Program Reviews

I volunteered in Uganda with GVN's local partner organization and taught in the Children's Village.
I stayed with the family of the man who created the program, Valance. Valance and his wife, Doreen, made my stay very welcoming and comfortable. Doreen is an incredibly sweet woman with a big heart and cooks amazing food! The local food was good, not overly seasoned and high in dense carbs.
The people in Uganda were all very friendly and warm, and full of smiles. The children LOVE you! As soon as they see you they want all your attention! I felt kind of like a celebrity. ha ha
You take your life in your hands every time you get in a taxi or on a boda-boda (motorcycle that takes passengers). The boda experience is fun, but sometimes a bit scary. Taxi drivers are crazy and I recommend you sit towards the middle or back. You don't want to see them drive! Also, they will try to overcharge you so make sure you know what the price of the taxi or boda ride is before you get on, and negotiate the price before hand.
While I went through GVN, they put me in contact with Leslie who runs their partner NGO. She then placed me with Valance and his NGO. Leslie is a wonderful woman who really helped me out when I decided to come to Uganda. She was willing to answer any question I had no matter how silly it sounded, and she never made me feel silly for asking it. She was very welcoming and happy to have me there.
The school I worked with was great! The children didn't speak much English as they were learning it there in school. But the teachers would translate what I said to them during class time so we were all understood. The teachers were very supportive. My favorite teacher was Madam Sara who taught the Kindergarten. I could see that the children really enjoyed her class and were learning a lot! She understood that the little ones have short attention spans, and she would have them sing and dance and have a 5 minute break to run outside. She loved having volunteers come in and teach new things. She is very smart and full of energy. She had to be since her class had 50 students!
On my last day at the school I couldn't hold back and ended up crying as I said my good-byes. It practically broke my heart to leave them! We are told as volunteers, not to cry in front of the children because they will think it's their fault that you are crying. And I tried so hard to hold it in, but I couldn't do it! I was so overwhelmed with emotions that I cried for almost 20 minutes as I left the school and headed back to the taxi stop.

My volunteer experience in Uganda lasted one month. I spent the first 2 weeks feeling like I was on an adventurous vacation. In the 3rd week, the culture shock of it all finally hit and I realized I wasn't on vacation and I wanted to go home. By the end of the 3rd week and beginning of my last week, I was ready to move to Uganda. It was a very sad day when I left.
I have since been back to visit once, and plan on going back again! Uganda will forever hold a piece of my heart, and my experience is one I will never forget. I know I made a difference with some of those kids, but most importantly, that experience made a difference in me.

The operations staff at GVN's partner organization were fantastic. So welcoming and empathetic and incredibly hard working. The staff in NZ were great too but sometimes a little slow to reply to requests for information or help once i was out in Vietnam. I could have done without the 40 odd emails that were sent to me by GVN prior to departure...not enough time to read them all! The main difficulty i encountered were lack of other volunteers to bond with. There were only 2 volunteers there (a couple) who were not very social and spent most of their time locked in their room. Thank goodness for the Vietnamese staff who were great company! Overall a fantastic experience and even though i initially felt thrown in at the deep end (thought i would be looking after babies but ended up mostly teaching) i am really glad i did it and it has inspired me to find a job within the chairty sector. Keep up the great work GVN!

I went with GVN to vietnam back in 2005 when the program was in it's early stages. Now in 2011 6 years later I still think of the kids and my time in vietnam and the people that I spent that time with. The housing was basic in NZ standards, but high in Vietnam. We were well looked after, driven to our placements, all our meals paid for and the weekends off. All the staff of GVN were amazing and the other poeple from all around the world were fantastic as we all had the same reasons for being there, doing our little part for the better of the world. GVN is a great way to back pack around the world with a differnce and the feeling that you are getting ivolved and learning more of the society you are in than just travelling through. I still think of the kids and wonder where they are now, and how the programis going. I miss you all and will love you all forever, the experience will remain with me till the end of my time. I just hope that I can do it all again in the future.

I volunteered with 10 others in orphanage, community centers, and poor villages. The impact on the local peoples and community is huge. The impact may not be realized for years to come, but such huge change does not happen overnight. GVN has its goals in the right place.....stop the cycle of poverty beginning with children and put emphasis on their nutrition and education. The team I worked with were all so committed and everyone worked extremely well together. I think we all felt like we made a tremendous difference in so many lives.

I participated in this program in 2005 and had an amazing time - I have been involved ever since and every time I go back to visit it is a great experience. Everything is well planned and organized and nothing was a problem. A fantastic experience that everyone should do

My time in Nepal was the best 3 months of my life, not only did I meet some amazing people but I also got to love and care for the most appreciative group of children on the planet. From helping with homework (re-teaching myself long division!) and organising all the children to visit the doctor and dentist, to playing cricket with them on a nearby field these experiences have truely enhanced my life.
It was difficult at times because living in a house with 23 children can be tiring, but the times I felt like it was getting difficult a child would make my day in a small way.
I would highly recommend travelling to Nepal to volunteer, making the most of every experience offered and remembering to appreciate every second.
The biggest culture shock will not be when you arrive in Nepal, it will be when you arrive home.

Be the change .....a challenge? An inspiration? A motivation ? Yes yes yes to travel to the other side of the world alone for the first time and be immersed in a group not just any group,an amazing group of adults from many walks of life,all with a like minded view of our world. A group representing different cultures ,ages life experiences. It was a privilege to hear many experiences and be able to add them to my life view.
we shared the most delicious italian food and absorbed the rural surroundings. My life has been enriched by the new friendships.
I look forward in anticipation to the amazing socially inspired projects that will come from this be the change from all of the paticipants For me be the change has confirmed the social direction of my business and reaffirmed the goals I already had in place. my position is not negotiable and all the polices Ihave written since be the change have reflected this If you have the chance go go go not only will you be inspired to continue to be the change you will be changed!