Program Reviews

The experience was really positive: I came in contact with a different reality I had never experienced before. The teachers were welcoming, helpful and trusting: I progressively was given more responsibilities and felt I could really make a difference in the kids' school life.
I learnt how to treat children with disabilities and I developed important skills such as patience and perseverance. Overall I am glad I chose this program since it suited me perfectly.

I had the most wonderful time during my three weeks in Cusco. It was a great way to gain some more experience in the medical field while practicing my Spanish speaking skills. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys helping others, experiencing other cultures, and practicing their Spanish. I will definitely return in the future to do something like this again, and to see all of the wonderful people I met along the way.

The program was truly amazing! Although, I would recommend speaking some level of spanish. You get a lot more out of it if you speak the language. The staff here was very helpful and our host family was amazing and sweet. In the weekends you can travel to many places like machupichu, huacachina, lake Titicaca, rainbow mountian, arequipa, etc. honestly there are a lot of things to do in the weekend. The placement was not a hospital, but a clinic, so there are no surgeries but you do get to learn a lot. Injections, suturing, cleaning wounds, etc. The exposure was amazing especially if you already have some medical training. Some tips include in the markets there isnt 100% alpaca, there are many good restaurants to try, and explore as much as you can! Also, bring gloves and some medical equipment because the clinics are very poor.

I liked the hoast family we stayed with and how the staff helped us with everything. I was a little disapointed at the description of the program because it stated that we would be assistissng in surgery and shadow doctors, but we never did any of that. What we mostly worked on was cleaning wounds and putting injections. The hospital practices were unsterill and we had to bring our own gloves and medical equipment. We had multiple ocations were we bought needles for patients that were poor (the staff would reuse old needles if we didnt buy new ones). Other than that Peru is a beautiful country with many hidden treasures. I would recommend visiting Huacachina and Huayana Picchu. If you choose this mission trip I wish you best of luck. Just remember that nothing in cusco is real alpaca apart from the high end stores. Sweaters should be 20-35 Soles in the San Pedro market (for 20% alpaca).

Working with Volunteering Solutions gave me more than just a typical cultural experience in Bangkok. My volunteering with these children, teaching English in a Thai Middle School changed my life. The selflessness and kindness of the kids I worked with has made me reconsider my degree. I was well prepared with information, being taught Thai prior to beginning work and more. I may consider teaching again in an international country for much longer than 1 week, perhaps maybe a year. My favorite memory is the last day with our students, seeing how grateful they were for my time there. Tears were shed and there were plenty of hugs. It’s something I will never forget and an experience beyond what I was expecting from Bangkok. I absolutely would come back again to work with Volunteering solutions!

VolSol has truly left me in awe. The group of 8 and I enrolled two weeks before our departure to Thailand with the company and we do not regret it! The support staff, Namrata, went above and beyond to ensure that everything would be processed quick and smoothly. She even stayed in contact with me after hours due to our 12 hour time difference. Customer support and service were exceptional, she even checked in on us before, during, and after the trip.

In Thailand, we stayed with Friends of Asia in Bangkok where we taught English to a local school grades 3-6. We landed on a Thursday night and had orientation Friday - Sunday with the Friends of Asia Staff. Friends of Asia provided 24/7 staff assistance in the home the group and I stayed in. They were amazing. Joone, Mai, and Aunchaya were exceptional. They really gave us an experience only locals could give. They were always around and ready to translate for us. We had a few hospital visits, nothing serious, but if it weren’t for Mai we would not have been able to communicate with Hospital Staff. Btw, if you don’t have travellers insurance, get it NOW!

The Community Partner was not overbearing, they were all help and smile! They knew when to give us space. It came to the point where we wanted to hang out with them all the time though!!

We will certainly be back!

When I was a young girl, I watched National Geographic's China's Lost Girls, a documentary that followed a group of families on their journey to China to adopt orphaned girls abandoned amidst the country's complex one-child policy, and since then, I knew I wanted to do volunteer work in China. I chose Volunteering Solutions and their Beijing Orphanage Project because it was one of the few programs that offered the opportunity to work with infants, toddlers and children with special-needs at an orphanage. My experience with Volunteer Solutions, from start to finish, was incredibly gratifying and humbling, and I felt very supported while I was abroad. The other volunteer and I bonded closely with the kids and the other caregivers in a short time, and even now, we still received weekly updates and photos about all the children.

What made my time in Beijing so unique was the opportunity to experience life as a local during those few weeks. We learned to familiarize ourselves with the city’s transit system quite quickly, as well as learn basic Mandarin on the go to bridge language barriers. We commuted a total of 3.5 hours each day on 4 subways and 2 buses to get to and from the orphanage. The children and the caregivers welcomed me and the other volunteer with open arms, and it really felt like I was part of their family. The days were definitely exhausting, but it was an incredible opportunity to see the city in a different light than just as a tourist.

I'm already making plans to return to the orphanage to help out more next year! Thank you VolSol for all your support! I recommend doing volunteer work at some point in your life, it really does teach you so much!"

I appreciated living with a family and working and living a local life away from most tourists part of the time. The family we stayed with made us feel welcome and included us in their lives. We were able to assist in the preschool and connect with the children and teacher. One teacher taught 22 children, so we were able to assist the class with crafts and other activities. After the first day we understood the schedule, so we felt useful in the classroom and could also work one on one with the children when we had time. Two memories stand out- one assisting with the morning exercises at the preschool, the other watching local children participate in traditional dances at a school.

I have loved my volunteering experience here in Cusco, Peru. We worked with kids in a preschool in a nearbye town to Cusco. It was wonderful to get to help the teacher. She has 22 students, ages 3 and 4. The kids had lots of energy and all wanted attention from the teacher. She handles it well, but she greatly appreciated our help. The family we stayed with was extremely nice and helpful and the people from Volunteering Solutions were very helpful as well. All in all it was a wonderful experience.

My experiance was amazing !! I got to experiance cape town in a very uniqe way and a bit of a local prespective . I met amazing people and learnd so much about so many different things. Volunteering solution were very helpful and caring they gave me a good and secure feelig while i was away from home . They also took alot of intrest during my trip ! Would defently recommand everyone who is considering to go on this life changing expiriance . And of cours you get to see the most adorable and full of life kids they will defantly get deep in your heart !!