Program Reviews

I'm not sure I can put into words the time I had in India with AV. It was just some of the best months of my life and looking back, I have the most wonderful memories that fill my heart with joy. I have met some of the most amazing people and now have a family that I will be going back to visit. I think of the children and my family there everyday and I think of the beautiful place that was my home and all the things I learned there. Being in India changed my life. It taught me so much, gave me so much and I am so lucky to have been able to experience it. The Lepcha project is unbelievably rewarding. We did more than teach; we learned tribal dances and songs wearing traditional dress, organised events for our children and lived in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I cannot recommend this project more. Part of my heart will stay there with my students and wonderful family and the only hard thing about this project was when the time came for me to leave.

Going on a gap year to Thailand was one the best life decisions I have ever made. Its a massive step to go across the world by yourseld, but your not alone as AV are there with you all the way.
Teaching children also seems like a massive step but the teachers were incredibly helpful and were always there if you needed help.

Southeast Asia is a thrilling place to explore and I am so glad I made the decision to go and for the lifelong friends I made along the way

I had an absolute blast on AV's 2016 trip to Uganda. Yes, things went wrong here and there, but thats Africa for you!
I chose AV as they offered a full emersion scheme. This was just what I wanted from my gap year. I didn't want to volunteer during the day and then spend my evenings in a grand hotel in a city in a nearby town. It just didn't seem right. However, this type of emersion is not for all. Be prepared, for unwanted, friendly animals in your house, no running water to wash up in, and temperamental electricity. If you can deal with all these, it's perfect for you!
I spent 3 months teaching in a rural village in Uganda with three other girls. 11 other gappies were scattered in nearby villages. As time went on, all 14 of us grew to be one big happy family, each with our respective roles, supporting each other through thick and thin. I definitely I made some friends for life.
On another note, I became very ill whilst I was abroad. The care I was given by Monique, the in country rep, was amazing. This kept my worried parents, back in the UK, happy. The doctor's facilities were adequate. Monique knows a very good doctor, who was trained in the UK, so never once did I feel as though I was in unsafe hands.
Finally, I spent one month, along with the other gappies travelling around East Africa. AV were amazing when it came to ensuring we were safe wherever we went, yet still allowed us as much independence as we wanted. They supported us through all our decisions and were at the other end of the phone when things went wrong.
Overall, I believe this was a once in a life time opportunity to do something completely out of my comfort zone. As cliché as it sounds, it was life changing and I wouldn't change a minute of it.
Thanks AV!

I participated in this Africa Asia Ventures trip in the summer of 2016, and it was honestly one of the most impactful and incredible things I have done so far in my life!

The AV team was so helpful and kind, ensuring we were safe and were fully organised for the trip, and once out there the representatives were friendly and so easy to get on with. I didn't know anyone prior to the trip, but a few good friends whilst there. The best thing about AV is you see first hand where your money goes, and how it directly benefits people. I was pushed out of my comfort zone in the best way possible, and in the process I learned so much about myself.

I could not recommend this programme more enthusiastically; I encourage all to take a look at it and consider going on the adventure of a life time!

I learnt so much as when I left sixth form I didn't feel ready to go to university so I decided to go traveling and found that AV had trips to Thailand to contribute to teaching primary school children English. I found it eye opening and learnt so much, mainly to appreciate what I had back in UK. I learnt so many life skills like managing money, living on your own for long periods of time, being dropped in to an environment where you know no one which helps massively with social skills and being responsible for just you, whilst being in a different country half way around the world from what your used to.These skills helped support me through university and life after that. On the trip there were five of us and three others who we met on the trip who did volunteering independently. I would highly recommend anyone interested in going traveling to go through a company like AV adventure as they help you organise your trip for a large proportion of the time and then you have freedom to go traveling where you want to once you have settled in to the countries ways and culture. Then you get to travel as you please for the final 3rd of the trip. My experience of traveling was an incredible and one I will never forget.

