Love Volunteers Reviews

My boyfriend and I just came back from our volunteering trip in Rwanda. We were really disappointed when we got there because nothing that writes on Love Volunteer website is correct. Well, you could claim it is correct, but the house and community in Rwanda is represented way better than it actually is in many aspects.
Firstly, we got there and the school was almost finishing so we were told we could only SUPERVISE kids while they were doing tests, but that wasn't what we came for--we were not told that school was finishing even though we signed up for teaching program. Then, we were expected to go farming and housebuilding (the programs we did not sign up for and when we told them we came here to teach, they didn't understand what we were saying) every day and carry the heavy bricks for 700 meters even though we had a car. I just could not carry the mud bricks that weighted up to 30kg! We told our host we could use their car to bring many bricks at once and not to carry them one by one in +30 degrees, but they told us we couldn't do that.
In the end, we managed to teach, but just for a few hours. But, everything is unorganised. When we got to the school, our host told us to tell the headmaster what we wanted, and we were unprepared for that because we thought that everything was prearranged. Also, on Love Volunteers website it writes that you volunteer every day from 8 am to 5 pm, which is not true. We volunteered for two hours, then we had couple of hours off and then we volunteered for two hours or so again.
Another thing is that there simply wasn't enough food. Every day there was around 8 of us eating portions of food meant for three people. And it was low calorie food, which you just couldn't eat enough of in order not to feel hungry. We were dizzy and hungry most days, sometimes we even couldn't fall asleep because we were too hungry to do so. For example, one morning for breakfast there were three slices of toast for five of us, and there was no spreading for a few days.
Another surprise was the shower and toilet. From Love Volunteers website we concluded that everything was modern and up to some western standards (because you said on the website that we had wi-fi, kitchen and laundry -- none of which we had btw.), but it wasn't. The shower and the toilet were outside the house, in the back. We were supposed to shower with bucket, and the toilet was a hole in the ground with cockroaches inside of it. Even though you said there was wi-fi, it wasn't working for the whole time we were there. The kitchen consisted of a refrigerator and nothing else. The place where they cooked was outside the house, in the back, on the open. There was no laundry - unless you call washing the clothes in a bucket and then leaving them on the grass to dry laundry. We got our clothes after a few days, having asked for it several times. We got it still wet and stinky from the moisture that didn't go away after washing it. The garbage is situated in the garden. Better said, they use the garden solely for disposing trash - everywhere.
Also, we weren't allowed to sleep in the same room, seclude from the "Christian community" or even hug - which you are supposed to say on Love Volunteers website because it says that couples are allowed.
Our rooms were part of the offices in which they were working.
When we went to a National park, we asked they make us some food for the trip. However, they said that they couldn't do that and that there was no food. And when we told them that we were going to buy the food and cook it ourselves, they said that we were not allowed to use the kitchen to cook.

Apart from all the bad things, there were some good ones as well. Denis, who lives in the house we stayed in, is really the nicest person we ever met. He is always laughing, never sees anything as a problem. We had fun donating goats and had a good time teaching at homework club. Those kids were truly amazing and interested in what we were talking, so we really felt welcomed in the classes we had.

My trip to Thailand was stunning and volunteer-filled. The trip was a unique experience. My favorite part was meating the Thai children. The kids were adorable and sweet. Also during the trip I met so many new friends from around the world. The food was delicious. I suggest this trip to others!

I was happy with the Program I specific chose. To work and live with the blind was not difficult at all. I received a very nice and warm welcome from them. For me, it's a great challenging that I had to learn and understand how to communicate with the blind. How to communicate with the blind taught me how to think both; as me and as the blind at the same time.

I worked directly with the founder and executive director of IEC Nepal in Pokhara and I also lived at his place with his family. The Home Office has an amazing view of Annapurna and Himalayas, fresh air,... and nice and cleaned location.

We did not only talked and shared ideas, opinions about the programs for the blind, but also share any information about living, hygiene, nutrition, culture, and more....

I wrote a proposal for fund raising to an international organization in Europe. I joined with them for any situation as much as I could, and also as a part of the family.

I think, the Blind or any program for disable people really needs more volunteers. Let's make different !!

Special thanks for Kelly, Mike, LV staffs and Keshab, Manoj of the local team. Guys, you did very professionally and very impressive for all suggestion, information, management, and friendliness.

I absolutely loved my six weeks in Arusha, Tanzania. Its so diverse here, you really have the opportunity to get amongst it all. I spent a lot of time with the children doing all sorts of things, like playing games, teaching english in the school etc however there was more then enough opportunities to get involved with things that keep the orphanage running. I spent time cleaning, lugging water and dirt, serving the children for lunch and occasionally dinner, gardening and basically anything that needed to be done. Be prepared to get dirty because a lot of what needs to be done is on the ground like laundry and dishes etc. I have to admit none of that matters because it is so easily adaptable at Matanyok. The Mumma and Pappa of the orphanage were amazing and really made me feel like one of there own daughters. They often would invite me around for dinner with them and the children "now thats a crazy process, feeding all their little mouths". I absolutely fell in love with the children of course, at first they are a little shy but once they learn your name and see you more then once they are also in love. The joy you get from telling them stories and playing activities will give you life long fulfillment and only inspire you to carry on your journey and continue to volunteer. I look forward to the next time I am back to see how much has grown and changed.

