Program Reviews

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.

When I decided to take a Gap Year with AV, I did not expect it to have such a large impact on me. It is truly an unforgettable experience. AV gives you freedom and independence which are two important skills that you will discover and use to enrich your experience. It makes everything you do so much more rewarding because you are not depending on anyone but yourself to make a difference. The Ugandans you meet will change you. They will show you love and wisdom. Your fellow AVs will become friends that you always stay in touch with and other travellers you meet along the way will show you adventure. There isn't a day that I go without thinking about my time in Uganda last spring. The things you discover about yourself in Uganda will stay with you forever and it is the ideal location for these discoveries to take place.

My AV experience was absolutely life changing for me. Through my volunteer group, I met people that remain my best friends (and one of them my future husband!) even today (eight years on). The Kenyan people were hugely welcoming and really opened my eyes to a different way of living and looking at life.

The school I was at (Lessos Elementary) was basic but not the most basic, which enabled us to have at least some teaching equipment (i.e. a few textbooks for the kids to share etc). The kids were AMAZING!! I was thrown in the deep-end a bit, with teaching English, Maths, French, P.E. and some drama/dance/artsy subjects but the kids help you through and they're just so eager to learn anything you have to share with them.

I lived with two other British girls and we all got on amazingly! We lived in this very cute little bungalow, which had no running water or electricity but it was very much our "home"! It made the whole experience more fun and realistic to how the locals live..! We taught together and then at the weekends we'd meet up with the other 20 or so volunteers and travelled around West Kenya together. One of the best weekends we had was getting a coach to Uganda, where we all bunked out in dorms and went bungee jumping and white-water rafting.

The free time at the end of the programme enabled us to see the coast and Nairobi - both of which are vastly different to the Rift Valley. We even managed to go on two safaris and visit the idyllic Zanzibar in Tanzania.

I can honestly say that those six months were the best six months I've lived to date - every day was fun, different and challenging and the people (both the Kenyans and the volunteers) really made it for me!

My time in Malawi was one of the happiest periods in my life. The project was well supported, all AV staff were helpful and available to sort any problems. We were well matched in terms of who we were paired with and the experience was one I will always cherish. I learned so much, my eyes were opened to so many new things.
I would thoroughly recommend AV. Although cheaper projects are available they don't have the same back up and experience that AV does. At the age of 18 I had the support I needed to go out in to the world and spread my wings, yet knowing help was on hand if I were to need it. Thanks for such wonderful memories!

This coming January 2015 will be 10 years since I went on AV to Kericho in Kenya and it feels like it was only a couple of years ago - mainly because I think of my experiences there and my friends so often! Friends that I will have for life and see as often as I can - often a year or more will have gone by between seeing each other but we fall back into friendship like we were never apart because we share a unique experience and bond together, and know each other inside out. One thing we share was that all our friends and family for years after we returned complained that we never stopped banging on about Kenya and how amazing it was!

When I was 17 I wasn't having a good time at school, I even considered moving to a new school for my last year of A Levels. Then my mum suggested that maybe I would like to take a gap year before Uni and do something adventurous on my own and I immediately thought, yeah that sounds like a good idea I totally want to do that! Once I was accepted onto the Kenya 2005 programme I had something to build towards and that got me through my school year. The AV team are so friendly and send you lots of info about fundraising ideas and get you fully prepared for your trip.

The orientation days were really helpful, not just in getting orientated in terms of the country, teaching and general info, but it's also the most important bonding time with the other AVs and is great fun before you pair off and go to your schools. I met my 5 best friends during that period as well, but got on with just about everyone - there was a real mixed bag of people. I lived on the Kericho tea plantation teaching at Marinyn Primary - the placement was fantastic, the teachers and kids lovely and just so absolutely delighted to have you there! The more you put into your placement the more you will get out of it. It's all about getting to know your kids, get involved in and start up after school activities and bringing them fun things that they just don't have the resources/facilities for in imaginative ways. And they'll love you for it! But even better, you'll love doing it and you WILL cry the day that you have to leave your school. With the money which you donate to your school by either buying or doing something, Laura and I painted pictures in all of the classrooms which the kids just loved and I really hope they're still there!

The whole thing is an adventure from start to end, working out how to get into the town, where and how to shop and going travelling about the country on weekends and in the free travel period. You'll want to make the most of every opportunity. I can't pretend that there aren't scary times and some hard times but that's why you signed up right, to have an adventure and to test yourself! And my experiences (of all types) in Kenya literally set me up for life, and my best friends would all say the same of themselves. The most amazing experience I will NEVER forget because it shaped who I am today. I went to Kenya an un-confident teenager and I came back full of confidence, experiences and the knowledge that I can always do something if I put my mind to it. When you're 18 none of us think about our CVs, our future careers and what we'll have to say for ourselves when we graduate and have those first 'real' job interviews. But man was I glad that when that time came I have an experience like AV to put on my CV and to talk about - and people are always so impressed. It shows them that you're a get up and go person, that you like and can overcome a challenge and that you didn't just spend a year out travelling so you could lie on a beach.

I actually feel quite emotional writing this nearly 10 years on - I wouldn't be who I am today without AV! I'm a confident, strong and successful person who knows her own mind and looks for adventure and challenge as often as I can. In the years after Kenya I used to promote AV at my old school by giving talks and also represented them at a UCAS fair (a university exhibition fair) which was fantastic - I got to rave about my fantastic experience for 2 whole days to people who were interested! In the ten years since I've always said that EVERYONE should take a gap year before uni and do something similar to AV - you'll be a totally different and more ready individual to go to uni afterwards. I always wish some of the people I've known could have had my experience that could have helped them in their lives! And I ALWAYS suggest that teenagers of people I know look at AV and consider a year out doing something worthwhile - as you can tell by the length of my review it was the best and most significant thing I've ever done in my life. I think it goes to show as well that one of the girls from my group loved AV so much that she joined the company and worked for them for a long while, while the dad of one of my best best friends from Kenya is now a company representative in the north of England. If you're lucky enough to become an AV, it will touch your life forever, and I'm so glad to have been a part of it.

I struggle through out my school life and once my A levels were over I didn't want to think of University and I wanted to see the world a little bit and have a break from exams and all. I came across AV through my cousin who had also gone through on of the gap year program's. I had the BEST time, meet some amazing people and have made friends for life. It's so rewarding seeing happiness with the children you work with and seeing a different culture to the one your used too. AV are so organised and keep you up to date through the your time aways, they also have so amazing helpers that will look out for you over your time away. I recommend AV to anyone, and they offer many opportunists. Go for it, and take a chance!

A fantastic program, I had a lot of fun and met some great people. From the city life of Quitto to the tranquil, surreal heights of the cloud forest, this program has a lot to offer. Those who are interested in conservation this is perfect, working in the cloud forest taught me a lot about life in the remote endangered parts of the worlds forests and with Galapagos on Ecuador's doorstep, this trip makes for an amazing adventure!