Love Volunteers Reviews

My participation to this program was 3 weeks long, at the end of Autumn in Cherkasy. Despite a program "baseline" orientated towards help in orphanage, I passed most of my time helping out English teachers in a working-class school. The teaching team was really happy to have a foreigner helping them, as well as the pupils (between 7 and 17 y.o) who, for most, never had the opportunity to speak to one before. Some time in orphanages came on top of that, mostly playing with the kids.

Ukraine is a very nice country I must say, unfairly forgotten by tourists, full of sincerely kind and helpful people, who were really happy to share their culture. I plan to go back as soon as I will be able to, but this time, maybe more as a road trip.

We travel for fun, leisure and business, but seldom have we traveled for love. Ukraine is an unfamiliar nation for the people in Hong Kong. My decision to join the voluntary programme in the country is totally out of curiosity. I cannot speak in Ukrainian, I am not familiar with the Western culture though Hong Kong is an international city, and I lack experience of being a care-taker. It turns out to be the most amazing discovery of my life. My love and respect to the people, for their generosity, kindness, happiness, and all other positive qualities, will never end. Kindness is everything. We broke-through the language barriers and tried our best to understand each other. Children’s laughter and smiles shined my days and became my energizer for the stressful work in Hong Kong. Remember one day when I first met a child called Anton. He has been a rebellious boy who always hopes to escape from the orphanage. He was kidnapped and later escaped from the trafficker, he has nowhere to go but he wanted to escape. He caught my attention and I wanted to protect the little boy in all means. On the last day of the program, he came to me with a gift made of chestnuts. Kindness is everything. All through the program, I have gotten much more than I give. I was not giving enough. “You should stay here for longer. One week is not enough”, Alex, the gentleman who chairs the local organisation told me. It is very difficult for a Hong Kong working person to take more than two weeks of holiday. I am very lucky to have my company’s support. However, yes, I was not giving enough. I hope I could stay with the children longer, to understand them and teach them my languages. Now, every night, I pray for them before sleep. I wish they will grow up healthily, contributing to the society and the world. This is a mother’s wish to their future. I regard every one of them as my children. They are the unique ones. Easy to do than say, please allow me to join the force and take care of the children. This will be my life-long project.

“Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace”, once Mother Teresa said. I firmly believe in the words.

I had a great time overall at Rromani Baxt. Most volunteers arrive later in the summer, so there was only one other volunteer at the time. We shared the volunteer room and got along really well. In the mornings we were working in the kindergarten, helping to maintain order, teach basic English words, and play games with the adorable kids. In the afternoon we hung out with the older kids. The english level is generally very low, but somehow you find a way to communicate without too many mixups. On weekends we explored Tirana or visited nearby cities. There is enough to do outside of volunteering to really stay occupied. The family that runs the centre is lovely, and you will make friends in the neighbourhood. Overall a great experience, and I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in volunteering or learning more about the Roma community.

I was able to interact with teachers and students. The students were very willing to learn and was a lot of fun. The teachers were very accommodating and friendly.

The only real problem is sometimes the language but that can be easily dealt with.

A fun experience in a fascinating country. Made many friends, including locals, and got so attached to the kids. The staff was so welcoming and great. I was free to do what I wanted on my classes too. Wished to stay for longer!

I was the first volunteer English teacher in a small village in northern Albania. That was challenging, but very rewarding! Living with a host family, I felt part of the community and was able to work with young kids and teenagers at a school. I really had to think on my feet and develop strategies that would work with the kids. This improved my teaching and I also learned so much! My first time in Albania I also learned a lot about the culture & the history of the country. Fun, challenging, rewarding, enriching!

Go for it! I spent a month in an orphanage and one month in a monastery, both times teaching english. I was provided with food and although the sanitary conditions were not perfect, i don't think it could have been better, considering the 8 hours of power-outage that the country experiences every day...
And the fact that you are with a local NGO (Love Volunteers links you to them) reduces the cost very significantly. That's a plus, if you're a broke student like me!

I volunteered in Ethiopia for 10 weeks over the summer through love volunteers. Love volunteers was absolutely wonderful. They are affordable, and answered all my questions and concerns quickly! I was really impressed with them.

I had the most wonderful time both in Ethiopia and volunteering with the organization there. I was placed in a hospice program, but also spent time with the teaching program and I really enjoyed both. The members of the organization were welcoming, wonderful, and a lot of fun. They made it an easy adjustment to a very different culture. They also were really great at helping with anything that was needed.

I did the hospice program in the morning, and then went back to the house for lunch, and then would do the after school program in the afternoon. Sometimes on fridays I would go with the teaching volunteers to the school because I wanted to see what that was like!

The country is very religious, and so are the members in the organization. I am not religious, but they were very respectful of my beliefs. Of course they asked a lot of questions, but so did I because we both wanted to understand our cultures, and they were always respectful of it. I never felt that they were pressuring me. Religion is also a big part of working with the kids and hospice program, but that is because religion is a big part of their culture. I was not off-put by it, but instead found it inspiring how rich in beliefs and culture it was.

There was a lot of freedom to explore the city, and I even ventured to other parts of Ethiopia, which was absolutely amazing. The food is so good, and the people are so kind and friendly. There is a lot to do in the city! Or even to just relax for some downtown at home! It was such a great experience!

Volunteer in Cambodia is an experience for lifetime to me -- Ive seen the things Ive never seen and done the things Ive never done before there!

Love volunteers and the local organisation which was directly responsible for my accommodation and placement were both very helpful. The airport pickup, orientation, city tour as well as the local contact that we could seek help from all contributed to a safe and pleasant stay. The staff of love volunteers always give me prompt response addressing my questions and the local staff never fail to give me a hand whenever I called up asking for help ( they tried their best to offer me assistance even my prob was entirely extraneous to the placement). I do appreciate their help n assistance a lot.

I was both happy with the work and accommodation in Cambodia. The work kept me pretty much busy all the time and the tasks I was assigned to could be challenging sometimes. The host family was nice and clean, above all, the food they cooked was
fantastic!

Hope that you have a great time in Cambodia!

I signed up for 5 weeks Community Development in Phnom Penh. I did not have any work to do at my placement. I went along to meetings, training sessions, conferences and visited the local communities, but I never actually contributed anything. I spent a lot of time in the office, googling things to keep myself amused. From speaking to the others staying at the volunteer hostel I know that I was not the only one in this position. I brought this to the attention of Love Volunteers and the local NGO organizers but nothing could be done about it. They said the end of year is often quiet in the Community Development sector. The disappointing thing is that it looks like volunteers (such as myself) are being accepted without anyone checking if there is a specific project for them to work on.
That said, the pricing of this program is very good and the on the ground staff were very attentive and helpful (when they could be). The volunteer hostel accom is very basic (a little shabby around the edges) but I enjoyed the social side of life there, the saving grace of my 5 weeks.