Program Reviews

A friend and I, both German High School Graduates in 2018, did the Law and Human Rights Internship at Projects abroad in Cordoba, Argentina for 2 months.
As one should know, Internships/Projects that cost that much money and are given out at almost no requirements are obviously offered by companies that are not non-profit or somewhat socially oriented at heart. Therefore we did not expect to be given a lot of responsibility. Nevertheless we opted for this organisation because we wanted a safe and well-organised trip, because of our young age and the far distance.

For that matter, the Project did meet our expectation.
Our main activities were voluntary work such as helping homeless people in cooperation with a local NGO and a church community. Depending on your effort, you could really build up relationships with some of the homeless people, get to know them and brighten up their days. You can also show initiative and bring in your own ideas, we for example rehearsed small sketches with some of them.

However, your individual impact to change their "human rights" situation was basically not existent, especially for unprofessionals and people who stay in the project for no more than a few weeks. So it was mostly practical and standard volunteering.

If you had an academic background (currently studying or finished degree), only then you could do research on cases in cooperation with a local human rights NGO. But even there, the other volunteers told us that most of their work on the cases was rather unneccessary, the organisation was intransparent and their impact was limited as well.
This leads to our final conclusion and suggestion that the human rights internship (law in the name is misleading) is suitable for high school graduates like us who seek to dive into a new culture, learn a new language (living in a host family was great in our case and in general) and make friends with volunteers from all over the world. If that in addition to safety in a new far-away country is what you want, then this is definitely more given by the project than by simply traveling.
BUT if you are a qualified students or professional and want to have responsibility concerning the law and human rights situation, want to apply your academic skills in an influental organisation, then you should not "buy" this internship and probably none offered at projects abroad.

In fact, you pay more than 4,000 USD for 8 weeks, of which solely an unreasonably small amount goes to both the host family and the maintainance of the more or less charitable projects. Keep in mind that what they are doing is business for money.
One example: Another project they ran in Cordoba was "teaching English". As English education in public Argentinian high school is pretty poor, you might expect volunteers (in our case: one experienced 60-year old Australian English teacher and two native Americans) to help those students. However, ProjectsAbroad pays a private and very expensive English institute, to take these volunteers as nearly unneccessary asstistants. This is outraging.

Another desaster happened to a friend of us, who after Argentina went to Bolivia to another project with ProjectsAbroad. She had a background of cutting her arms, but has stopped entirely years ago. Therefore she had to do a mental health test in Bolivia, because she was going to work with a vulnerable group of young criminal girls.
She passed the test. For some reason Projects Abroad said that her scars, which she had to cover and always did except of one small accident, would be a bad "role model" for the girls. Without a warning, they simply kicked her out of the project. No discussion.
We think that is unacceptable, especially because they did not show any simpathy with her, although it was obvious that she was hurt by being kicked out.

These two examples show once again that the purpose of projects abroad, despite cooperating with some more or less legit local NGOs ad non-profit organisations, is simply business-oriented. This problem does not especially apply merely to ProjectsAbroad but in general to most voluntourism projects.
We don't want to say we did not enjoy our time in Argentina as part of our gap year, we don't regret it as we learned a lot and had a good and fun time. Still we would not do a voluntourism project again.

Projects Abroad is a great organization that helps you to volunteer abroad. It is truly a unique experience to travel abroad and help a foreign community in some way! While I was working with Projects Abroad this I was in Argentina volunteering for Human Rights. It’s been a great time working with those who often times lack a voice in modern society, predominantly juvenile criminals and the homeless in my case, and seeing the meaningful impact you can have on a foreign community. Through my volunteer work I believe I made a meaningful impact on and contribution to the communities I visited, which is something rare for many travelers.

Besides having a great experience and wonderful selection of programs across the globe, Projects Abroad has an amazing staff. The Project coordinators and Advisers help you to get accustomed to the local culture and guide you throughout your experience. In addition, you are also placed with a host family. My host my in Argentina was amazing and extremely welcoming, having conversations with me about her life everyday and preparing meals. My world view has truly changed after this transformative experience!

I lived in Peru for 3 months while interning as a nutritionist. This experience was absolutely wonderful in every single aspect. The Projects Abroad team does a fantastic job at bringing all the volunteers together. If it wasn’t for the Wednesday socials, I would not have met the amazing, lifelong friends I made during my stay. We all became one family and it made staying away from home for such a long time that much easier.
Working as a nutritionist was the most rewarding work I have ever done. The locals were so open to all I had to teach them and really applied what they learned to their everyday lives. Working among locals completely immerged me into Peruvian culture. Throughout my work experience I learned traditional Quechuan dances and how to cook traditional cuisine. My Spanish also greatly improved throughout this experience!
The Projects Abroad team worked very closely with my school and gave me all the hours I needed in order for me to graduate college while still being abroad. I needed a total of 40 hours a week and even though that was unusual for them, they made sure to extend hours and find extra work for me to do in order to fulfill my 40 hours.
Today, I am currently working for a Non-Profit as a Community Educator. If it wasn't for all the presentations I had to do during my internship, I would have not been able to work my current job being it is all public speaking.

