Program Reviews

Although the price was understandably high, I am so, so grateful that I was able to go on this trip. I participated in the archaeology high school special and it was probably the best two weeks of my life. This was my first time going overseas without a family member, and I was terrified.

My first experience in the country was having the driver on the way to the hotel tell me that he took meth before coming to get me and then threatening to steal my kidneys. As you can probably guess, this did not calm my nerves. However, things did get better!

Everything about the country is peaceful. The mountain landscape is enough to calm even the most troubled soul. It was on this trip that I was truly able to relax and enjoy myself. My favorite thing to do was look out the window of my room and watch the people walk down below. I've never slept better than I did on this trip.

I love history. However, none of the other kids in my group seemed very interested. I have a feeling their parents made them go, which is a shame. I would suggest that, in order to get the most out of this trip, whoever goes should be interested in history. Also, you can't be afraid of hard work. Seven hours digging in giant pits is a long time for someone who's never held a shovel before. Thankfully, it's so much fun that time flies.

The people on the trip were also amazing. I shared a small room with two other girls and we got along surprisingly well. I didn't mind spending every second of my day with them. As a shy, introverted person, I was nervous about having roommates. Within a few hours of meeting the girls, I already considered them my friends.

Words can't describe how much this trip affected me. I'll cherish the memories for as long as I live.

July this year I spend 4 weeks in Vietnam doing a medicine internship in the ‘Vietnam National Hospital of Pediatrics’. And wow.. it is actually hard to put into words how great this experience has been (but I’ll try ;) ).
Let me start by saying that the time I’ve spend in there I’ll never forget. The staff and the people I met were all extremely friendly and prepared to help with anything I needed even if it was only advice (which was a lot, because I was the ‘rookie’ of the group). During the weekdays I got to shadow doctors of different specialities. And in the weekends I went to explore the beauty of Vietnam with friends who came from all over the world!
But let’s focus on my project specifically; As mentioned I shadowed doctors for the most part. Even though they don’t all speak English that well, they were prepared to take time out of their busy schedules and answer my questions (and believe me there were a lot !!).
In Vietnam I got so many opportunities to see and try things I could only dream of doing in elsewhere. Overall I am very pleased with the whole experience and the things I saw and learned.

Kind regards,
Ivana Djurica

Last year in july, I spend two weeks in the archeological program in Peru, and it was really short ! I am willing to stay or to return. I went for learn more spanish, and discover inca culture by visiting archeologicals sites. I didn't suspect that I met new friends form the over side of the world with who I keep in touch one year later. I didn't suspect also that I discovered my taste for Antiquity and archeology by learn more about the profession of archeologist. For that I thank very much Dan and Delsi, supervisors of the amazing team of Lucky Charm !
What I will remember for my life is when we go to a private collection for cleaning inca textiles. It was amazing to see a part of the collection and above all the "quipus" which are supposed to be the writing support of the inca culture.
Over thing I remember, it's how long it was to remove lichens on inca's wall. But when at the end we understand how important is, not only the result, but also the meaning of this act.
It was an experience that make me discover myself, improve my practice of langages, and meet new friends by making fun together.

I spend four month in St.Louis, northern Senegal, teaching English and some French to motivated students!

During my time in St. Louis I lived with a nice host family with lots of children who welcomed me warmly into their family and showed my the authentic senegalese family life.

I worked at a center for the Talibé (kornic students who live under tremendous circumstances begging for food, wearing the same clothes everyday and sleeping next to dozens of other children on the floor in cold and dirty rooms.).
In our center we played with the younger ones and taught them some basic French. We gave them the possibility to shower, brush their teeth and in our small infirmary we treated their wounds. (Sometimes they get hit by their kornic teachers or they hurt themselves by playing on the rocky streets since they don't usually have any shoes to wear). Whenever the money allowed it we bought shoes and clothes for the children and at least once a week we cooked a meal for everyone!
I mostly worked with the older students (17 and older) who came and wanted to learn English or French. Most of them only speak their local languages and maybe a little French or Arabic since they only learn the koran (not Arabic in general but they learn the corn by heart). It was a great experience for me to improve my teaching skills and I had to get very creative with some of my student since we didn't speak a common language. As soon as I started finding solutions and ways to teach them it was the greatest feeling to see them making progress. They were always super friendly, grateful and patient not once complaining about my way of teaching.

The local staff was very friendly, helpful and open-minded! Every Friday we would meet with a staff member and all the volunteers and go to concerts, bars or just go dancing. It was a great way of getting to know both the staff members and the other volunteers.
Everything regarding my trip was well organized and I always had someone to contact in case of an emergency.

I'm soooo glad I went to St. Louis and made all these interesting, instructive experiences and meet all these amazing, kind and happy people who showed and taught more new things about life than I have learnt during my last five years in Switzerland!

