Love Volunteers Reviews

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