The idea of volunteering abroad has always interested me at a young age.There were several organizations out there, but none of them really spoke to me until I came across Projects Abroad. I was thinking about becoming a nurse, so when I heard about the High School Specials Medicine program, it immediately sparked my interest and I started researching. There were a handful of countries that I had in mind before choosing Ghana. It took my parents a lot of convincing to send me onto this trip and I will forever be grateful to them for letting me go because it was the most memorable two weeks of my life that I will never forget.

I first arrived in Accra and was met by the airport coordinator, Nyame, who immediately greeted me when I walked out of the airport and was very welcoming and kind. He gave me my Ghanaian name, Akosua, which corresponds to the day I was born. We then waited for three other volunteers, who were from France (and on the same flight as me!) and then drove to the Pink Hostel. After a long night in the Pink Hostel, me and two other volunteers drove three hours to Cape Coast, where our project placement was.

Our three hour drive to Cape Coast was filled with bumpy roads, church music, random police barrier stops, and naps. We finally arrived at our host family house and was warmly greeted by our host mother. We also met another girl in our program, who had been there for two days prior. Our host mom showed us to our rooms, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. We had our own toilet and shower, which became very convenient. Our host family was very large, there were always several family members around, who were always welcoming and friendly towards us. Our host family also gave us large portions, even though there were only four of us, so we never went hungry.

Our trips to various communities was the highlight of my trip. During our community outreaches we would test for blood pressure, BMI, blood grouping, hepatitis B, blood sugar and malaria. The people in the communities were always so kind towards us, even though we were the ones pricking them!
Once a week we went to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital where we were able to choose which ward to shadow, I chose the Pediatrics. Being from Canada, I was able to experience some of the best healthcare in the world. Seeing Cape Coast Teaching Hospital was a real eye opening experience. Some of the kids admitted had malnourishment, malaria, and sickle cell anemia. To learn hear and learn about a disease is one thing, but to see it in real life is another. The nurses also helped and taught me how to do vitals, back home things like heart rate and respiratory rate were measured by a system, but in Ghana it was done manually.
We also went to a leprosy camp once a week and helped clean and bandage wounds for people. It was quite frightening to clean the wounds at first, because some of them were fairly large and shocking, but once we got used to it, and practiced a lot it came to us easily.

As the trip was coming to an end, I didn’t want to say goodbye to my new family in Ghana or the new friends I had made. We had done everything together for two weeks and spent so much time together. There is no doubt that I wouldn’t have had an experience this amazing if it weren’t for the staff there, Eric and Victor. They were always very positive, friendly, and kind towards us. They made sure we were well taken care of and treated us like family. Saying goodbye to them and my new friends was one of the most emotional and upsetting goodbyes I’ve ever had to do. The people I met during the outreaches, hospitals and leprosy camps also made my experience in Ghana more memorable. They were all very friendly and always wanted to start conversations with us. I can definitely say that my two weeks in Ghana truly changed my life and it is an experience that I will never forget. Two weeks was too short and I wish I could’ve spent more time there. I hope my story and experience will inspire you to go to Ghana because it is truly a remarkable country that I know I will visit again someday!

I was in Peru for four weeks and they were some of the best, most unforgettable weeks of my life.

I was welcomed by the staff as soon as I got there who made me feel welcome, drove me to my host family, and helped translate my minimal Spanish into something they could understand. With the help of my family, volunteers, and staff I was able to improve my Spanish and immerse myself into the history and culture.

The sites were incredible, and I got to clean and handle Incan quipus textiles, and other artefacts. I also got to weed and clean walls uncovered at various sites around Cusco. In our spare time the volunteers and I would travel to Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain and just about everywhere else we had the opportunity to.

I had an incredible trip that I would redo in a heartbeat. If you get the opportunity to spend some time overseas seriously consider volunteering with Projects Abroad.

Having just returned from Madagascar for 3 weeks with the Projects Abroad Team, I could recommend anyone wanting to do a project with them. You will be supported through the entire process.

When you register for the program and even before hand should you have any questions about registration or fees.

Upon registering, depending on how far away your program is, you will be briefed about what is expected and how the placement will go. This is normally done about 6 weeks before after final payment has been completed.

If you need assistance with fund raising PA will be able to assist with great ideas.

