive funding and are encouraged to work along side community members to develop and plan sustainable projects that utilize resources and talent already in the communities. This program has helped me rise and meet challenges I never thought I could over come. I am continuously surprised by my own capabilities and how fast my spanish skills are improving. It has been amazing meeting new people and actually create a life here for myself. AMIGOS is more than a program of tourist activities and volunteering on a surface level, from this program and directly living and working with a host family and agency I have learned more spanish and more about the culture than I think I ever could have from a vacation or simply traveling through Nicaragua.

My summer in a community in Anton, Panama was one I would not trade for the world. There were struggles, just like there would be with any program, but how much I grew and learned (in my leadership and in Spanish) is something I could not have done in any other program. The staff and the International Office's number one priority is your safety. Although this is not a 'vacation' by any means, the values gained by this experience could not be had with another program that is more touristy and 'fun' oriented. When it comes to international volunteering, the most important thing is sustainability, and this program works on that and lets the community take the initiative, which helps it be a successful organization.

I was a volunteer with Amigos in Panama in '04 and Mexico in '05. It was by far the most rewarding experience of my life, both personally and professionally. What other program gives you the level of responsibility and cultural interaction that this program does? I was so grateful to Amigos that I continued to volunteer as a trainer for many years and now hold a chapter staff position. I credit Amigos with much of my maturity, personal development, leadership, and global awareness. It's a bigger commitment than many other programs, but the benefits extend far beyond any other singular experience of my life.

I am currently in the AMIGOS Gap Year program and I would highly recommend the program. AMIGOS pairs you with a host agency in-country, where you have the opportunity to help with that agencies existing initiatives and receive funding for your own project from AMIGOS. Working with the host agency is challenging, but its also a great way to improve your project management skills as well as your Spanish. I live in Leon, Nicaragua, which is a beautiful city with tons of stuff going on all the time. The food takes some getting used to -- I was sick a lot in the first few weeks -- but once I became accustomed to having rice and beans all the time I started to enjoy eating Nica food. I've had no troubles with my host family, and they've been very friendly and helpful, especially during my illness. Overall, I would recommend the program to anyone who is looking for a challenging project in their gap year and wants to improve their Spanish.

I chose to do AMIGOS because I wanted to have an authentic experience living specifically in Nicaragua and my summer in Matagalpa was absolutely one of the best times of my life. I was paired with a Nicaraguan volunteer as my partner (every community has 2-3 volunteers), which meant I almost never could speak english. If you have taken spanish through Spanish 4 or AP, ten I would absolutely suggest requesting or saying you would be ok with a Latin American volunteer. My Spanish improved so quickly and I think the fact that she was from Nicaragua helped us integrate into the community. Whether or not you have an LA vol like I did, AMIGOS has the potential to change your life. It will likely present you with many challenges, but the independence and confidence you gain is so worth it. A major tip is that if you may be eligible, apply for financial aid through your chapter or the international office. The full cost would not have been realistic for my family and we were surprised by how generous AMIGOS was. So if money is the thing holding you back, there are ways to get around it!
AMIGOS is so unique in how you really get to live in your community. My host family welcomed me as their own, I had friends and I (sort of) got used to the food. It is hard to write a review, because every AMIGOS experience is so different. There are so many moving parts (your community size, your partner, your host family, your meal plan, your project, your camps, etc.) but I have almost never met an AMIGOS volunteer who didn't love their experience. If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me because I love this program and I LOVE Nicaragua!

Amigos de las Americas is really a unique and amazing program, and Paraguay is an awesome place as well, full of unique culture and welcoming people. I was a volunteer in Paraguari, Paraguay in 2013 for 7 weeks. I had a great time in Paraguay, and it is an experience I will value for the rest of my life. Most days, my partner and I would meet up in the morning and walk to the chapel to give the campamentos (day camps) for a couple hours, return to our host families for lunch, then walk around and talk to people and plan our project (a small park). Our community was rural, but was very spread out and was home to over a thousand people. We spent so much time walking it is surprising we had time for anything else! The connections I made with the people we met, especially my host family, were the best part for sure. I love Amigos' mission and structure, but the one thing I disliked about it was the campamentos, or day camps - the weekly themes were very difficult to teach, and nobody in our community took us seriously. It was very discouraging. Apart from this, I love Amigos and plan to do it next summer as well!

Amigos is an amazing program that really changed the way I see the world. I was placed in a rural town of 300 people with one other volunteer from the US. We worked with the community to raise money to do repairs on the school, and we also taught campamentos (educational summer camps) to the kids, focusing on children's rights. I lived with a host family and was completely immersed in the culture. In addition to improving my Spanish dramatically, I learned to understand and appreciate another (very different) way of life. And I gained many lifelong friends, who I still keep in touch with over a year later. Amigos is a program where you are given a lot of responsibility and independence, and it's a wonderful opportunity. I highly recommend it.

Amigos is a great experience for high school and college students alike. I participated in the program this past summer and had an amazing experience. You are placed in a community, generally rural (although the DR is the most urban country in the program, I believe) with one or two other partners. You live with a host family, lead activities with children, and collaborate with your community on a project.

The best part about Amigos is that you're on your own. Yes, you have a host family, and yes you have a partner or two and a supervisor, but you are the one who makes sure you finish what you need to. You're in control of your own experiences, and while there is a great staff and support system, it all comes down to how much you want to get out of it.

On top of that, Amigos is affordable, especially in a chapter where you fundraise together. I was given a scholarship through my chapter due to my family's low income, bringing the price down to about as much as the flight would cost.

The Dominican Republic is a great place to go with Amigos. The people are friendly, they're willing to help, and the music is non-stop. While the dialect is difficult to understand, you get it eventually. The climate is hot and humid, but the rain cools it down.

My time spent in Panama was amazing, I had a girl and boy partner, and while we did face troubles such as communication and getting the project started, I learned a lot about not only myself, but also the world. I was really forced to grow as a person, and being pushed out of your comfort zone in such a way is really very beneficial.