Program Reviews

I’m a gap year student who lived in Cambodia for three months, volunteering in teaching. Without question, it changed my life. By chance, I was ill for a great chunk of my time there and suffered other misfortunes, but I could not let myself feel sorry for myself. Not when I knew that, just down the street, people could barely feed themselves and, by the time I left, the country was suffering a drought and electricity shortage. Through all my bad moments, Projects Abroad were there for me. When I messaged my coordinator late at night to ask to go the hospital the next morning, he got back to me immediately, and always made sure I had a member of staff I previously knew to accompany me to the many places I had to go in order to make myself better/sort things out. On days when the project was unexpectedly closed, they organised other activities for us, which allowed me to take part in the public health programme a couple of times, and experience an entirely different environment.

For the most part, people are lovely, and are always wanting to make new friends. Even if they only just met you, they are willing to take day trips with you, go away with you, and find it continuously fascinating that you grew up in a small farming village on the edge of nowhere, without a major highway for miles.

My best memories and my heart will always be at the school. The word used to describe them is ‘energetic’ and they are definitely that, but I fell in love with them all anyway. They are innocent individuals with a passion for learning, lots of respect, who love to connect with you and tell you the likes and hobbies they have. It was nothing short of beautiful learning all of their names and where each of their talents lied, especially when I could use these in my lessons. And I did play on what I knew of them often, just because I loved seeing their little faces when they recognised I’d listened to them. They are grateful for everything you give them, and give you the biggest hugs when you leave. Like I said, my heart will always be with them.

I travelled to Fiji for two weeks and lived and volunteered in a local village there. I was 16 years old at the time and so for me to travel overseas by myself, live with another family and being immersed in a new culture was overwhelming and equally exciting. Projects Abroad were absolutely incredible with making me feel at home, answering any questions I had before and during my trip and making me feel safe and secure. My experience in the village was (as cheesy as it sounds) completely life-changing. I came away with so much perspective on different cultures and people, I built my own confidence and independence, met some amazing people, challenged myself and was able to help people and make a difference. Projects abroad were really good at providing lots of information before I left and made me feel reassured. I would definitely recommend everyone to complete a volunteer experience like mine at some point in your life. I was amazed at what it can teach and show you.

I joined this program for 2weeks. There were many new things for me like the language which used in Mexico is Spanish. In particular, the life in the camp was very unique and interesting time for me.Then I learned a lot of things during this program! I could find the individual meaning of this programs too. This is because the way of conserving sea turtles was made by multidirectional view point. I thought that this program was same as what I envision! Therefore, I want you to recommend this program to know example of how to preserve the environment. In addition, I have regretted about the long of spending for volunteer because it was too short for me to conscious the essence of conservation and volunteering. So l hope that a lot of people try this program with a long spell and find out them.

One year it's already gone since i had the best experience of my life as volunteer in Thailand.
I really enjoy the time spent there. Being volunteer with childrens it's amazing.
I was teaching them english in a primary school in the south part of Thailand.
Together with local teachers day by day we were planning and executing a study program for the kids. What i also remeber it's the unforgettable time spent with all other volunteers and project abroad staff . We had the opportunity to travel around the country with the others volunteers during week ends and with the help given by our coordinator we had the opportunity to get ourselves into the local culture and traditions.
My overall experience was amazing and uforgettable and it changed my prospective about life.
I would really like to thanks again project abroad for this opportunity and i will do it again in the future whenever it will be possible.

I loved the time I volunteered in Samoa. Not only were all the staff lovely, but the host families and people you met along the way, were as well. On the days that you experienced the local way of life, it showed you how truly beautiful an island life is. Not to mention the activities and other planned days are absolutely amazing as well. Working with the staff and students, was an amazing and unforgettable experience. Not only, were they all very lovely but also the amount of satisfaction that you gain from this experience is amazing. For me, this project ticked all of my boxes. I have always loved working and helping children out, as well as doing community service as well. Lastly, the places that you visit are absolutely beautiful and will make you want to revisit again, I certainly am.
Naomi

I ended up choosing Projects Abroad to fulfill my study abroad requirement (French major). The flexibility of their program helped me fit the three week minimum requirement into the term between fall/spring semesters.

