Program Reviews

I went and volunteered with a GVN partner organization this summer in Thailand, specifically working with the elephants. It was by far the BEST decision i have ever made. Planning my trip to Thailand was a bigger process then I had thought but GVN helped out tremendously. I had to switch start dates and flights and GVN answered ever question I had. The staff and other volunteers i met at the rescue centre in Thailand were great, they were all nice and had a passion for animals and taking care of them the right way. I never realized how much i loved animals till i got their, the elephants are the most beautiful animals ever. Even though the jobs were more physically demanding that you had to do everyday, being with the elephants and watching them interact in their environment was beyond anything i have experienced. I only stayed three weeks this summer but i would like to go for even a few months in the next year or so. This experience was life changing, sounds corny but its true.

Thoroughly enjoyed myself in Sugod, Romblon Province, Philippines. The host family was so welcoming, treated me as one of their own sons. Always there to help out, cooked fantastic meals, gave great advice and genuinely concerned for your welfare. The right amount of work and play, offered flexible hours: working morning or afternoon, or both, with weekends off to explore, meet locals, swim in the warm, crystal clear ocean, hiking, diving, ferrying to nearby islands etc. The building is not too stringent, i found i was not expected to do as much as i thought would be the case, but only because the time i was there involved a lot of skilled work and I'm pretty unskilled in that line of work. An eye-opening experience, great to really get immersed in the laid back Filipino lifestyle.

I first volunteered with GVN in Vietnam when I was 18 years old. I was fresh out of high school and was about to embark on a trip of a lifetime. I had no idea what to expect and had never traveled abroad alone before. As my plane left the ground at home in America I immediately became nervous about the journey I was about to start. After flight delays, illnesses and one hell of a long flight I was finally in DaNang where I was to be picked up by GVN. The second I was entered the house in DaNang all of my anxiety went away and I immediately felt at home. Little did I know I was beginning a life changing experience. I would recommend GVN to anyone. I have since been back to vietnam twice and am about to go back this summer for a third time. Vietnam holds a special place in my heart and I have GVN to thank for that.

I was a naive eighteen year old girl who had just graduated from high school and had no idea what awaited me. I had never traveled abroad alone before and I was nervous about what awaited me. I ended up on a plane to Vietnam, scared and unsure of what awaited me. Volunteering with GVN in Vietnam was the most amazing experience of my life. Since volunteering with them the first time three years ago, I have been back two more times and am about to go back again this summer. GVN was the best thing I have ever done with my life and has shaped me into the young woman I am today. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. I highly recommend this program to ANYONE and EVERYONE who is interested in going abroad!

If you want to experience true Africa and live like the locals do (well almost like the locals do), travel to Gisenyi, Rwanda and volunteer with GVN and their local partner on the Children's Program.

A wonderful driver who speaks just a smidgen of English will greet you at the bare bones Kigali airport, even if you arrive in the middle of the night (with or without your luggage - mine took a detour to Ethiopia without me).

You will stay in a clean, basic guest house in Kigali (unless of course it's full and you have to stay in an overflow guest house which isn't quite as clean or as nice and you will have to try your hand at falling asleep on a vinyl mattress while the thump of nightclub music hammers outside your door.)

On Day 1 - an incredibly sweet host will give you your orientation to the country and to your placement. In the afternoon, you will have the gut wrenching, but very necessary experience of visiting the Genocide Memorial. Steel yourself to witness more horrific tragedies than you can possibly imagine and to be more inspired than you thought possible by the resilience and grace of the Rwandan people.

On Day 2 - You will board a bus crammed with locals, suitcases, bags of food, and babies strapped to their Mamas backs and weave through the hairpin turns on the winding and beautiful 3 1/2 hour drive between Kigali and Gisenyi.

When you arrive in Gisenyi, you will stay in a secure house within the community and will experience all of the pleasures of African life (outside of having to haul your own water). You will eat the same staple diet as the locals (white bread and fruit for breakfast) and some version of plantains or french fries with saffron rice and vegetables for dinner. You will share a room with 1 or 2 roommates (unless you are lucky enough to travel in low season and have your own room) and you may or may not have to wrestle with a bathroom door that doesn't properly close. Either way, you will fill up your bucket in the bathtub with cool water from the tap and experience the cold bucket showers that are the norm for everyone who is lucky enough to have water in their home.

Each morning, you will rise around 7am and after breakfast, your host/translator will walk with you up the rocky hill to the chaotic bus station. She will help you negotiate a ride in an overstuffed mini van and may or may not be so crammed against the people beside you that one butt cheek is resting on your neighbour's thigh. You will hear the sounds of hip hop or African music on the radio and smell the salty/sweet smell of sweat (which may or may not be your own) as you bounce through the local roads and then climb the hill up to the Noel Orphanage in Nyundo.

When you get there, be prepared to fall HEAD OVER HEELS in love. With 600 children between the ages of 0-21, there is no shortage of work to keep you busy. Whether you are changing cloth rags on baby's bums, getting buried under a crush of tiny humans who see you as a walking jungle gym, washing dishes after helping feed the little ones lunch, or practicing English with a bright eyed beautiful 10 year old girl, you will feel needed and useful. Remember to save room in your suitcase for some granola bars or trail mix because you will be on your own for lunch and with 7 hours away from your home base, you will need some energy food to keep you going (AND the options for buying food in Gisenyi are VERY limited)

Although there were days in Rwanda that I missed the creature comforts of home (especially the hot showers and the ability to eat a fresh salad), I would volunteer there again in a moment. The beautiful children made it 100% worth it and I will miss their sweet faces for a long time to come.

