Program Reviews

As an animal lover, I absolutely loved volunteering at Thai Elephant Home Nursery. The elephants were rescued from poor situations (such as logging camps) and given a great life. The animals were so well taken care of and loved by their caretakers. I learned about the day to day care of the elephants and was able to participate and get to know the animals as individuals. The tourists were given the opportunity to learn about and enjoy the elephants...it was not just about making money. The staff was dedicated, friendly and so enjoyable to get to know. It was a great place that I recommend to animal lovers and travelers of all ages. Please check out my book about my experience, available on Amazon: "Maetang to Koh Chang" by Katie McGee :)

Overall, this has been one of the most inspiring weeks that the rest of my group and I have ever experienced. Our tour guide and country coordinator, Jorge, was extremely accomodating, patient, kind, and very passionate about his country. He helped us immensely with everything we had to do with the school and our host families. When our own team leaders could not handle certain things, he stepped in and made everything go smoothly. We appreciate all he has done for us. During our project, my team and I helped to renovate a school for children between the ages of 3 and 5. We painted ad repaired tables and chairs and also painted the classroom. For us, this experience felt like it came full circle. Many of us are the children of parents or grandparents that were not able to get a proper education. We have all been fortunate enough to get an eduaction and see different parts of the world because of the sacrafices made by our parents. Seeing how excited these kids were to learn and how involved their parents were really inspired us. We hope that the work we have done really makes a difference in the childrens´ education.

My experience in Cusco, Peru was absolutely amazing. The VolSol staff was very helpful when I first got there and was very accomadating when my flight time changed last minute. The host family that I stayed with was awesome and the food they my host mom made for me was delicious, I loved everything that I tried. This was my first time traveling completely alone, and it was amazing to meet so many different people during my excursions to the Sacred Valley, Macchu Picchu, and Rainbow Mountain. Even though I was traveling alone I met and kept in touch with so many new people and ended up meeting up with them many times over the course of my trip to explore Cusco. Working in the clinic was also super beneficial. I learned so much from the doctors and nurses and even got to give a lot of vaccinations. This has been my favorite trip that I have taken so far and I would highly recommend it to literally ANYONE.

Translation:
It has exceeded my expectations by a thousand, the family has been affectionate, kind and always to tempt our needs we made each day a different trip of typical Peruvian food, they took us to places to try the best dishes!
In the kindergarten super comfortable with the children drawing, teaching them to play new games, always with a welcome with a smile and a hug of those who hurt, I was painting the street mural ... I leave a small memory 😁
The organization of the excursions have been perfect, subject of schedules, almost always arriving the first place to be able to enjoy without the passing of people, which is appreciated, the insurmountable guides, the agency to tempt to all our questions
I would repeat with my eyes closed.

Original:
Ha sido una exprerencia IMPRESIONATE¡ha superado mis expectativas por mil,la familia ha sido cariñosa ,amable y siempre a tenta a nuestras necesidades nos hacian cada dia un tipp diferente de comida tipica de Perú,nos llevaban a sitios para probar los mejores platos !!
En la guardería super agusto con los niños dibujando,enseñandoles a jugar a nuevos juegos,siempre con una bienvenida con una sonrisa y un abrazo de los wue hacen daño,estuve pintando el mural de la calle...dejo un pequeño recuerdo 😁
La organizacion de las escursiones han sido perfectas , tema de horarios ,casi siempre llegando los primeros paea poder disfrutar sin eceso de gente,cosa que se agradece,los guias insuperables ,la agencia a tenta a todas nuestras preguntas
Volveria a repetir con los ojos cerrados.

Translation: This experience in Cusco, Peru was excellent. Really more than I expected.

The project with the nursery was very rewarding, the children, the teachers and the facilities. Every day we learned something new with the children, we played, we painted, we danced. A complete accompaniment.

The house where I stayed was wonderful, Mom Edith is a great woman, the typical food she cooked was delicious, she looks after me like a daughter and is always willing to help us.

The tours that organized us were wonderful, the historical places, the organization of them allowed me to do both the volunteer projects and the exploration of the country in a parallel way. Love my stay every day. I will definitely return to Cusco and the volunteer program.

Original:
Esta experiencia en Cusco, Perú fue excelente. Realmente más de lo que esperaba.

El proyecto con la guardería fue muy gratificante, los niños, las profesoras y las instalaciones. Todos los días aprendimos algo nuevo con los niños, jugamos, pintamos, bailamos. Un acompañamiento completo.

La casa donde me hospede fue maravillosa, la mamá Edith es una gran mujer, la comida típica que cocinaba era deliciosa, me cuida como una hija y siempre está dispuesta a ayudarnos. Los tours que nos organizaron fueron maravillosos, los lugares históricos, la organización de los mismos me permitieron hacer tanto el volutarariado como la exploración del país de forma paralela.

