Program Reviews

I did Physical Therapy at the Haiti out patient clinic at the school for 2 weeks. I did mostly stroke out patient. Most patient were open and glad to have me help them. A highlight was getting daily hugs from the school children that attended there.The biggest obstacle was no translator and most staff did not know English. The staff was awesome and helpful. I was able to spend one night in Kenskoff in the orphanage. What a joy to see the children happy and content. There was so much ongoing maintenance work to be done that I felt a handy man from the states could do easily. My overall experience was one that changed me forever and I will always have the love of Haitians til the day I die. Thanks you Gena and Norma for making this happen

Best year of my life - This program had a huge impact on my life, personal development, and my current work and aspirations. I made friendships with the girls and other volunteers that have lasted long after the program's end, and I've already been back to Guatemala twice to visit.

If you're someone who likes adventure, and is willing to give your all for a year - but get a lifetime of experience back in return - this is the program for you.

I'm so thankful for the 13 months I spent volunteering at NPH Honduras as a physical therapist. The community of international volunteers was wonderful support and also a lot of fun. My role as the physical therapist was fun and challenging, but the best part of the year was being a part of one of houses of girls. Every evening and every other weekend each volunteer spends time with their "family" of kids. I love those girls. We did homework together, got their school uniforms ready, played games, read books...
The NPH Honduras orphanage, the Ranch, felt very safe to me. Everyone other weekend the volunteers had free and we saw some other parts of the country. You won't regret spending a year with NPH.

NPH provides a wonderful home for children who have had a hard life. The volunteer program is a great experience and you really make a difference for the children. You will form amazing relationships- guaranteed! I volunteered in 2008. When I was there, the volunteers worked 10 days, then had 4 off to travel, relax, whatever. The volunteers live in the NPH home, but have a separate house. Free room and board is a huge plus of this program compared to many I found in Nicaragua. There are volunteers from all over the world, but mostly the US and Europe. The other volunteers are great support because they are going through the same issues you are adjusting to another culture and being away from family and friends.

During a normal weekday, you would spend the majority of the day doing your "job" - English teacher, tutor, therapist, etc. The late afternoons and evenings are spent hanging out with the kids in their homes. During the weekends the volunteers often help plan games and activities for the children, as well as simply spending time with them reading, playing cards, or watching movies.

The Nicaraguan home is brand new; the children moved from the old location on Ometepe in 2009 and 2010. Some non-essential buildings are still being constructed, which makes it an exciting place to be. Every time I go back to visit there are new changes. The new home is already very nice and the changes just make it nicer. The home itself is completely safe.

Nicaragua is a great country that is very welcoming to travelers. The NPH home is located in a great area for travel. The buses are cheap and you can go all over the country. Nicaragua is actually a pretty safe country. It's important to take normal traveling precautions, but I never had any problems in my whole year there, or in any of my other trips to Nicaragua before or after.

Overall, I completely recommend this program to anyone looking for a volunteer opportunity that really makes a difference for kids. Plus you can stay connected to the organization once you get back. I sponsor a girl I worked with during my year of volunteering, I've helped out with fundraising events, and I've returned to visit. You really become part of the NPH family.

My decision to volunter at NPH was the best life decision I have ever made. The organization is the best I have seen for anyone looking to volunteer abroad.

Some important highlights:
*There is no fee to volunteer. Room and board is included along with a month stipend.
*You are not dropped in an isolated rural area alone like other programs. You live on a large ranch which can literally feel like a large family community that you become a part of. Workplaces are on site so you never have to leave.
*You live in a home with 20 volunteers from all over Europe and/or the U.S. which provides for a very supportive environment. This is ideal for having friends with whom you can travel with on the weekends or while on vacation.
*The actual site where you live and work is very safe despite the country conditions. Only when a volunteer chooses to leave the site is their concern for typical travel safety.

