Program Reviews

While in Nepal I got to work in a big children's hospital in Kathmandu. It was a great experience for me because I got to work alongside Nepalese doctors and residents. They took me in and taught me so much in the short time I was there. I got to see some very interesting and complex cases that I wouldn't otherwise see in the United States. I also got to see how doctors in Nepal practice medicine and compare and contrast my knowledge and experiences from America.

My volunteer visit to Nepal was amazing! The people were friendly and welcoming, and the diverse landscape was amazing. The day I started my Language and Culture class, I looked out the window and asked my instructor if the mountains I saw in the distance got snow. She giggled and told me those weren't mountains, they were hills. She promised I'd see real mountains when we went into Kathmandu later in the day. As I walked over a bridge to get to Kathmandu Dubar Square, I looked towards the "hills" and saw beautiful white peaks behind them. I was amazed to see the mighty Himalayas!! Now, THOSE were mountains!
Everywhere you look in Nepal is another treasure for the senses. The beautiful, ancient architecture marries beautifully with the chaos of the city. The hustle and bustle of everyday life contrasts sharply with the shrines that seem to be everywhere, yet at any given moment, one can hear the chiming of a bell that signifies someone has uttered a prayer. The spiritual and the corporal intertwine in a beautiful dance.
If Kathmandu is the center of city life, then Pokhara is its quieter, gentler sister. The 8 hour bus ride to Pokhara treats the traveler to amazing agricultural landscapes. The road also follows a river, which is serene in some places and has tumbling rapids in others. Once in Pokhara, the lake is the main attraction. Calm and quiet, it gently beckons the traveler to take a boat ride and explore its many outlets. The highlight of my time there was seeing the rays of the rising sun shine on the snow capped peaks of the Anapurana mountain range. I am not eloquent enough to fully describe the beauty of that moment.
Once back in Kathmandu, I spent a week at my assigned orphanage. The girls were wonderful! I learned so much from them! I only hope I made at least a small difference in their lives. These were sweet, beautiful girls with inquisitive minds. It was my privilege to serve them.
I miss many things about my time in Nepal. I miss the chaos of the city, the beauty of the scenery, and the depth of the culture. However, the thing I miss the most is the warm and welcoming people.My life perception has been changed by the people I have met and by the extraordinary children I served. Friendships were made and sealed by fun and laughter. The world has become smaller and my mind has become broader by this amazing experience. NAMASTE!!

Volunteering in Morocco has been an amazing experience. Volunteering solutions/MCAS have been ensured that my self and my friend have been well looked after and teaching English to young children has not only developed me personally, but has inspired future adventures.

Volunteering Solutions have been supportive from the moment I decided to participate in a programme with them. They were more than happy for me to ask questions and always responded quickly. The pre departure guide aided my preparation for the programme, giving me advice on everything from what to take and what happens on my arrival in Morocco. Ali, our programme director in Rabat has been there to ensure our experience has been unforgettable. From meeting us at the airport, advising us on how to keep ourselves safe to recommending places to visit that match our interests, he ensures that every volunteer wants to return in the future.

Living with a Moroccan family has to be one of the highlights of the programme. It means that you are able to absorb yourself in Moroccan culture and understand their importance of family values. It also gives you the opportunity to meet other volunteers and learn about their home countries.

Teaching in a local school has been a valuable experience, for myself, the children and the teachers. It has even challenging at times, as the children understand very little English, but watching them develop over the past 2 weeks has been amazing. Even if they can't say the word, but can perform the action that represents that word, you know that they still understand and that you have taught them something. The children have enjoyed listening and getting involved with the story books myself and my friend brought from England, playing bingo and having the opportunity to experience a more creative approach to learning English. The teachers have also been supportive, helping us with behaviour management and they sit at the back and observe. Hopefully they will try some of our techniques in their own lessons.

Having the opportunity to explore Morocco whilst volunteering has been extremely exciting. Rabat is an ideal destination because there are so many interesting places to visit. It is also close to other cities such as Casablanca and with our free weekend we visited Marrakech, so we were able to immerse ourselves in much more than just the local area. If only we were here for longer so we could see more!

Overall, participating on a programme with Volunteering Solutions has been unforgettable.

I spent one month in Phnom Penh as a volunteer in an orphanage (MOC). I loved both the country/city and the mission: Phnom Pemh is a really nice place to live, Cambodian people are adorable and the weather there is very pleasant. The mission in the orphanage was great, 20 kids from 4 months to 4 years old, all cute, nice and gentle. It was a real pleasure to work with them. We had to play with them, feed them, dress them up and make them go to bed. There is a lot of love in this place, and the kids are happy to see volunteers. I would totally do it again if I could!!

