Program Reviews

I spent three amazing months with AV in Nepal, not only was everyone from AV themselves amazing but all the people that helped in Nepal were to. Going away with AV was a once in a life time chance I wish everyone would have the chance to take. AV made everything easy from organizing everything to making sure that we knew what to pack. AV has showed me a whole new side to the world and I'm so happy with the thing that AV has given me.

In the spring of 2017 I had the pleasure to spend four very, very nice months in Nepal - Syangja. I was teaching English and Mathematics at an English boarding school on the countryside of Nepal. It truly was one of the most recommendable experiences in my life. Our host-family and almost everyone I meet there were incredibly hospital, the landscape is stunning and the work was interesting. In my opinion staying with a traditional Nepali, getting to know them and their culture, and getting a glimps of what everyday life is like there was just great!
I can only recommend. Furthermore our Nepali coordinator was a really lovely and competent guy, so I never felt unsave or not looked after, in case I would have needed help.

Lennart

My experience in Kenya has changed me in many ways. It was an incredibly humbling experience, it brought me back to the pure joy of connecting with people with zero material possession or status and it made me aware of how truly blessed I am to live in the United States. I loved the people I met on this trip, the amazing sites, activities and cultures I immersed myself in and the feeling of making a difference in those less fortunate than I. I would go back in a heartbeat if I could - I miss the country very much and all of the wonderful people I have met.

I went with AV to Uganda January 2017 and those months I spent in Africa were so far, the most influential months of my life. I met so many gracious and loving people, I learned so much about myself, and I learned so much about a culture that I knew basically nothing about. If you're considering going with AV, a few words of wisdom! Bring plenty of things to do! You have insane amounts of downtime in the village and sometimes fully immersing yourself is exhausting so bring something for entertainment. It's a good time to get through a reading list. Also, spend as much time at the school and in the village as possible. That's what you're there for! That's what you signed up for! Embrace it fully. It's hard experience, but it doesn't make it any less! I hope you choose to go for it and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

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!