Program Reviews

My journey started in London and it took me several hours to reach the final destination: Andasibe, a small village close to the capital of Madagascar. I was very scared and did not know what to expect... Despite the fear, anxiety and the uncertainty when I arrived I immediately felt at home! People were friendly and kind, the accommodation was superb as well as the food made by the hosting family.
I spent 2 weeks working with kids and I can certainly say that I will never forget their smiles and eyes! After that experience, my life has changed in a positive way: I see things from another perspective and I learnt how to appreciate even the smallest and obvious things I have in my daily routine. I truly recommend everyone to pack your stuff and experience something similar because your life will make much more sense afterwards!

I volunteered for two weeks in Chengdu, Sichuan province. As this was my first time away from home in another country, I was initially very nervous as this was so far out of my comfort zone, but as soon as I landed I felt wecolmed and realised this would be an amazing experience.
The first week was spent working with autistic children, helping with their rehabilitation, also we spent some time at a primary school helping the children learn about our culture whilst also learning about China.The second week we helped out at a panda conservation centre, helping feed and learn about China's most loved animals.
This program was an amazing experience and one that I'll never forget. I met some amazing people and learned so much about Chinese culture.
I definitely recommend this program, if you love meeting new people, playing with cuddly pandas, and working with kids; this is definitely the program for you.

It was my first volunteering experience abroad and it's definitely not going to be the last one! Going there and actually participating in a life changing made me realise how easy it is to make a difference and improve peoples lives with the smallest contribution.
The program is a very good introduction to the volunteering world at such a young age.

I feel that I made a difference and that what I did was really valued by the local people. I do feel that we made a better place for the kids and that it will improve their lives in a small way.
Although this was a very good experience and I made very good friends from all over the world (I'm still in contact with some of them), I wanted more. At some points I felt more of a tourist than an actual volunteer which is why next time I take part in a volunteering project I want to live with a family to fully understand and have a sense of what their day to day life is like.

With my best friend, we went for a month in Sri Lanka with projects abroad doing the high school special project. For one month, we took care of disadvantaged children in a small village one hour from Colombo. We teached them English, hygiene, we played with them ... We had an incredible experience in a beautiful country, with a culture completely different from ours. We were out of this world and had an amazing experience. Despite the heat, the humidity, and the very spicy food, we discovered a culture we do not know, a culture I loved, and sumptuous landscapes. Between wild beaches, dream beaches and mountains, where the air is much purer and pleasant, Sri Lanka also has a very specific and beautiful architecture. I would like to thank projects abroad and in particular the high school project staff who greatly helped us to live this unforgettable experience.

I have had the best experience of my life in Kenya! I met the best people from all over the world, the projects abroad staff was amazing as well! Great guidance, amazing job by everyone from Team Projects Abroad Kenya! You change lifes and create the best memories for your volunteers! I am so grateful!
The project was amazing, the childs were the best and way more. Projects Abroad really cares about safety and well-being of their volunteers! But Kenya cannot be the ultimate experience without seeing the epic marvelous wildlife! The organization is supporting her volunteers to do such safaris. And they were great! I saw all the big 5 animals and even more!
The best thing probably is meeting new friends! I still speak the most of them and I am so happy with that!
All the love to projects abroad and their staff. Cheers from a super grateful traveller!
Rob✌
❤❤

I went to Sri Lanka for three months, with the hope of helping where I could, getting to know a new culture, and learning new things about myself, and I also wanted to challenge myself. And all of my hopes got fulfilled on the trip!

On my trip to Sri Lanka, I got to know a lot of people, who taught me so much about seeing life from another perspective, and they will always stay close to my heart.
I lived with a close friend from Denmark, at a host family. The host family became just like our own, and made us feel very much at home and secure.
I also made thousands of memorable experiences, in the beautiful country.

I can deeply recommend going to Sri Lanka, and especially going with Projects Abroad, if you are looking for making a difference.

