Program Reviews

This 6-weeks volunteering experience in Padre Cocha remain like a dream, a wonderful sharing moment for me.
I was a teacher assistant at a Kindergarden, with a three-years-old children. This experience to teach to little kids was very interesting bécause of the difference of culture I discovered there. The éducation of the children at thé Kindergarden is really different from a "common" Kindergarden. Of course, children always lived in the jungle, and act sometimes like if they were at home. What's more, the teachers, because of peruvian laws, are not allowed to scream or punish the kids. So it was challenging to fine another way to make them obey. ( Sometimes some sweets were enough ahaha)
Anyway, it was sooo nice to take care of them as well as teach them. After some time, they have confidence in you, they listen to you, they want to tell you their family memories and laugh with you, and show affection and respect. I really fell in love with them, their so-cute smiling faces.
The teacher I was with called Teresa was fabulous ! The best teacher for little kinds, skilled, sensible, affective, and involved. Great moments with her !!
Outside the school, I lived four weeks in the backpacker sunrise of the association. Prepare to spend time alone, you are not " part of a family" but definitely a guest. I recommend you to spend time with Louisa, a very interesting and honest person !
The two last weeks living in a family of artisans were the best of my volunteering, far ever. Time share with my family speaking, telling stories, eating all together for the morning and the lunch, chilling in the hammac, just being together.
It was so intense!!!!!!!!
I felt deeply lucky to have expérienced this with these people. I will never forget how wonderful was the family, how much you feel welcomed and integrated.
And honestly, having experience in the jungle, disconnecting with others and before all the mobile phone IS SO GREAT !!! Thats allows you to créateur deeper Links with everyone. So special people !
I miss the nature, thé forest, as well as people.

I definitely recommend this experience to everybody !!!!

I recently volunteered in Buenos Aires with my best friend for their community feeding project. The experience was very rewarding, working with the mothers in the kitchen. Despite us not knowing much Spanish, they were very accomodating and welcoming.

During the program you help prepare the meals by chopping up ingredients, grating the cheese, peeling potatoes etc. You then serve the meals to the people in the neighbourhood as they walk in the door. After we finished serving, we were always offered a generous meal by the ladies which we loved.

We felt some things were lost in translation between us and the volunteer coordinator, which was frustrating at times but of course it's expected with a language and culture difference.

Overall we felt very safe all the time and the other people staying at the student hostel accomodation are absolutely lovely.

I must say volunteering at a buddhist monastery in Nepal was the best decision of my life. Not only do i have the oportunity to pass knowledge along, as i can hang out with the children from the monastery and the locals from the village anytime. It’s a truly immersive experience. I can wake up at 5 am and participate in their daily meditation, which is a true privilege, at 6:30 am i watch the sunrise and take breakfast, and by 9:30 i’m starting the day in the best way, playing educational games with the kids and teaching them grammar. To get their atention, i have to create different challenges every day, so this is both stimulating for me and for them. At night we have dinner all together and sometimes, the chosen game is to catch fireflies and watch their light. So, it’s a different routine, with new details that amaze me everyday. Nepal is a magical place and Hasantar nunnery is like home.

J'ai participé à un projet en Afrique du Sud, d'une durée de 3 mois. Ce sont les 3 mois les plus merveilleux que j'ai pu passer de toute ma vie. L'endroit était magique, des animaux de toute sortes et une ambiance d'équipe extraordinaire.. J'ai rencontré des volontaire du monde entier, vraiment cette expérience m'a beaucoup appris sur le plan personnel ! Je recommande fortement

I recently returned home from 2 weeks volunteering in Villa Rodrigo Bueno, a small neighbourhood in Buenos Aires. The main aim of the programme was to use organised workshops in football, boxing and English to encourage the local kids to get involved with productive activities and become active members of their community. All in all it was a fantastic experience, and I was really well looked after by the people there. Flor and Bautista, a husband and wife team who ran the community centre, made sure I was safe, comfortable and well fed whenever I visited them and Andrea, who was the link between Iko Poran and the neighbourhood, was in constant contact with me throughout. Taking part in the workshops with the kids was a lot of fun, and I was also invited to take part in other activities with the adults too- a midweek football tournament being a particular highlight.