I just finished my week in Ukraine, and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. So much that I plan on coming back for 5 weeks when I am done school this year. I had been looking forward to volunteering in Ukraine for a while now and my coordinator was very fast at answering any questions I had at least two months prior to my arrival. My week was very organized, I got to do so much for the time I had, see children from different orphanages, visit the area, enjoy plenty of the local food and plan activities for the children. Another aspect of this trip is that, other than my love for Ukraine as a country and its beautiful culture, I was amazed by the children's view of happiness and their profound respect for one another. They were caring, grateful, protective, always smiling and very loving. All they wanted was to play and enjoy their afternoons together. It was so precious and simple. I also got to teach English and, my Ukrainian/Russian grammar being far from perfect, my coordinator Alex acted as a translator and everyone was very helpful and understanding when he was not around. As there were different types of orphanages, children differed on mental levels or physical illnesses, but I could never tell, because you'd be surprised how much children can communicate simply with a smile or a laugh ! It is the most rewarding feeling. All together it was a truly touching experience and I plan on keeping in touch, sending toys, crafts and pictures during the year (they promised to show me pictures of their art) and am very excited to make new memories with them in 10 short months !!!

Karine Wlasichuk, Montreal, Canada
Autumn, 2015

This description is from the email I received from Love Volunteer (LV): "We work with schools and orphanages in and around Ulaanbaatar. They're generally lacking resources and so support from volunteers is greatly appreciated. The work is varied but volunteers who are assisting in a school will work with local staff and one-on-one with students. As they settle in they can take their own lessons."

The program was marketed incorrectly and NOT as described through our communications with Love Volunteer nor the coordinator.

First of all, when I showed up in Mongolia, I was picked up by the director's daughter, which is fine, because he had told us that he was out of the country. However, when we were dropped off at our apartment, there was not further instruction and we had to figure it out on our own. The next day, a local high school kid, who apparently volunteers with this program, came to give us a city tour, and told us that school was not in session, because it was their spring break, something we were unaware of. So basically, the first week of my 4 weeks, was wasted.

The 2nd week, I arrive at the school assigned with another volunteer to discover that we were volunteer at a private school, NOT an orphanage as expected. These were rich city kids and some of them even owned brand bags and iPhones.

We got in touch with the LV coordinator and told her the situation. She immediately contacted the coordinator to understand what was going on. Apparently, she was also unaware of the situation. She was good about keeping in touch with us and ended up returning a portion of the cost back to us.

We also met with the coordinator to understand why a non-profit was working with private schools and where is the orphanage as advertised? Basically, the orphanage camp is only ran during summer. Though he didn't explicitly say why, it seemed like he puts volunteers in private schools as a way to make some more money from volunteers. Also, only about 20% of the total cost goes to anything to help orphans. The rest is marketing, housing, and salary. NOT ok.

I was really upset with how the whole thing turned out. I received a portion of the money back and left the program to find my own volunteer opportunity. I DO NOT recommend this program, though I do appreciate Love Volunteer's efforts in resolving the issue.

I was in Moldova for one month and I had a wonderful experience. Svetlana was extremely welcoming and met us at the train station when we arrived. My home stay Alyona was one of the nicest people I've ever met, she was so accommodating and we still stay in touch from time to time.

I imagine it would be a little difficult at times if you didn't speak Russian or Romanian but for me I had ample chance to practise (my Russian) and it helped me in the town and in the village. When I was volunteering there were 4 of us and so we also volunteered in a nearby village, which was extremely rewarding because I could really see how the children and adults improved over the month I was there.

Many people in Moldova are very motivated to learn English but they have a real shortage of teachers and Svetlana works extremely hard to provide lessons and opportunities for everyone, which is why it was such a great opportunity to be able to help her.

I was very happy when I found Love Volunteers. Not only do they have programs all over the world, they are also economical! I took a bit of a risk when signing up to go to Zambia as there weren't any reviews of LV volunteers there. That being said, it was the best decision ever!

I saw other programs available for Zambia at twice the price! I ran into some of the programs in Zambia and am glad I didn't end up signing up with them. With the local NGO LV partners with you get more of cultural experience and you live in the bush! Don't let that scare you thought, you still get a chalet with showers, toilets, nets, pillows and great cooks. Most importantly you get to know the locals, whether it be the locals whom you'll work alongside with or the locals whose house your building or the neighbours.

The NGO also has an option for a Botswana Safari which is reasonably price considering you go to different parks, accommodations and transportation.

If you want the real Africa, go to Zambia. If you want to truly contribute to the local community, volunteer with Love Volunteers. All the money you pay (except admin fee) goes to the local NGO, which in turns buys material for volunteers, hosts you, feeds you, and employs locals!

I couldn't have hoped for a better experience. Thank you to the LV team, the NGO, and the local Zambians!

To start, volunteering in Moldova is a true volunteering experience. Unlike some other programs, which seem to treat volunteering more like a component within a holiday package, the position here as an English teaching assistance will feel like a full-time job. That being said, the position and its responsibilities are not daunting. Svetlana, the program coordinator, does everything she could to make sure that volunteers feel comfortable with their assignments.

In a way, too, by participating in this program, I feel like Moldova gave even more to me than I gave to its people. Both its land and its people preserve a beautiful soul that has almost been entirely forgotten by other parts of the world. Almost everyone I met there is extremely sincere and good-hearted. Spending time with these people, you will learn something about yourself too.

My main complaint with Love Volunteers is that they are simply a middle man. They hooked me up with a local NGO, which was great because I would have never found that NGO by myself. The problem is, for the two months I spent in Cameroon I paid Love volunteers upwards of 800$ in total. If you go directly to the NGO's website, it would have cost me 200$. Im pissed that I payed 600$ extra for basically nothing. They are making a massive profit off every good-hearted volunteer trying to make a difference in the world. Not sure I would give the local NGO a five star review either, but it was a good experience & I was well cared for the entire time I was in Africa.