Program Reviews

The orphanage program was amazing, it was a great and life-changing experience. I would do the program again. The cultural experience w worthwhile as well as the interaction with locals. There was lots of places to explore and plenty of time to explore them.

I experienced every spectrum of emotion during my three weeks. It really was difficult at times. I'm probably older than the average volunteer and work as an IT Manager. I'm used to being able to achieve things that I set my mind to, so it was definitely an experience to me to be in a culture where that wasn't necessarily the case. Went on safari and it was phenomenal!

I spent two weeks last summer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I signed up for the Teaching Program and have not regretted it since. I was nervous about going during this time because of teh rainy season but the weather was great, with an occasional rainy night or day. As told by others who lived there, I was lucky to have experienced not so many rainy days.
I was picked up from the airport by Tamrat, one of the partners with LV and Dundee, the head of the school I volunteered. Both are such nice, generous, friendly and very funny guys. They picked me and another volunteer up. We went to the guesthouse where we would be spending the next two weeks living and sleeping. The guesthouse is pretty decent. There is a wonderful woman there who washed clothes, cooked and greeted you each morning with a great smile. Some rooms you had to share but there were a couple where you were able to be single in teh room. I was lucky again and got a decent sized room with my own bathroom. Everyone else had to share.
Ethiopia is a third world country so you will experience things such as water outages or power outtages. That happened a number of times during my stay. The great thing is someone always brings you a bucket of water ( May be cold water) so you can wash up.
The teaching program was a little different since we came during the summer. School was out so we were pretty much teaching in like a summer school. The children are AWESOME! They are so willing to learn and excited to have volunteers and just too CUTE! They just want you to play with them and show them attention. They ranged from 3 -7 in the mornings and in the afternoon, there was a program for older children..some teenagers.I think teh most difficult is the beginning when you are just thrown into teaching the FIRST time you are at the school. It can be a bit overwhelming and also you don't have alot of resources so we just made alot of our own ( Flashcards, etc)
We were given a tour of Addis by a great and friendly guy named Eyasu. Also we went to various restaurants and shopping venues on our days off. Some of us traveled to other places in Ethiopia for weekend trips. Tamrat, Eyasu and Dundee are very informative and supportive in helping you go where you need to go.
I felt fully immersed into the culture and enjoyed every aspect of it. I am glad I went with LV because they were definitely a great price and quite affordable for people who would love to volunteer but just don't have the finances that sme of these other programs charge. Julian and Kelly were always prompt with answering my questions and getting me in touch with the right people. Very happy with my experience with them and would definitely do another program with them in the future.

Overall it was an exiting experience that could had been better organized in the core system. I had difficulties coping with the lack of organization, and the poor cominication skills ofthe staff that were supose to assign me to my task.

I was really disappointed as I found out that the programm was not going as there were summer holidays and the staff was gone, so it was difficult for me to have any social interactions with the people in that district (I found out on my last 4 days as my project started that it would have been much easier to meet the local people while being on a project) So I was very disapponited and stressed as there was nothing to do and as I needed to look on my own to find sth. occupy myself (like other projects). All in all it was a nice experience but not at all what I expected (as there was no need at all for me at that time)

I spent 3 months in Ethiopia, and had the best time. I did have a rough time with culture shock, but overall had a great experience. The people are all amazing, and loving as a whole. The staff at the guest house could not be better. I built some lifelong relationships, and cannot wait to return!

I volunteered through Love Volunteers and was so happy I came across the organization, they offer non-profit program fees and had volunteer programs in so many different fields, it was hard to pick one...I picked three while I was there. I volunteered in Quito, with elderly people, where seniors would go for free meals, companionship, for the medical clinic. I stayed with a host family while I was in Quito, who were all wonderful, I had ethnic food and really brushed up on my Spanish speaking at home and taking lessons. I also took fun free classes at the school like traditional Ecuadorian cooking, Salsa and Meringue, and played Fútbol and other traditional sports and pastimes with classmates and other volunteers as well as staff. I also volunteered at an animal rescue center. It was wonderful working with all the monkeys and learning about the wildlife in their natural habitat. Lastly, I volunteered in the Galapagos at a foundation on the island of San Cristóbal where there is a lot of invasive plants taking over such as mora (blackberry bushes), we would remove these with machetes and plant native species of plants that would cast shade, because mora likes to grow in sunny areas. The Galapagos Islands were amazing. I could see why Darwin was so fascinated by them and the wildlife there. It was so fun to explore on the weekends as well. It felt so wonderful to give back but to also gain so much with the experiences I had in Ecuador. I'm back in the USA now, and hoping to plan another trip really soon!

Ethiopia is very different to what I expected and I can't recommend it enough. The people are friendly and positive and the volunteer team I worked with were very inspirational people.

Volunteers should expect a religious environment in Ethiopia because it is a very religious country. However, I am non-religious and still had an incredible time.

Certainly some aspects of the program could have been organised better, but I think that is typical of life in a developing countries. The small concerns I did have with organising lessons were quickly addressed and I always felt the local team were striving to improve and learn from volunteers.

I am really pleased I chose to volunteer with Love Volunteers in Ethiopia and hope I'll return some day soon :)

A Friend and I went for a few weeks and lived with a host family who were lovely. The in country staff were so helpful and the orientation day at the beginning of your stay allows you to meet others who are doing similar work to you (and are equally as new to the country as you are!) Our actual placement was just outside Phnom Penh (staff helped us organise transport too and from the orphanage) The kids were great, so full of energy even in the heat! We taught English for 2 hours a day and then looked after the children for the rest of the time, it was lovely as it had such a relaxed atmosphere, this was possibly because it didn't feel like we were in the city surrounded by fields and the river! In our free time we explores all the markets and visited Choeung Ek killing fields and S-21. At the weekends we went down to Sihanoukville and up to Siem Reap to see the temples of Angkor (Both are reached very easily- and cheaply- from Phnom Penh!) Overall, had an amazing experience and have already booked to do another placement with Love Volunteers for this summer!

I chose this program from the internet, and didn't quite know what to expect. I found a wonderful group of people, who go out of their way to make you feel like a part of the family and workforce. nothing was to much, and always eager to suggest places to see, answer any questions, or to help if having any issues.
An average day would be start at 0800, attend the daily staff meeting, and get allocated your job for the day. Which could include cleaning enclosures, assisting with feeds, collecting natural plants for some of the animals. Spend time with hand reared animals, socializing them with other animals. You learnt to be flexible with what you did, if an injured animal or on a rescue came in, you got to assist with their care. you also had the option of assisting with the care of any sick animals (I got to help with a sick baboon, who ended up sleeping with me, i say sleeping when maybe i should say sharing a bed with me!)
I also got to spend time with a pair of black back jackals, The aim was to get them more comfortable with the presents of people, so we could treat them for tics etc easier.
I had such a great time there i am planning to head back at the end of the year to see all the animals and people, and i can't wait