Full disclosure: I’m timid and socially anxious, but I really felt safe in Senegal because of Projects Abroad. I knew enough French to get by, but I’d recommend future volunteers really brush up on it and use the Wolof tools available. I knew what I was getting into by volunteering in Senegal (ie that it’s not a vacation and it’s hard work) but I thoroughly enjoyed doing what I could with the limited time I was there.

Saint-Louis is beautiful. It’s easily walkable, and I never felt unsafe walking through the market (even as a single woman in her early twenties). Men did make sexual comments but it wasn’t anything more serious than the catcalls I get in America and, frankly, the encounters were never violent/threatening.

I spent a great month on the radio journalism project in Argentina. The radio station was great. The boss, José, was engaging and helpful and gave me plenty of chances to contribute to the programme on any topic that interested me. The family who I lived with were also very welcoming and looked after me very well. However, the radio station is based in Unquillo, a small city about an hour away from Córdoba where projects abroad is based. The staff had very little knowledge of Unquillo and were unable to help me with a few issues, particularly how the buses between the two cities worked. Also all of the other volunteers were based in Córdoba city meaning that it took time and money to go and see them. The projects abroad team in London did not inform me of this so that was slightly disappointing. Having said this, it did mean I spent more tome with my host family getting to know them and speaking Spanish, which was good. Overall I would recommend the project, provided that you are happy to live far away from the other volunteers.

Projects Abroad Nepal Medicine for high school students was EXTREMELY reliable and responded quickly to communications. The placement exceeded expectations and airport transfers/transfers in general, were reliable and safe! Many staff members were there to assist you and always cared for you!

During the placements, the staff provided you with support to get engaged with the physicians. We always had a chaperone with us to and from our placements. Food was taken care of! It was great as always! The doctors and surgeons at the hospitals were friendly and truly wanted to include you in the consultations and emergency situations.

Only con of this trip: International students were very hostile to Americans and the dance/fun activities were not facilitated well.

I spent four weeks in a Pacific Harbour, Fiji as part of a small volunteer group focusing on the conservations of sharks and marine life in the area. Through this program, I got my PADI open water scuba diving license and was able to take part in survey dives, where we would go down as a team with slates and write down all the fish, sharks, rays, and any other interesting creatures we saw. The water was so clear that you could see divers 10 m under water from the deck of the dive boat. It was incredible to get so close to sharks and feel completly safe, the whole diving experience was very surreal to me as a first time diver.
Diving was not the only thing we did in this program however, we would work in the mangrove nursery, learning about the enviroment and the role we play in helping it, we would help out in the community by building public gardens and painting community centers. We also had some free time to ourselves in which we would explore the island. My favourite things I did on weekends included hiking up Mt. Koribaba, exploring the produce markets in Suva, and hosting dinner parties with my friends in the kitchen of our apartment.
This project was really the right amount of work and play. I made lifelong friends from all around the world and got to do amazing things like cliff jumping, rope swinging, and swimming in the sureal, clear ocean, but I also worked hard and felt like my work made a difference. I can honestly say I wouldn't trade this experience for the world and I hope to return to Fiji again someday soon.

I had an amazing 3 weeks in Cape Town. I went for an internship working on the international development program. I was placed at a community outreach center, Where Rainbows Meet, in a local township called Vrygrond. It was enriching and the best possible way to spend a school break. I loved the opportunity to not be a tourist, but actually, immerse myself in a culture completely unlike mine.

At work, I had a lot of self-direction in what I did, but some of my larger tasks included; researching and drafting a grant proposal, writing a quarterly newsletter, overseeing fundraising, and editing an annual report. I also chose to work with the kids in the Early Childhood Development Center when I had some free time. I was always learning something new at work and felt completely welcomed by the entire staff at WRM. I was touched and left in happy tears on my last day of work as the staff gathered to say goodbye and gave me a lovely handwritten letter with notes from everyone at the staff.

In my free time I explored the area through a peninsula tour, I went paragliding, going to local markets, surfing. and seeing as many sunsets as possible. All the other volunteers were lovely, it was sad saying bye, but exciting having a network of friends all across the world. It is thanks to Projects Abroad that I had such a flawless tripped, with an exceptional host family, organized social events, great internship placement, and connecting me to other amazing volunteers.