Program Reviews

volunteering in guatemala was an amazing experience! developing world connections and its partner in guatemala, open windows foundation, were great. we got to do so much and see so much in a short time, and the people i met were amazing. honestly, it was so much fun and i can't wait to do another volunteering trip abroad!

The team leader has a wealth of information and is just as interested in the participants as she is in the projects themselves. DWC is definitely an asset to the global community. Our team consisted of a high school group from various countries and linguistic groups. DWC was able to accommodate all our needs and address all our concerns. And no, I am not exaggerating our experience.

It was my first time volunteering abroad so I was a little nervous going into it. However, as soon as I met Naresh (he was waiting for me as soon as I got off the bus in Pokhara), I knew I was in good hands.

The program was coordinated very well. My host-family was very accommodating. I enjoyed seeing the day-to-day life of a Nepali family, how hard they worked, and how beautiful the culture is. Naresh and members of my host family helped me to understand Nepali customs. I enjoyed the food (very healthy in my opinion) and learned a lot about religion and beliefs.

I volunteered and taught English at a school and I found it very rewarding. The children in Nepal are very interested in learning and I had fun teaching them games, rhymes and songs. I also became close friends with the teachers. It's very different there. They don't have much, so teaching capabilities are limited. When my program ended, they had a beautiful ceremony for me and showered me with gifts, flowers, presents and love. I became close to the students and some of them were crying when I left. It was one of the most heartfelt moments of my life.

I also appreciated Insight Nepal planning my side trips. I enjoyed trekking Annapurna and Jomsom. It's an amazing experience and if you're ready to push yourself and explore a new culture, I recommend you contact Insight Nepal. It was worth every penny and it's a trip that I will never forget.

As a team, we worked on three different projects. We were able to do this because we were an especially large group and could split up each day. One project was building the foundation of a new trade school. We started by digging trenches with picks and hoes. These were later filled with cement that we mixed and poured by hand. Another project was building a new temple wall for a Monk who has been very helpful with past projects. Again, we needed to dig the trenches and then had to mix cement, carry water, move bricks, shovel sand, plaster the bricks and lastly paint it. The third project was with a family down the street from the temple. They were building a new home for their son and his new wife. We helped them by pasting the walls and painting the inside. We got to work one-on-one with the community which was definitely a highlight. Although we couldn't speak the same language we would have tea time with each other and still enjoy many laughs. The kids were adorable. We got to visit a few different schools including an art school for the deaf; I think everyone in the team bought a piece of artwork to support the school. Playing on the beaches with locals after work was always a blast. The staff who helped us were so generous and we got to know them very well. We have visited them since then too! We have been able to make connections that you can't anywhere else. This is an unforgettable experience that I speak fondly of to everyone. I highly recommend taking part with this program!

I had an incredible experience in Lima! Leading a volunteer trip is an absolutely incredible learning experience, and AMAZING to put on a resume. It's not easy, and the time commitment necessary to recruit, build and lead a team is significant, but well worth it.

If someone told me pre- Guatemala that I was going to come home a different person, I may or may not have believed them. 3.5 weeks later, after an unforgettable and life changing trip, I now can't fathom my life without Guatemala and the people I met while volunteering abroad.

My experience with DWC was very positive; there were so many opportunities to teach and interact with young children and participate in manual labor projects (painting, gardening, rebuilding a school etc.) The people we met in Guatemala were very friendly and the other youth on the service trip were not only fun to be around but also keen to give back to the local communities we worked with.

I would highly recommend this program; I will forever cherish the time I spent in Guatemala and the adventure I shared with my fellow volunteers.

I had wanted to go to Africa when I was in university, but I got a summer job each year and regrettably let the opportunity pass me by. Now I'm near retirement and when a friend described to me his great experience of "voluntourism" in Rwanda, I said "It's now or never" when he asked if I was interested. I was a bit worried about safety in Rwanda given the terrible genocide in 1994, but I'm so glad I made the trip.

Rwanda has recovered very quickly from the bloodiest gernocide in recent history. There are new schools, hospitals and clinics, good main roads, and the lowest HIV/Aids rate in sub-Saharan Africa. Kigali has construction cranes building hotels and banks, middle class neighbourhoods, and town square parks, and it's not congested like other capital cities. One key reason is an end to tribal violence - the schools and media promote the message "We are all Rwandans", and tribal-based political parties are banned. Village Truth and Reconcilation courts dealt with genocide victims and murderers with merciful justice, and no death penalty. There is little evidence of bribery and corruption, and people seem to have a hopeful vision of the future.