Volunteering at an orphanage in Kenya was a life-changing experience. GVN definitely helped in making this a safe and unforgettable experience. I recommend this program to anyone who wants to volunteer abroad and who loves children. You won't regret it!

I taught for one month at a children's home in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. The kids were such a joy, and put a smile on my face every single day. They were very love-able, active and adorable! Every day in the classroom was an adventure, teaching these children was far from easy. Since they are not used to structured schooling, it was difficult at times to keep them focused, however it challenged us to come up with fun and exciting ways of teaching. The home is far from luxurious so don't expect a flushing toilet or running water, but I am sure if you are interested in this program you know that finding a flushing toilet or shower anywhere in Addis Ababa is quite task! The home was cozy, and we spent most of our evenings in a small lounge/room where we would play cards, talk, lesson plan and just have fun. Tuesdays and Thursdays were spent working at the feeding center in the city. That was one of my favourite things to do. You meet some very wonderful and inspiring people, many of whom barely get one meal every few days to eat, however they continuously would smile and joke around with us, and appreciate every thing you did for them. It was really heart-warming to be able to help hand out meals to less fortunate people. I did lots of fundraising and was able to give out over 1000 feeding tickets to those who could not afford them or weren't able to get one. Tickets are 1 birr each, which is equivalent to 6 cents Canadian, so fundraising is definitely worth your while and the money goes a long way.

Overall, Ethiopia is a beautiful place that is not given enough credit or publicity! Being able to teach children who had come from such broken homes was truly a dream come true for me. They changed my life and I am hoping I inspired them in some way or another. This place is a great place for volunteering. I always felt safe, and it was amazing to meet such amazing people. The only bad part about my volunteer trip was the fact that I could not help out every family/child I met. It is very difficult to see people in need and not be able to help them significantly. But you get used to seeing all the poverty and begin to understand that a smile and some money, water, and food is all you can do.

Volunteering abroad has thus far been the highlight of my travels. I have traveled to 14 different countries, Nepal being the first country I actually became part of an organization and gave something back to the local community.
Arriving in Katmandu International Airport I was greeted by hundreds of locals all wanting to carry my bags and the view of a polluted city. My program was based in a village where I worked everyday in a Children's home. My part was to be the Didi, or big sister figure to the children. Helping them with homework, getting ready for school, playing with them on days off and maintenance around the home.
Life in the village was something I couldn't have expected and in fact while I was living there it was a great challenge getting through the days. I didn't shower in two weeks at one point, as the water was arctic temperature and I couldn't bear it. The 'Charpi' or Nepali village toilet was another experience in itself, and adjusting my palate to Daal Bhat twice a day, everyday,eaten with my hand, for a month was another thing that took some getting used too. In the end I became Daal Bhat crazy and would crave it like a mad man. Even coming home I still felt like the food. Looking back I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Nepal is beautifully scenic, taking hikes to the top of mountains with incredible Himalayan views was just breathtaking. Watching a wedding procession in the village and seeing Hindu rituals performed was something I couldn't have even imagined. Locals in both the village and city were always very interested in the volunteers and would love to have a chat. There was alot of poverty in Nepal which was not only heartbreaking but very eye opening and it felt amazing to be able to be part of the group of people that are trying to make a difference. The staff from the volunteer organization were amazing, helping us with anything and everything we asked. The whole experience was very relaxed being able to travel and sight see during our volunteering. Since the trip to Nepal I had booked another volunteering trip with GVN. Just cannot wait to get back out there and volunteer in a community in need once again. Definitely would recommend the GVN Nepal volunteer program to anyone considering volunteering abroad!

this was truly the greatest experience of my life, to the extent that i every day i think about nepal and the people i met their. The staff at GVN are warm, kind and dedicated. They will answer any questions or concerns and show you respect. You will meet other volunteers from all over the world, of all ages (86 was the oldest i encountered!!) and these volunteers will become your closest friends.
Nepal is the most breathtakingly beautiful country i have ever visited, in every aspect. In particular, the people are friendly, generous and curious.
The children that i worked with were an inspiration, constantly laughing despite the traumas they had suffered in their early lives.
My daily routine consisted of, waking up when the family rooster dictated, morning nepali tea made on the wood fire, getting the children ready for school, then i would spend the day with my host family or helping the community maintenance team. i would spend the afternoon playing with the children and helping with homework before going back to my host family for evening meal. bed time was usually around 8pm as there is nothing to do once it is dark due to lack of electricity!
my host village was remote and traditional. i felt like i was really living an authentic nepali life. vsn gave us language and culture classes to prepare us for this.
at weekends volunteers would head back to kathmandu to let our hair down and have a western meal.
I would strongly recommend GVN to anybody looking to volunteer in nepal and i would strongly recomment Nepal to anybody looking to volunteer somewhere!!
the experience truly changed my life, i returned to the orphanage 2 years later and i plan to go back again very soon.
also, the cost for this programme is not overly expensive and i can guarantee that GVN put the funds to very good use

I came to Nepal through the global volunteer network when I was 18, just out of high school & right after the second cease fire had ended in 2003. The first place I went to after the volunteer training outside of kathmandu was to teach english in the jungle with rhinos, tigers, 500 species of birds, monkeys, etc. After that, I stayed on to do a number of other amazing adventures which included painting murals with school children, trekking to everest base camp, while diving into Nepali culture. Everyone involved in the volunteer network is truly a wonderful person, helpful, insightful & even when I wasn't volunteering I would stop in and always rely on the office for a home base. It was an incredible experience and after 8 years I still stay in touch with the people I met volunteering.