PS: Don't worry if your French isn't perfect neither is mine and they are very patient and nice if you're still learning. Just be aware that most people don't speak English so whereas you don't need to be very good at French you should know some basics to be able to communicate with the host family and the other locals.

I arrived back in Nanyuki at a difficult time, just after the terrible events in Nairobi. This had an effect because of a heightened state of alert but the staff were excellent ensuring that we felt safe and secure.

At Queenstar, aged 71 (my 2nd visit). I worked with both the children (teaching English & Environmental Studies) as well as the staff team in developing the concept of community working. We explored a number of areas where community collaboration could be developed in ways that encourage sponsors & others to help them in meeting their objectives.

I was directly involved in the poultry project

After school it was good to be back sharing experiences with other volunteers. As before it felt like we were the United Nations.

I’ve took part to the Human Rights program (that can also count as a Internship!) for 2 amazing months.
I went to Cape Town with low expectation for this project not because I didn’t trust the company but because I didn’t expect to have so many responsibility as i did during the project. The PHARO office is amazing as also the work environment that they creat. During this journey i’ve met amazing people in and out of the office also because projects abroad encouraged us to explore the city and socialize with the others volunteers. The staff there is really good they understand the struggles that sometimes the volunteers feel once they arrived in SA and they really try their best to help you in every kind of situation.
At the start of the project I didn’t have any idea of what i was doing and if i was doing it wrong but the staff really followed us and thought us throw all the process and explain us everything step by step. At the end of the projects a felt confident with my work and even became a buddy for the new volunteers.

The houses that me and others fellow volunteers stayed in were overall good. What made the difference were the host family that opened up not only their houses but also their hearts to us making us feeling at home. Some houses were of course better than others for location or space but no volunteer during my stay did complain.

If you’re a Law student and you’re looking for a good project/internship in the human rights field or If you are a student passionate for social justice i strongly recommend this projects Abroad’s project

Taking part of this program has been one of the best decision of my life so far.

I joined the High School Special project in Peru for 2 weeks on the archaeology project and I loved it. It was only two weeks and I definitely should have stayed longer! It's such an amazing location and as a history geek, it was an amazing experience. Projects Abroad organised a trip to Machu Picchu as well, which I can recommend to anyone (it's a must see in Peru). My coordinator was so friendly and he really looked after us, and Dan on the Archaeology project is a brilliant teacher.
I then flew for one week to the Conservation project... again, I should have stayed longer and I would go back in a heartbeat if I could. That project was one of the best things I have ever done; living in the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by nature and helping protect one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet is an unforgettable experience. The staff here are great (special mention to Elvira who is so kind) and so passionate about what they do. You get a perfect mix of looking after rescued wildlife and conservation activities, so anyone who is passionate about animals should definitely join this project.
I can't recommend Projects Abroad enough!

I did several volunteer programs in Nepal and was fairly disappointed. If you want to actually have an impact on the community, you definitely should not contact Projects Abroad. Projects Abroad is part of the "voluntourism" industry. Instead of actually contributing to the local community, it is offering services (experience abroad, cultural experience, you name it) to its customers. Some projects make sense, such as the conservation project in Ghandruk. Others don't, such as the care oder medicine project. In case you thought you actually get to help out in hospitals or other medical institutions, I will have to disenchant your illusion: the only thing you will be doing, is observing. Yes. you get to observe every detail and even operations but you will be doing for the community.

To concluce, you will have to decide whether you just want to get out of your national/local bubble and experience other cultures in the comfort of Projects Abroad, receive instant-graftication for doing nothing or whether you actually want to get out of your comfort zone and contribute to the local community. In the latter case, I suggest looking for other programs that probably do not cost you anything but own expenses.

Before I left to Peru I was quite nervous as I had never been so far away alone and really didn’t know what to expect from the project. I can now say it was one of the best things I have ever done and I’m happy that I took the plunge and really thankful for the way it worked out and the impact it had on me. I was teaching in a small school in a very poor area of Cusco. It was really hard work as the kids are quite behind in their learning and classroom discipline was scarce. However I really put my mind to trying to help them and help the teachers with their tough job. The reward was immense. The kindness and love from the children really struck me and they were so appreciative of my help. The staff in the Projects Abroad office in Cusco are so kind and helpful and genuinely nice people so that made being so far away from home a lot easier. Also it was great to get to know other volunteers and socialize with them as you are all sharing a unique experience. For me the experience was a perfect mix of voluntary work, traveling and socializing and I would really recommend it to someone looking for a unique gap year experience also in such a lovely, interesting country.

My husband and myself spent a month with the team in Phnom Penh. I can only recommend to share such an experience with your partner - you will be never able to communicate all the experiences you made.

It was hard for us to see what "real poverty" is and how families cope without health insurances, having decent jobs and poor living conditions. We spent a lot of time with the applicants for a 120 USD loan and it was great to see that this little amount of money could change their lives.

Do it!