In April 2015 my adventure started. I was really ecxited to go to South Africa to make new experiences with a different culture and living standard.

I worked in a kindergarden for nine weeks. It was such an amazing time I never wanna miss.

On my first day when I came into class all the kids came to me and said 'teacher, teacher!', 'Hello, who are?' It was a great feeling to see how open-hearted the children are.

But there was one child who was withdrawn and quiet. So I decided to spend her more attention. After a while she talked much more and played with other kids, too. Her insecurity and and all her worries were reduced. To see such a development is still a unique experience for me.

-Volunteering in Southafrica, cape town -
My dream at the age of sixteen girl, being in southafrica and teaching there.

Seven years later, I couldnt believe it. I am in South Africa :D
Its is so beautiful- people, food, sun, landscape..everything.
-LIVING-
In my volunteerhouse, there were amazing people from everywhere. We spend breakfast and evening together. Noel, our father in our volunteer house, he is an amazing man. I learn about life so much. He is inspiring me for my life. I am so glad that I met him in my life.

-WORK-
My work at the ellerton primary school, it was a amazing experience. It change my view of life completly. How?
Me as a eritrean- german girl, who raised up in germany and who is origin from eritrea, could understand my life in germany over there.
Seeing girls at the age of twelve or thirteen and they doing their hair each other, my heart flourished!
Back in the days, I always wish that black girls like me are in my school. But I didnt get that. Seeing 10 years later, in southafrica, it was an amazing feeling. THIS IS WHAT I LOOKED FOR :D
At the same time, I saw that children have many problems for getting education. School money, money for studying at the university, money for themselves- the oppurtunity what I have in germany, its incomprehensibly.

Another beautiful experience is, how beautiful the kidz are. One situation, I will never forget in my life.
I : What you write it down?
The boy: I write NIKE.
I: Oh, nike. cool. Do you like Adidas, Puma, too?
THE WHOLE CLASS LAUGHING.
I: What is wrong?
Girl : We call it PuuuuMa. Not Puma. Beacuse puma means, go away.
ThEn, I Laughed.
After two weeks, one of the girls give me a cut out paper like a shoe and write abouve it: Puma.
Miss, this is your gift from our class.
I laughed the whole time. They steal my heart <3

I loved it teaching in this class. Being there. And I really appreciated everyone. People in the volunteer house and People in the school.

SOUTH AFRICA- CAPE TOWN- I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU <3

In July 2015, myself along with two friends travelled to Thailand to begin our program. At 16 and 17 we were the youngest participants there but this did not affect the bonds we made within our group. In total, our group consisted of fourteen people from all different walks of life, from all over the world and becoming more like a family with these people is definitely one of the main highlights of our time there. Many were traveling alone but by day two you would think we all travelled together.

Our trip was planned very well. We received information at the start of each day as to what we would be doing and when we would have time to explore ourselves. Immense credit has to be given to our appointed guide and other vol-sol guides that were more than helpful throughout the duration of the experience.

We decided to set a goal of trying something new each day. This consisted of trying new food -which included scorpions at one point- to trying to learn some of the Thai language and this made each day more interesting.

I was incredibly pleased with the content of the program. There was a very good balance of volunteering and leisure time. This was important as it was amazing to travel and explore the city and also the rural areas of Thailand, as well as teaching children, working on local projects and living in an elephant village.

Bangkok was our first and final destination. We were ideally located as the famous Khao San Road was situated less than a minute's walk from our hotel and the markets did not disappoint. The nightlife is also a must. There are misconceptions about Thai nightlife however, personally, I had no worries about venturing out as long as there was a small group of us to ensure safety. It is definitely a unique experience but in the best way. The locals are always more than happy to help and most will try to engage in conversation just out of pure fascination. We also visited temples and learned about the culture of Thailand. We also volunteered at the Wat Pho temple, teaching children some English as well as playing games they came up with.

After Bangkok we travelled by train to Surin. Trains can be busy and the journey was long (thankfully there was air conditioning), however, this was not a big worry as vol-sol pre-book seats for the volunteers to make the journey as comfortable as possible. - The long journey's are a good time to reflect on the trip so far and I would definitely recommend having a journal of some sort on hand to document the trip as you go -
Initially in Surin we stayed in the '' hotel which was the most luxurious accommodation of the program. We soon set off to spend 4 days in an elephant village. We stayed in a house and the facilities were basic but nothing was missed. We were fortunate enough to be up close to one of the most beautiful animals. We got to feed, play with and bathe the elephants in the river daily. It is impossible to not become immersed in the culture and fall in love with the sights of Thailand.