As an 18-year-old sixth form student, I chanced to hear about AV at a gap fair put on by my college. Not particularly knowing where I wanted to travel, only that travel I would, I started talking to Andrew and an ex-student / AV volunteer about their 5 week summer projects in Africa. About 4 months later I boarded Kenya Airways flight KQ0101 bound for Nairobi, from where a connecting flight would take us on to Mombasa. It is impossible to summarise all the fantastic memories and shared experiences of the trip, which ranged from seeing a wild leopard cub at Shimba Hills Game Reserve and later sailing a traditional Kenyan dhow to singlehandedly teaching classes of forty primary school children and seeing the renovation of a dilapidated classroom to completion. I made some great friends on the trip too, some of whom came from as far afield as the Netherlands and China, and I think it’s fair to say that they were all just as sorry as I was when our project eventually came to an end and we had to go our separate ways. In short, I can’t recommend AV highly enough. The UK office is clearly very well run and always on hand to assist in any way it can, and their representative on the ground in Africa, Charles, who was with us for the duration of the project always made us feel completely at ease and looked after despite being in such foreign land as Kenya. You couldn’t find a better gap year company than AV if you tried!

It is admittedly seven years since I returned from the inaugral running of this program, so it's probably a lot smoother running now than it was when I went (not that it was that chaotic, other than where I taught, which also was due to my own lateness in applying).

I very much enjoyed my time in China, especially as it is a place which has fascinated me since I was very young, and this was a good chance to experience it in a way unmarred by being in a large group being pushed around the famous sites at high speed. I very much enjoyed the fact that I could stay long enough in a given place to get to know people, some of whom I am still in touch with, and have visited on occasion. I still wonder if the English-speaking cafe at the foot of Emei mountain still has the menus which myself and the two others wrote out by hand (for free food) - If they are, many apologies for the fact they are probably rather illegible.

I remember on one trip out to a very rural part of Sichuan, we were trying to find our way to some local temple which was meant to be rather interesting, and after the obligatory being-followed-around-by-a-crowd-of-excited-children part of the day (typically lasts an hour or so), and the being-invited-to-drink-tea-with-an-old-dude-and-his-family part (another 15-30 minutes), we asked someone for directions, who got pretty excited. Soon, a middle-aged woman joined in, and both ended up getting rather loud and red in the face, gesticulating wildly. We were then informed by someone who actually knew mandarin that this wasn't an argument, they were just really into giving us directions. The temple had since been turned into a school, but it was quite pretty.

In short - if you're willing to be very laid back, eat anything, and not feel the need to be directed around, it's a great trip , which you will learn so much from (but that probably applies to life in general).

Once an AV always an AV. It is safe to say this programme gave me the best 4 months of my life, I even rearranged my flights to stay out there longer, and revisited the school last summer. AV are wonderful and provide so much support both before, during and after the programme. Our in country support was fabulous, and so reassuring to know that if anything were to go wrong, she was only a phone call away. Staying in local villages is an invaluable experience and allows you to live, work and breath Uganda, I have never felt so in touch and connect to one place. The children and teachers you meet out there will change you like no one else on earth and build you into a much stronger, confident person. They are the most wonderful people you will ever meet and not a day goes by when I don't think of Ibaako school. I also loved the sense of family that occurs with your fellow volunteers, you experience so many life changing moments together, the occasional low and incredible highs, you do it all together and they become friends for life. Uganda has so much to offer as a country, we spent weekend rafting or swimming in the nile, bungee jumping, visiting waterfalls and islands and it is so easy to travel around East Africa afterwards, with the wonderful group of friends you have made. I could not recommend this programme highly enough, the best gap year experience you could think of!

If you are looking for a programme with lots of support and planned activity, then AV probably isn't for you. What this project gives you instead is a very rare chance to live with a Chinese family, and experience rural China in a way very few people have. AV gave an amazing glimpse into a fascinating country and a unique opportunity to experience a side of China that is rarely seen.

It was incredible and 100% worth it! I loved the independence of the project- my fellow volunteers and I lived in our own houses with limited supervision. We had an in country point of contact who gave us good information, but we got to do things on our own. That idea was a bit daunting at first, but it was wonderful! I liked the fact that it didn't feel like a high school field trip. We really got to be a part of the community. The children we taught were always so excited to see us and play with us, and out fellow teachers were very welcoming.
The four weeks after teaching that we spent travelling were incredible, too! We saw historic sites and lounged on the beautiful sugar sand beaches of Zanzibar and skydived onto Diani beach and more.
Every moment of this trip was amazing! I wouldn't trade my time in Africa for anything, and I'm glad I did it with AV. It is by far the greatest thing I've ever done.