I first became involved with NPH in 2004. I then chose to volunteer for 1 1/2 years in 2006. I worked as a caregiver for the youngest 75 children in the home(There are over 600 kids at the orphanage). My job was truely rewarding as I grew quite close with many of the children. After hearing many of the tragic stories of which they came from, it was truely rewarding to join this organization's mission of transforming the lives of these children by helping to provide them with unconditional love, stability, and to help teach them the tools to break the cycle of poverty within their own lifes.

The best part about this organization is they do not allow adoption so volunteering with them literally felt as though you were a part of their family that was continously growing. Each child that arrives at the home stays their throughout their whole life until they graduate from college. With this mission, NPH has literally become my home away from home. I visit each year to see all the same children who are happy and smiling growing up in a safe environment with all their siblings. It's the only place where I have seen ex volunteers of an organization meet up year after year and feel like you are forever connected this this organization. I would absolutely recommend this organization to anyone.

I volunteered at the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos home in 2007. I lived and worked at a home for over 600 orphaned and abandoned children in a sprawling ranch style setting. The "rancho" quickly became home to me for the next 13 months of my volunteer experience. I was among 20 other international volunteers from across the U.S. and Europe. I worked during the days as the home's correspondence coordinator and spent my evenings with the 14-16 year old girls sharing meals, helping with homework, and getting them ready for bed. The entire experience helped to open my eyes to many of the social injustices real in our world today, while also showing me the compassion and uncodintional love the children of NPH share. I grew in ways i never thought possible, and wouldn't trade that year for anything. I made lifelong friends among the other volunteers, staff, and children. Since my return, I have continued to visit each year. I would highly recommend this program.

After I first volunteered abroad for a short time, I had a nagging feeling that I wanted to do more. I wanted to stay longer, get further involved in the communities I visited and learn more from the individuals in those communities. I worried a little at first about how to find a legitimate program, if I could afford it, and how safe it would be. I didn't have many friends who had volunteered abroad long term, so I had to research on my own mostly. I chose NPH because of their mission and the tailored professional positions they offered. Jobs for 1 year weren't advertised vaguely as "volunteer" but "physical therapist," "visitor coordinator," "teacher," "caregiver educator," "social worker," etc. If you are looking for a strong program in Latin America to become involved with, I strongly encourage you to look into working at NPH. It's a challenge for sure, but it's one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had. The children changed me in unexpected ways, and I think about them daily. Listen to your "feeling!"

The Friends International Volunteer Program sends qualified individuals, couples and families to support the staff and children living in the homes of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in the Dominican Republic.

This experience changed me in ways I can't even describe. It was hard to get used to not having all the comforts of home, but now that I'm back, I just feel spoiled. The best thing I got out of my year at NPH Honduras were the relationships I formed and continue to maintain. There are frustrations working for any organization, but the kids make it worth it.

My one-year volunteer commitment: January 2010-January 2011

**Note: For a quick summary of this review, scroll down to the ** at the end.

Impact:
My volunteer job was to be the full-time Communications Officer. I worked in the onsite office from 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday. I created content for and managed our website, so a typical day involved writing stories, conducting interviews, taking photos, answering emails, writing newsletter content, updating the website, promoting content via social media, and more. For someone who is interested in journalism or communications as a career, it's difficult to find volunteer abroad opportunities so closely related to your interests, so this was a perfect fit for me! In addition to really enjoying my job, I also felt like I had an important impact on the organization. My articles and photos were used to fundraise throughout our international offices. On one occasion, a story I wrote about an older child inspired a donor to pay for this child's entire university fees. In another example, a story I wrote caused a child to go from zero sponsors to five in just a few short months. Bottom line: I definitely felt like I was making a tangible difference.

Support:
Friends of the Orphans has excellent support for its U.S. volunteers. Before you leave, they walk you through all the necessary paperwork steps. You receive handbooks on what to expect, as well as lots of online resources/current volunteer blogs to browse. Each leaving volunteer participates in a phone conference with a volunteer coordinator and former volunteers -- where all questions and concerns can be answered. Additionally, if you live in a city where Friends of the Orphans has an office, the office staff is another great resource. During your volunteer year, the U.S.-based Friends of the Orphans staff checks in on volunteers and makes themselves available for any needs. (In-country there will be a separate support system, headed by another volunteer coordinator.) Returning home, Friends of the Orphans also does follow-up emails and phone calls and assists each volunteer with their transition home. Bottom line: I felt supported and encouraged every step of the way!