Our small group from Developing World Connections worked in the southern village of Gashora doing finishing touches to the first of four Covaga Women's Co-operative trade centre buildings. Fifty women harvest an invasive weed clogging the local lake, then dry and weave the reeds into colourful baskets and handbags. Five African young men got summer jobs between college terms working with us. The work wasn't heavy - painting, puttying windows, pointing bricks and stonework with mortar - and the weather in July was ideal: dry, blue sky days of 30 degrees. The water bottle breaks tasted great, and the beer and companionship at day's end was wonderful. The hotel La Palisse was a 15-minute walk or 5 min. bicycle ride away, and had excellent buffet meals, though the hot water was a trickle if you didn't get first shower (we had budget rooms at about $15 USD a night, 3 meals included).

The most fun we had was a pick-up ball hockey game in the local basketball court with red and black sticks left behind from a previous DWC group. The college guys were better than us Canadians and the little kids were fearless goalies. The cheering was wild and the goats on the sidelines were bleating madly. Next time we'll have to do it daily!

What good can a few middle-aged Canadians do on a five-day construction blitz? To be honest our main contribution was an extra suitcase each of donated materials. The Mississauga Soccer Club donated 25 pairs of recycled soccer shoes (Gashoran kids mostly play barefoot) and enough uniform sets to fill a 50 lb. suitcase. We also contacted Notjusttourists.com and received a full suitacse of surplus hospital supplies and parmaceutical drugs worth over $5,000 geared to African needs. We also brought school supplies. We visited the local school and hospital clinic, and were warmly received; we were swarmed by excited children.

The most sombre and most gratifying day was the last. We visited the local Genocide museum, witnessing rows and rows of skulls and skeltons (over 500), wrote a message in the guest book, said a silent prayer and gave a donation for upkeep. An hour later, we were greeted by 50 Covaga women, both Hutu and Tutsi, giving us our pre-ordered baskets. They thanked us profusely, we sang Canadian songs on our guitar, and they followed with African singing and dancing in a great celebration. We toured Kigali the next day and went on a one-day safari before going to Uganda, but the poeple of Gashora stay in my memories.

It's expensive to travel to Africa (over $2,000 in airfare, but the flights are charitable tax deductions), and the medical shots were almost $500 (most drugs were covered by my medical plan), but it was the most memorable trip of my much-traveled life. The accommodation and meal expenses are minimal, so the longer you stay, it's more affordable than a Carribean or European holiday.

Would I go again? You bet, and I'd like to invite you to join us at Developing World Connections for a trip in July or August 2012.

Volunteering in Cambodia in the rural village of Chamcar Bei was the best experience I have ever had. I have travelled around the world quite a bit and this trip was nothing like I had done before. Being an International Development student it really opened my eyes to what a developing country needs in the way of infrastructure, economy and the preservation of their history. When you go on a trip with Developing World Connections you learn a lot about the country, the people, the village you stay in and their rich history, but I also learned A LOT about myself. How strong I was, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally, and also how to deal with life's bumps and bruises and how you can't just give up and go home when you have had a bad day. I always felt safe in the country, including the major cities as well as in the rural villages, never worried about stolen passports or crimes. Volunteering in Cambodia, a country with such a horrific past, shows you how willing the country is for change, to stand up and rebuild their country. Living in the village was an eye opener, I definitely had some ups and downs (I missed running water and electricity), but the silences at night were beautiful, even though you couldn't see, you could feel the beauty of the silence. We had the most amazing house mother Pha and even though she didn't speak english she knew exactly the right time to give you a loving look or hug or just make some tea. Since I got back I have encouraged everyone to volunteer, whether it be locally or internationally, because no matter what the scale, knowing that you have irrevocably changed someones life is the best feeling in the world.

Volunteering with DWC is a great experience. You feel like you really contribute to the betterment of a community. We worked in a severly impoverished area where there was a lot of malnutrition and we constructed an addition to the school which was a new kitchen, dining room and workshop. It took us about a month to do. Everyday tasks were getting lunch ready in the morning, taking an hour combie ride to the worksite then getting started. We did all the hammering, sawing, nailing.. manual labor basically. I learned to build a wall and reinforce it, to cement (the South American way) and we also puttied, primed and painted the building. Beyond the work we did, we got to hang out with some amazing kids. Even with the language barrier, it was still so fun to goof around with them or just help the mothers in the kitchen by taking their little ones off their hands while they prepared a meal for over a hundred kids. We played soccer and sang and learned some Spanish! We got to live in a hostel with our whole group where we became a family. We cooked or went out for dinner. We toured around Lima and we went to a place called Huacachina for the weekend, where we went dune buggying!
There were some challenges along the way. The language barrier is the most pronounced. If you can learn some Spanish before you go, it'll be worth it! Getting around by local transit can be a challenge aswell, we mostly just walked around our neighbourhood or had other Peruvians if we were going out somewhere different. The work at the school is very tiring and can be a little slow moving, and you have to remember that we are providing a service and things may not go as planned. There were days we were all very frustrated by the way things were going but you just need to be patient and have an open mind. If you do, you will have the most amazing experience! I knew most of the people on my trip but I did meet a few others and that was pretty amazing too. You get such a great opportunity and learn to love to share it with new people.
My trip to Peru was pretty unbelievable, if you have this opportunity.. take it!