I'd definitely recommend learning some Spanish before you go as nobody in the neighbourhood speaks English, so communication could be a bit tricky at times. Nevertheless, everyone I met was really hospitable and I was made to feel very welcome. Facilities in the neighbourhood are very basic and the activities are subject to weather and other factors, so be open-minded and prepared for your schedule to change at short notice.

The programme title suggests that you will be coaching sports, but in reality you are mostly just joining in with the workshops, and in some cases being coached yourself! In many ways this was probably for the best as the standard of football in the neighbourhood is ridiculously high, so I'm not sure if I could have taught them anything anyway! There are still lots of ways to make yourself useful though: helping the kids with their homework in the English workshop, unloading food deliveries, and helping to distribute food to the local residents to give a few examples. As Andrea kept telling me, the more you put yourself out there, the more everyone gets out of it.

At first I was feeling kind of afraid because of the distance and the new culture... But the experience could hardly have been better. Since we arrived, Kelly, Jenny and Felipe were taking care about us, helping with transport and giving us security tips. Truly, the city is quietter, but there are also lot of things to do. The trips in Cusco are so special, with beautiful and unique landscapes you wouldn't see anywhere else. Moreover, being accommodated with a local family has upgraded our experience to a different point, counting on their help, their interesting conversations and their typical dishes.
Talking about the project, I've been in a little health centre in Cuzco. It was a less-favoured area, where I could learn a lot about diseases I hadn't seen before so frequently and I could perform some procedures that I hadn't tried in my country of origin. For sure, this has been a great oportunity for my personal and professional growth. It is always very enriching meeting a new health system and a different way of working, making the best with the little resources that they have and knowing the individual patient very well. The doctors were kind with us and let us explore and help them in their daily practise.
So, after all, I am really happy to have been a part of this adventure :)

I had the oportunity to participate in a volunteer program with Iko Poran in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
I was an english teacher for kids in a comunity. I had an excelent oportunity to learn about languages, people and new cultures as well as the one to help people and build a better future. The programs that the organization has are very fun and you really feel that you are helping.
The support that the members give you is great and i would like to congratulate Felipe, who really makes you feel like at home and trully fights with all his hearth to change the present and future of communities all around the world.
This was an amazing experience and i higly recommend it for everyone who feels that he wants to help and learn.

Would highly recommend this. The people, culture, activities, and experiences will last a lifetime. I talk about them every day to this day. Felipe and his family are such amazing people. We participated in a capoeira class with a blind teacher who changed my life forever, played soccer with amazing children from the favelas to keep them away from drugs and violence, and of course enjoyed everything the beautiful country has to offer. don’t let the news fool you - Brazil is one of the most beautiful countries we have ever been to. Of course you need to be smart and safe but that applies everywhere you are in the world! The culture and people are one of a kind and so much fun.

I traveled by Iko Poran to Iquitos Peru on March of this year. I volunteered there for one week as assistant of kindengarden teacher in Padre Cocha, where it is an small amazonian village.
This trip was an amazing experience for me .
The kids are lovely , I was completely imerge in the local cultural, that way I practice a lot my spanish. Also if you are looking for a place where you can rest, be in contact with the nature and learn more about the local , this trip will be perfect for you. Jenny and her family are excellent holsts .

I was in South America December 2017 when I learned about Iko Poran. At first, I wanted to volunteer near where I was, considering that Iko Poran was Brazil-based. However, circumstances needed me to be in the Philippines in February. Fortunately, Iko Poran also had volunteering opportunities in Asia and after considering my options, I decided to volunteer as English teacher in a Buddhist monastery in Kathmandu. I registered for two weeks but ended up extending it to three weeks - March 17 to April 9, 2018. The experience was uplifting. It was my first time to work with children and it gave me optimism that the world continues to be more interconnected. While teaching, I met co-volunteers who opened my eyes to many more adventures which led me to visit Auroville, India and Bangkok, Thailand before resuming my original plan to immerse myself in Spanish-speaking countries. Now I am in Sevilla, Spain and I am looking forward to a next volunteering opportunity. I am confident working with Iko Poran will yield another outstanding outcome.