Fun:
Onsite fun = in Guatemala, you'll be living with 20+ other volunteers and 300+ kids. From holidays to festivals to sports to downtime spent goofing off, there is never a shortage of fun. Offsite fun = the Casa San Andres home in Guatemala is conveniently located about 20 minutes from Antigua, Guatemala. The backpacking capital of Guatemala (and possibly of Central America), Antigua is THE place for food, bars, dancing, meeting tons of travelers, visiting gorgeous colonial ruins, shopping, etc. It's also the jumping off point to travel anywhere else in the country/region. Bottom line: you're expected to work harder than you ever have in this volunteer program, but there can be just as much fun if you want it!

Value:
There is NO COST to volunteer with this program. On top of that, you receive free housing, 3 free meals a day, free access to an on-site clinic, and a monthly stipend. My stipend in Guatemala (January 2010 - January 2011) was $50 US per month. That doesn't sound like much, but when my housing and food is already taken care of, $50 US gets you pretty far in cheap Guatemala. You won't save up money by the end of your volunteer year, but you can definitely break even. If you plan on spending lots of money on travel/vacation, a couple thousand bucks saved up will be MORE than enough to last your year. Bottom line: This is the most economical year-long volunteer program out there. I challenge you to find a similar program with no fee to participate.

Safety:
Onsite, conditions are very safe. The entire campus was enclosed by a fence at the far edges, and there was a 24-hour guard on duty. On onsite clinic was open 24 hours a day. I always felt extremely safe on the property. Offsite, you obviously need to use common sense when traveling alone, at night, on unknown streets. But in general, the small town near Casa San Andres was very safe and very friendly. People knew us and were always quick to help. Guatemala is quickly becoming a tourist-friendly place with better infrastructure, so it's easy and safe to get around. I personally never had any problems with safety during my year.

Overall experience:
Great professional experience. Low cost. New language learned. Tons of new friends. A new "family" in Guatemala (300+ people big). Amazing travels. Great support. Good balance of hard work and free time. I LOVED my experience volunteering with this organization, and I would highly recommend it.

**I just committed to 2 more years with this organization. I leave later this month. If that doesn't tell you how I felt about my volunteer experience, then I'm not sure what could. :)

I have just returned from a year (July 2010-August 2011) at NPH Honduras. The experience was very challenging in many ways, and I grew from the experience in more ways that I'm aware of! I was an English Teacher in the middle school (the Centro Vocacional): as someone who is interested in becoming a teacher, it gave me the opportunity to teach in my own classroom, plan my own lessons, etc. I also had the fun challenge of classroom management, which wasn't always easy but was by far the most valuable part of my experience.

One of the best parts of this program is that you have a real job -which offers the practical feeling of accomplishing positive work- but you also spend a lot of time with the kids, which immerses you in their lives. In this way, the NPH Volunteer experiences gave me the "international volunteer experience" I had been expecting, but also challenged me to grow in my ideas and openness as a person. The kids at NPH are full of life and energy and love (even if it's hidden sometimes), and if you go into the experience willing to offer love and openness, then it can be an amazing experience! Getting to share in their lives is both humbling and inspiring.

Two additional notes: 1) the stipend offered at NPH Honduras makes this program one of the most feasible economically. I needed a program that would allow me to at least break even at the end. Thanks to the stipend, I was able to cover all my expenses in Honduras (as long as you keep to the goal of 'living simply'), and even save some Lempiras for travelling during and at the end of my trip.

2) I was a little apprehensive about what the religious situation would be like at NPH, since it is a Catholic organization and I'm a Jewish kid from New York- but in the end there was definitely zero problem. In fact, I learned a lot about religion, spirituality, and reflection from my time in Honduras (not to mention the interesting connections between Central American Catholicism and grassroots organizing, which I didn't know anything about before).