After returning to our hotel in Surin we spent the remainder of our time volunteering at a childcare centre. We played with the children and taught English in the mornings and worked on improving the facilities in the afternoon and returning back to the hotel with plenty of time to explore the city in the evenings.

We had a free weekend and were given the choice of visiting Cambodia or going to Koh Samet (a beach island). The three of us and three more opted for the island as we were not going on the extended beach week and could not turn down the white sands and clear seas Thailand has to offer. This was very well organised by the vol-sol staff and even though this was our own choice and there was no obligation from the staff to help they went that bit further to ensure our safety. - I would highly recommend the beach weekend if you are not doing the extended beach week- The weekend was fun and full of new experiences that make great memories.

Back on the mainland we travelled to Khao Yai and trekked through the national park where we encountered a variety of wildlife within the jungle.

Finally we went back to Bangkok for our final couple of days. Returning to where it all began was a nice touch to end our journey. It definitely made us realise how much we had experienced and how we weren't ready to go home yet. It was sad to depart from our group as we had all grown so close as well as leaving Thailand where the people as so nice, the culture is incredible and the food is authentic and delicious.

Overall, I would not hesitate to return to Thailand and the vol-sol program was perfect, especially for a first time traveller. I'm so glad I used volunteer solutions for my first trip and I would not hesitate to try another vol-sol program in another destination. The best way to learn about the different cultures of the world is through first hand experience and I cannot recommend travelling new places highly enough.

Volunteering Experience Feedback 2015

In July 2015, I enrolled in a volunteering trip to Nepal. The program that I signed up for was the medical volunteering program as I am a student currently studying physiology at McGill University.

Whilst I was nervous due to the earthquakes that preceded my trip, I was mentally motivated, determined to help make a change. The program set up by VolunteeringSolutions allowed me just that. I arrived and was picked up by the designated driver on time and was shown around the city on my way to the residence. I stayed with Miss Uma, who felt like a mother to me by the end of my experience. Her children, both adopted and not, felt like siblings and the hospitality was unforgettable. Daily her food made us feel like we were local residents of the community, and the humble accommodation showed us what life was truly like. Miss Uma was also extremely understanding of each individual’s background and facilitated the processes of travelling throughout the country. She also assisted in establishing relations with the appropriate volunteering programs by dropping us there, introducing us to the appropriate people and setting up a proper plan for our stay.

The hospital that I volunteered at was Shahid Memorial Hospital. The walk to and fro the hospital was 25 minutes and provided me with time to take in my surroundings and prepare myself for the day. Once at the hospital, my duties varied. I had a schedule which changed between departments throughout the hospital ranging from the emergency room, the ICU, the general ward and the operating room. The tasks assigned were appropriate to my skill level; as I am still studying the profession and have not been exposed to appropriate hands on activity, the program allowed me to learn practical skills such as taking vitals and patient interaction as well as theoretical understanding by access to medical professionals. The most engaging and interesting experience throughout my time at the hospital was working with Dr. Deepak in the operating theater, he allowed us to assist on surgeries in ways that were appropriate for us, taught us how to scrub in and explained to us his procedure.

Furthermore, the city of Kathmandu was beautiful, there is so much to do in and around Kathmandu that allowed me to engage with the city and make me want to stay. There are cultural excursions to temples such as the ‘Monkey Temple’ and ‘Pashupatinath’, there is night life in the Thamel area which is always buzzing with life, there is beautiful nature and forestry surrounding the city and I truly felt connected to the people by interacting with them. The freedom in the program allows one to travel throughout the country, explore particular interests yet the schedule allows one to make a positive change.

I felt appropriately equipped as the handbook that was provided before the trip had prepped me well for the trip. However, the one suggestion that I had was keeping some more money than recommended as there are costs such as eating out, travelling around the country, activities and transport.

I strongly believe that the program that I was enrolled in taught me the practicalities of the medical industry in a developing nation, and throughout the facilitation of our host parent, I was able to interact with local orphanages, and specially-abled individuals’ homes to help in as many ways as I could.

A beautiful product came out of the experience; friendships with people that I had never met before. In one room, we sat and had dinner representing over 10 nations who all got along and connected through a common goal of making a change and learning something new. I can positively say that I did just that and I had a lot of fun along the way!

I am definite on returning to VolunteeringSolutions to try and volunteer more and explore more of the programs available as I believe that I have developed as an individual and learnt to have a more positive impact on the global community.