My experience was really unique because all of it was unexpected. I didn’t imagine even a little of the things I finally did, I really learned so much That I felt like I became another person. It was an adventure but also a mission. A mission because I feel that i’ve Helped Even if a little. So thanks very much to all the Projects Abroad team.. hope to join soon another project. To speak more in particular the thing I preferred was working in the afternoon with all the locals, it wasn’t easy but so relieving. We planted trees, and painted the rocks with all the kids too. The owner was so kind, she kept cooking typical stuff because she saw us so tired. Teaching English in the morning was very fun, I really recommend this project to anybody.

My experience traveling with Projects Abroad to Ghana was so incredibly smooth and hassle free. From fundraising ideas to visa application the group and I were supported so well, we had constant communication with our Project Advisor through emails and phone calls. Every question was answered. For my first time traveling without family and volunteering, I couldn’t recommend this trip enough because from the second we arrived we all so welcomed as we were introduced to our supervisor and built an amazing relationship in such a short time. It was a great relief for ourselves and our families at home knowing we had constant supervision. I never felt unsafe at any point. Our work done in Ghana was also beneficial to the school and the children.

It was a fruitful 2 week program in which I really enjoyed. It's lovely that we get to travel with people of our age (aged 15-18) from around the globe as we get to learn about different cultures. Besides painting classrooms and interacting with children on the weekdays, we did a variety of activities like learning a bit of Nepali, watching traditional dance performances, visiting temples and a farm and travelling to Pokhara where we get to visit a suspension bridge, lake Phewa and see lots of attractions. We get to try a range of traditional Nepali cuisines as well and I particularly enjoy Momo, pork dumplings. The trip was very precious as you get to experience a different culture and make a difference to the place without worrying as we are being carefully looked after by friendly Project Abroad staff.

While Peru is a great place for anyone who wishes to explore the past of a country with lots of fascinating sites, such as but certainly not limited to Machu Picchu, it is also an interesting place to experience the culture and daily life of a people and Cusco is a great place to be based. The heart of the old Inca lands there are many, many interesting tours to take in the area and further afield. Cusco is geared toward tourists and it is very easy to find a tour that fits one’s budget and preference. For example, I did a day trip of the Sagrada Valle (Sacred Valley) that took in half a dozen very interesting sites together with an excellent buffet lunch for less than $20 as well as another day tour of the ruins south of Cusco for around $10 (lunch extra but I had a lovely grilled trout for $6). There are no really cheap tours of Machu Picchu for tourists (who have to pay in dollars) unless you do all the arrangements yourself (and that is possible once you get familiar with how it works or have assistance from a local-I ended up taking a tour for $250). The Amazon is well worth a visit but again most tours are somewhat expensive (for 2 nights I paid $320 but I felt it was money well spent). Lake Titicaca where most people spend a night with a local family on one of the islands can be done for around 180 soles (about $60) if you buy your own bus ticket, book a “cheap” hostel in Puno and then hire a local tour from Puno. I, however, chose the easy way out and paid 280 soles for a tour “originating in Cusco” and all the arrangements made for me. As the road to Puno is quite picturesque, I took a day bus there and a night bus back (one can get buses with seats that recline 160 degrees so I did manage to sleep on the night bus).
Clearly, I greatly enjoyed the tourist side of Cusco and Peru but the absolute highlight of the trip was the 3 weeks I spent through Projects Abroad, teaching ESL with a local teacher and staying with a Peruvian family. My fellow teacher, Edith, was an absolute jewel. I taught for 45 years before I retired 3 years ago and during that time I did not know a teacher better than Edith. She really knows how to make the class work to the advantage of the student using truly innovative methods that really motivate students, even those who are not keen. She took maximum advantage of my being a native English speaker and was completely open to any suggestions I made that she felt were useful. I’ve seldom seen anyone, especially a teacher, who was more open to any critique, e.g. like any person speaking in a second language, her pronunciation was not always that of a native speaker but she never hesitated to invite my help. My first day at school she took her students to a restaurant as a reward for their efforts and treated me as well. The second day at school, she had a two hour break and took me to a nearby park made from a wetlands with the theme, Guardians of the Galaxy: a small lake with a paved walk around