Ame cada día mi estadía. Sin duda volveré a Cusco y al programa de voluntariado.

My recent experience volunteering in Delhi was life changing. The process of applying right to the arrival in India was very straight forward. On arrival i was greeted by Vol Sol staff who took me directly to the accommodation in South Delhi. While at the accommodation support and advice is provided by the staff at all times. Orientation to the country and the project is provided on day 1 and this really sets the scene for your time ahead. The overall experience working with the children from a local slum was so meaningful and satisfying. The children are so welcoming, loving and giving of themselves. They are so willing to learn from us as volunteers and will inspire you everyday. The experience can feel overwhelming at first but if you embrace the country the culture and the conditions the children are living in you will have the most amazing time. I felt very safe at all times and although the locals will be curious and may stare at you they are not intrusive, so just smile or say hello. What you will take away from your time as a volunteer is beyond what you can ever imagine. These children and India will forever live in my heart and soul. If you are considering a project, choose whatever is right for you. Be open, dont judge or compare but simply embrace the experience you will really make a difference. Vol solutions made my volunteering dream a reality.

My time in New Delhi with VolSol was an experience to remember. A month working with Aangan Day Care Centre flew by. The staff/coordinators do a fantastic job of being accessible if you have any questions or problems. Shankar and Chubbi were the simply best! Whether it was their cooking (or cooking with them) or the conversations after dinner - the two of them were a huge part of why I enjoyed my time in Delhi so much! I will miss them a ton.

The orientation is helpful and allows you to learn more about the city and how not to get ripped off when traveling around the city. The accommodation is in a great area of South Delhi and I never had an issue with safety or any possible dangerous encounters. I had the chance to see a lot in a Delhi after work or on the weekends. I would recommend this sort of program to people who want to work 1st, see 2nd.

Foi muito proveitoso! Poder conhecer um outro sistema de saúde e uma outra cultura é muito enriquecedor. Aprendi muito mais do que a pratica da medicina, aprendi como lidar com o lado social e com pessoas, com diferentes costumes e pensamentos. Não é um programa pra se aprender medicina, mas sim pra aprender cada vez mais qual medico ou qual pessoa você quer vir a ser.
Sem falar que cusco é uma cidade muito incrível. Mas recomendo se programar para conseguir fazer os passeios porque na cidade mesmo tem pouca coisa pra visitar.
A Host Family foi incrível também. Aprendi muito mais da cultura local por conviver com pessoas que vivem aqui. E sem falar que consegui ganhar muita vivencia no espanhol. Enriqueci meu vocabulario e minha desenvoltura para falar. Fui muito bem acolhida e com certeza vou sentir muita falta de todo o carinho e atenção que me deram (e da comida tambem hahaha)

I spent a month in Cusco volunteering at a small health clinic and had a wonderful experience. It was amazing to see how healthcare works in a different country and to be able to help out. I got to work in three different areas of the clinic which included maternity, general medicine, and with kids. I helped out by doing a lot of paperwork but I also got to learn how to give injections and vaccines. I really enjoyed staying with my host family. It was nice to not have to worry about meals and the food in Peru is amazing! I also enjoyed spending time with the other volunteers. We explored the city of Cusco together as well as many other interesting sites near Cusco like rainbow mountain, Humantay lagoon, and lake Titicaca. Overall this was an wonderful trip and I would recommend it for anyone.

In the summer of 2015, I was fortunate enough to travel abroad to Spain with my mother and sister. Although they wanted to make the trip, they weren’t totally sold on my idea of volunteering on their vacation. However, by the end of our holiday I had changed their minds!

We spent 3 weeks in Valencia, Spain where we volunteered with children at risk of social exclusion. Being a kindergarten teacher myself, I knew this was a program where we could make a real difference.

We spent our first week helping to coordinate a summer camp, plan activities and excursions, and organized our schedule for each day. I was pleasantly surprised that our ideas were taken seriously and implemented into the agenda! During the next two weeks, we helped the kiddos with their homework, assisted with English-speaking skills, played games, and even made a trip to the local pool where we were able to teach some swimming lessons (another passion my family and I shared)!

Because our volunteering hours were Monday-Friday, we were able to travel to different parts of Spain on the weekends and afternoons. Some of our trips included: Barcelona, Madrid, Ibiza, and Seville. Our trip coordinator gave us a tour of the city the first day we arrived, and advised us of the best ways to travel. This was extremely helpful and eased any previous anxieties. The accommodations were spacious, centrally located, and safe! We made several friends along the way with other volunteers and enjoyed every part of our adventure.

Overall I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking to make an impact on children’s lives, while traveling abroad. The relationships we built there will be cherished for a lifetime. I cannot wait for our next trip!