Program Reviews

The people at Iko Poran are really helpful as they stay with you every step of the way. They give you all of the info that you need so that everything goes smoothly. They also keep in close contact with you throughout the experience to make sure that you make the most out of your trip. Not sure how many groups they work with at a time, but they were still able to see us and check in on us everyday. The staff is also very friendly.

Iko Poran do an amazing job at putting you into contact with local communities and projects that need support. The work these projects do are extremely important in these communities and it was a privilege to be able to help with it. Everybody i worked with was very friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend others to pursue a volunteer project and believe it is just as beneficial to the individual as to the community you are working with.

I had a great time in Rio learning about the culture and building relationships with the people in the Engenho de Rainha community. I worked with talented, passionate and hardworking health professionals who were willing to help and answer questions at all times. I really enjoyed being immersed in the community and learning about all aspects of the healthcare system in Rio de Janeiro in particular including the many challenges. This was an unforgettable experience I would highly recommend.

I would definitely recommend this program to anyone. It was fun, educational, and a new experience. We met so many people who love and care about others. The state of Rio was beautiful and we had a decent amount of free time to sight see. The program leaders were super friendly and they gave a lot of information on how to get around Rio. Overall, we made new friendships and dove into a new culture. This was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life.

I´m Nadir, from Br4azil.
I’ve had three unforgettable weeks working as a volunteer in Arusha, Tanzania.
To be in a foreign country, especially in a continent so different from our western life was the first impact.
The second impact was the institution “The Orphanage” with many children that wanted affection. Besides the affection they’ve wanted to learn more.
On the other hand, the great variety of necessities of this institution: food, clothes for children, didactic materials, many things to do such as cooking, doing the dishes, cleaning, etc.
But that’s what I’ve thought.
And now I only can say: thank you so much because I was able to learn, teach, support to teacher, play with children and help a little in the daily routine.
I only have positive points about the program: the whole organization, support with information, suggestions, safety recommendations and many ​other ​things.
I also consider very important to comment the accommodation: Localization, home, amenities, food and the care of people who work at the home.
At the end, I have to say thank you for the touristic information and program that I did.

Thank you so much!

Over the last September, I volunteered for 2 weeks as a teaching assistant in Padre Cocha, a small community located at 20 min by boat from Iquitos, in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon.
The project consisted in a 2-week English course for local people of all ages and aimed at improving their everyday communication with foreigners, in order to promote tourism in the community.

During this period I’ve been hosted by Jorge and Jenny, the organisers of this project, at their b&b, who made me feel welcome since the very beginning and gave me all the support I could need for visiting the area.

Teaching has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me, as put me in direct contact with the local people, who really appreciated the time and effort I put into it and who truly believed in the benefits of the program.

In my experience, two weeks have been a sufficient time to forget about my own life and to dive into this new reality, getting to know new people and appreciate their differences and similarities from my cultural background, build friendships, enjoy the jungle and, hopefully, make a difference for this community. This first course, in fact, has set the basis for a longer-term project that will continue with new volunteers and with the same enthusiasm to help the development of this marvellous place.

Overall, I couldn't be more satisfied of this affordable and rewarding adventure, especially given that I'd never really considered volunteering before, and surely recommend this kind of experience to anybody.

I'm writing this review based on my experience as a one month volunteer in Ecuador. I was assigned with a Ecuadorian family and they were very friendly and treated me as their own family. When I first got there, my Spanish was bad and my 'family' helped me bargain with the taxi driver and helped me settle down. I got the best living situation in the house which I appreciated very much but also thought I didn't deserve my 'family' treating me so well. My daily job is to teach english to the kids in the village and helped my host-family grandma do some farming job. I enjoy very much the time living there. I got the chance to feel the nature and experience this life that I will remember for the rest of my life. During the 'hard' but happy time, my Spanish improved from zero foundation to be able to understand daily conversation. I was also introduced the traditional crafting in Ecuador. I'm a world traveler and a culture lover and I have been to a lot countries during the recent years. But Ecuador is my second hometown where I find my soul, experience the real humanity regardless of language obstacles and cultural barriers. I loved this experience and I will be back again.

I lived in this place for three months and got used to the life here, there are amazing things about this but there are some details that could tottally improve the program.

The life here is amazing, you get to relax during the day and make friends with the local people, there are a few things to do but if you are looking to have a nice relaxing time enjoying the caribean lifestyle then this is the place to go definitely.

It was hard to find a volunteer progrm as affordable as this one and it was worth it, the time I've spent working with the program I learned a lot of things about turtles and it's amazing how under appreciated thesese tutrle conservation programs are, patrolling was hard but with the local guides it was way better, they always tought me something new and were always looking out for me.

My homestay experience was amazing, they are really lovely and welcoming people and the food is amazing. However when I moved to the volunteer house it was a bit shocking, I was prepared for really simple conditions of living but the place is about to fall apart due to termites, the bugs I get because it's normal and expected from this place but it would be really nice if they fumigate it.

The local staff was really nice once I got to the village but it was hard to arrive to Parismina, I was not picked up at the airport and I was also waiting for someone at the bus station in siquirres and ended up calling the former president of the association to tell me that I was supposed to go to another bus station.

When I got to the program there was a long term volunteer who was leaving and she told me that she was like the volunteer coordinator which seemed wired because the contact with the local guides should be done through the local staff, I do believe that there should be a local volunteer coodinator other that the long term volunteers like me to organize activities and schedules and everything.

I spent the month of October working with Iko Poran in Rio de Janeiro on projects teaching English, Art, and Dance. I met some wonderful people, some of whom will hopefully remain friends forever. It was good to make a difference, even for a short while, to the lives of people who in some cases have so little. But what they may lack in resources they make up for many times in their enthusiasm for learning. I was able to contribute on a number of programmes and I think the more adaptable you are, the more you will get out of the experience. Rio de Janeiro is an amazing place, not without its problems, and you do have to take care travelling around, however one of the best aspects of the experience for me was being able to live almost like a local, travelling miles on the rattling buses, eating very economically in “local” restaurants, really feeling a part of the community. You just would not get that coming as a tourist. A tourist will get to know places....a volunteer will get to know people!

I spent two weeks as a teaching assistant at a rural kindergarden. The experience was way different than I expected.

The children live very difficult family circunstances and you have to be ready to see and hear someheartbreaking experiences. Nonetheless they are very loving and affectionate to volunteers so you instantaneously feel welcomed. Then is up to you how you want to make an impact.
In my experience I came to the realisation that you cannot educate them in two weeks, and what these children really needed was love and support.

I recommend Iko Poran for this type of program because they offer support at all times if any doubts or concerns arise.
I was able to contact the Peruvian based advisor by whatsapp at al times regrding my situation and even touristic doubts and the host family was always there for a chat if you are having trouble adjusting.