I am a self proclaimed "city boy" and normally would not have considered doing something like a volunteer trip to a developing country such as Sri Lanka, but I am forever greatful that I did.

When a VP of my company speak about Developing World Connections (DWC) at a work function I attended, it struck a chord in me and inspired me to learn more. I thought to myself, 'Wow! I really dont know if that is something I could do! That's really great that he did that!'... It was that very sentiment that made me think that this was something bigger than myself and that I NEEDED to do it, especially since it would be out of my 'comfort zone'. After all, you really don't get to see much of the world when you vacation on cruise ships and resorts in the Caribbean...

I left Sri Lanka in April 2011 feeling as though I had made a difference in the lives of the people in the community where I worked. Although my group and I did not personally complete all the work for the entire project, the fundraising we completed beforehand, in conjunction with working for the two weeks when we visited, we were able to jumpstart the project and help fund it to completion for the workers who would continue on after we left. We worked with tradespersons, teachers / mentors / monks, as well as studens of the school that we were repairing. I am the first one to admit that I have a pretty blessed life and I am lucky enough to have all the things I take for granted in my day to day life. Admittedly I am pretty selfish and enjoy my material possessions and charmed life. I walked away from this experience feeling so thankful and blessed in so many ways. It sounds very cliché, but I am so thankful for everything that I have, having now seen how "the other half" live.

The accommodations and food were spectacular. DWC has done a great job of building relationships with locals and business owners alike which greatly helped my level of comfort (in being associated to well-known and well-liked people of DWC's organization). Our hotel (Moonstone Villas) was very accommodating and had great food and lodging. Not only did we eat at and visit our hotel, but also other hotels from previous volunteer trips. We saw a broad spectrum of places all the way from high-class resort hotels and restaurants to rustic, charming local establishments.

I would definitely participate in a DWC trip again. I don't think that I would need to travel as far as Sri Lanka to feel the sense of accomplishment that I felt on this trip. The supporting staff of DWC were consistently available for answering questions and helping with agenda related items while we were in Sri Lanka. There were also repeat volunteers who were able to show us "the ropes" when it came to where to go, what to do, what to eat (and not eat/drink), and general social norms.

The work was phyiscally difficult and tiring, but in doing the work I felt a greater appreciation for the hard work that tradespeople do, such as my father.

This program changed me because I never really had a compass for what it was like to do difficult physical labour, nor to do something selfless to help others in need. Granted, there are many volunteer organizations in my immediate city and neighbourhood which would allow me to do selfless work, but there is something to be said for being removed from your comfort zone and environment and thrust into a foreign place and doing new things and trying new experiences. I became emotional and upset to a point of tears a few times when the locals would do selfless things for us. One such example of this was when we visited Ketakellawatta to see some of the previous trips' work. We were walking along the street and a little boy came running out of his family's house. His face was bright and beaming with excitement to have visitors in his village. He would quickly dart his glance at one visitor to the next, seemingly taking a visual impression of each one of us, or maybe count us... He then ran back inside and emerged moments later with a store-bought bag of cookies. He wanted nothing more than to "host" us and offer us a welcome treat. I broke down crying immediately. How could this little boy want nothing more than to welcome us to his village and home by offering us a cookie? ... These people clearly do not have much in way of material possessions, but they make up for it in heart and compassion. It was a very tender moment that I will never forget.

I felt very safe and attended to as we had local business owners giving us tips on where to go and where not to go. Our drivers were very accommodating and quick to respond to our needs for transportation. The local community was very welcoming and seemed to enjoy having foreigners visiting. It seemed like it was a 'special visitor day at school' every day because they were so excited to see us. We would play games with local children every day at lunch such as frisbee, cricket, catch, and they would wait patiently for us to have lunch before getting us to play with them.

I dont think I would have done much differently. I think I got more than I bargained for, but also some of what I expected as well. I wish I could have done MORE, however. I would have liked to stay for another week or two. It seemed like once we were into a groove of working and getting days off, it was time to go home. Before I left for the trip, I wish someone would have told me how emotionally draining (and sometimes difficult) this would be. Seeing the people living in (what we as Canadians would likely consider) difficult circumstances was very upsetting and enlightening.