Thank you VolunteeringSolutions,

Neil Tanna

The best souvenirs are stories, and this trip definitely left me with many of those. I participated in the Summer program where I got to spend time in Bangkok, work in a childcare center in Surin, and work at an elephant camp. When people ask me about my trip when I got home, I tried not to go on and on about it, so I limited myself to telling about five things.
1. The friendliness of the locals--during free time one night, our group decided to go out to a local hangout and a few of us got unbelievably lost, we asked a local to take us to the place, knowing that she couldn't understand us. She left her place of work and walked us thirty minutes in the opposite direction so we could reunite with our group. She hugged us and sent us off on our way, all on her own time. People were constantly trying to help us, talk to us, and even take pictures with us.
2. The elephants are amazing. They really have amazing capabilities and seem almost human. One of the elephants even picked flowers from a tree and handed them out to the girls.
3. The kids are so sweet. They hated going down for naps, and not getting to play with us when we needed to do clean up work around the child care center. Even though we didn't speak the same language, we still made strong bond with the kids.
4. On this trip you are never treated like a child. We were given free time to explore and do what we would like to do. One day while working in the elephant camp, after making lunch for everyone, the group decided to walk down to a local park and play a pickup game of soccer with some locals. We played for hours, making friends with the kids on the sidelines and getting shown up due to our lack of skills in soccer. We then walked down to the river and went swimming where the elephants usually bathe. One weekend, we had free and we planned our own trip to Cambodia. We had the free time to bond with one another, experience the real culture, and take advantage of everything the area had to offer.
5. The staff was always in good spirits. I won't lie, our group caused some trouble, but the staff was extremely helpful. I'm not saying they were always the most organized, and we occasionally felt like we had no idea what was going on, but they would always come through, and they needed to. I had the unique experience of breaking my ankle during the extended beach week. I had to have surgery while I was on the island, and the staff was extremely helpful in getting my things to me, assisting me in finding a good hospital, and making sure I eventually got home ok.

It's been four months since I've gotten home, and I'm still going to physical therapy and recovering from my ankle surgery. People see me still struggling and ask me all the time if the trip was worth it. I always have to smile, think back at my many experiences and consider all of the great stories I now have to tell.

The first time I left the United States I was 17 and traveling alone. During my third year of secondary school I began to look for opportunities to volunteer abroad, and I found Volunteering Solutions. That summer I spent 3 weeks in Cusco, Peru working with a kindergarten in a small marketplace. During my stay, I grew close with not only the children in my class, but also my host family and other volunteers from around the world. The experience was unforgettable.

So, the following summer I decided to volunteer again. Since I had such a great time with Volunteering Solutions the year before, I ventured onto their website to see what other opportunities I could find. As a young student, money is tight, but I was able to find many programs that were affordable. I chose to volunteer in a pediatric hospital in Quito, Ecuador.

Each week day during my stay I woke up early to work in the hospital from 9 in the morning to 1 in the afternoon. The program I signed up for was not medical, but rather included more childcare responsibilities. Personally, I love working with children. The workday flew by as I assisted the staff in accommodating families and playing with their kids. Some of the children were extremely ill, and though it hard to see them in such pain, it warmed my heart to know that the other volunteers and I could make them smile.

The staff I worked with was kind. I found that I was able to practice my Spanish not only by talking with patients and their families, but also by understanding requests made by the women in charge. I would recommend that those considering this program have a background in the Spanish language. Although the staff is patient and willing to work with the volunteers, language barriers make it difficult to attend to the children in a timely manner. Also, being able to casually converse with the parents or older family members lightens the mood and can relieve anxieties.

There are two housing options with this program. You can either stay with a host family or in the student house. Since I already had the experience living with a host family in Peru, I chose to stay in the student house. This was also more affordable. Living in the student house was great because not only was it right across from the Volunteering Solution offices, but it also allowed me to meet so many other wonderful travelers. I will say most of the students living in the house were young, though everyone got along regardless of age. We all had something in common. We all loved to help others and travel the world.

After work, my friends and I would explore the city. On the weekends, we would make longer excursions to different places around the country. The offices directly across the street helped us book these trips and set up transportation. These trips were not included in the program, but they were not expensive. The little extra spent was well worth the memories we made. We climbed Cotopaxi, the world's largest active volcano. We visited the Quilotoa Lagoon. We even spent one weekend on the beaches of Montañita. If I had more time I would've visited the city of Baños de Agua Santa for a weekend of hot-springs, hang gliding, mountain biking, hiking, rafting, and more.

Beyond what I have mentioned, there are tons of breathtaking sites in Ecuador that I never got the chance to experience. But that is why I want to continue to volunteer abroad. Volunteering Solutions is a safe, affordable, and truly amazing organization that allows travelers like myself to see the world while lending a hand to those who need it. I have met the most wonderful people, both those who live in the countries I have visited, and those who live across the world. Through Volunteering Solutions, I have learned that we are all humans, and regardless of social or economic divisions, what brings us together is our shared ability to love.