Upon arrival you will be meet at the airport and you will be guided about money exchange or any other questions that you might have. In Madagascar you will be given a few snacks for the long journey to Andasibe as well as a bottle of water as you no doubt will be parched from the flight.

The staff will be welcoming and you will feel right at home in no time at all. A Welcome lunch and then straight to work..... You will have no time for the "Mora Mora" (slow and steady pace) that you will have .

This program is very supportive, if you are interested in travel and the staff will help you with arrangements to various other locations in Madagascar. I highly recommend using this service.

Zu the chef at the hotel is a wonderful chef we all enjoyed the cultural cooking evening when we made Casava Tempura... YUM...

The town is charming and you will feel right at home...within a week you will recognize the kind inhabitants and they will greet you with open arms at every turn, and will help you when and if you require assistance.

Take a chance, volunteer, make a change within yourself, and assist many others in need. You will be forever changed...

Participating in the care and community program was the second time I had the opportunity to volunteer in Nepal so I wasn't expecting much difference from the previous organization I went with; however, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the program.

The living conditions were better than I expected. There was everything from a clean bed and bathroom to room service and laundry services available at request. We were well fed and all of the food served at the hotel was delicious. The staff at the Prince Hotel were also extremely friendly and accommodating to our needs.

The people I met were also very friendly. I was also surprised by the many different backgrounds of the volunteers that volunteered alongside me. There were students from all over the world that came to participate and it was a joy learning to communicate in their languages and making foreign friends.

If I have the time and opportunity, I would definitely partake in the program again. I give this program my highest recommendation for those who want to help others while visiting a foreign country.

Peru!! What an incredible place. From beautiful buildings to incredible views. The people, the food and the markets are great!! The schools and the children are so warm hearted!! Great experience!!

I have never meet a company that is so informative and helpful. They always answer all their emails, and even take phone calls. Very easy to communicate and organise things with. This was the same when I was in Peru. Always there and ready to help.

My experience during my placement has amazing. It was fun, heartwarming, and enjoyable time. I was lucky to work with a great group of students, and all different ages. I had time to work with them 1 on 1, as well as in a group.

I found the altitude a little difficult, but got use to it very quickly. My family actually gave me a special tea to help. My family did many beautiful things to help make my stay enjoyable. They took me on a tour around the city, cooked amazing food, spent time with me learning spanish, as well as taking me to the market.

During my time in Peru I got to meet with many of the other volunteers. We spent nights at restaurants having dinner, seeing in karaoke bars as well as doing some small tours. It was nice to feel safe and like I had a whole new family here.

It was a once in the lifetime experience, and I hope too and can not wait to go again!!! Thank your Projects Abroad.

From mine & other volunteers experiences this voluntourism does not seem to be harmful but I also do not believe it does much good. A lot of us felt we weren't needed at our placements and did not make any difference with our volunteering.

Considering the low cost of living in Vietnam the courses are hugely over priced and the company is very cheap when it comes to paying for transport and food despite how much volunteers pay. Had multiple bad experiences with staff right from the booking process through to leaving.

Only thing that made the project enjoyable was the people there. Would highly recommend avoiding Projects Abroad and going directly to an NGO which will be much cheaper and you're time there will be useful. Other volunteers agreed that Projects Abroad was not an ethical organisation and they wished they had used a different company. Stay away!!

My time in Fiji was an amazing and unforgettable experience. I stayed in Nadi and interned/volunteered for the Nutrition Project through Projects Abroad. Fiji overall is a great country to travel to; its beauty is stunning, there is plenty to do in your free time, and I felt very safe the whole time. I stayed with a host family, which was such a great experience. My host mom, "Lo" as we called her, was such a sweet spirit who did everything she could to make the volunteers feel comfortable and at home. She was also a great cook, and made us delicious traditional Fijian meals every night! I loved having dinner with her and the rest of the family every night and playing with her 4 kids.

The nutrition project itself was an amazing and unique learning experience as well as a ton of fun! I am a nutrition student at the University of Alabama, so I was able to apply my previous nutrition knowledge as well as learn a lot about Fijian dietary habits/recommendations. We did a variety of things including health screenings, nutrition counseling, and presentations at schools. Everyday was a little different, which kept the project exciting. Our project coordinator, Meiva, was really great in leading us each day, and also was very open to suggestion for how to make the project better. She also asked every intern what they enjoyed or wanted to get out of the project, and made changes accordingly.

Lastly, I think my favorite part of the whole experience was the other volunteers I met while I was there. I loved spending every day with my fellow nutrition volunteers and also getting to know interns from the other projects in Nadi as well. We had “socials” arranged by Projects Abroad and also explored Fiji together in our free time at night or on weekends. I know I made several lasting friendships, and I even have plans for a volunteer I met in Fiji to come visit me this Fall! Overall this was an incredible experience of a lifetime.