Program Reviews

Volunteering at NATUWA was possibly the greatest experience that I have had volunteering! It was educational, fun, and completely transformational. I was able to take care of beautiful species, to learn about the biology of certain animals, to understand the significance of protecting wildlife, to eat great pure vegan food, and to meet great people while practicing Spanish. The people at NATUWA were kind, helpful, funny, and so passionate about their work and it was amazing to see people respect and love animals and the planet we inhabit so much. In our free time, we were also able to buy from the gift shop on site, go dancing at night, and go to the river with locals. I would definitely go back to Costa Rica, but more specifically NATUWA.

Great time in the hospital, good food, staff was great. Hostel a bit far from the main attractions but close to hospital! everything was amazing. The hospital was flexible and you could work a lot or just hang out and chill if you did not want to work so much. Schedule was flexible and days off were no problem a all. Everyone was very helpful. Kathmandu itself is a wild/crazy city that is very fun but very chaotic at times. It was nice to split our time between Kathmandu and Chitwan. Program staff and coordinator allowed us to make this change without any hitches and even bought us the transportation to Chitwan. They provided good door to door service from airport pickup to airport drop off. In terms of value you could not get any better. It was very inexpensive and well worth it.

I joined one week volunteer program at the Galle orphanage. There are about 40 kids separated into 3 groups according to their age. It is hard to believe they were all abandon by their parents because they are all lovely kids. I wish them all the best in their future. As I volunteered during their new year week, there was short of staffs so the volunteer help was very appreciated.
I mainly played with the older kids at the playground and so happy to see their happy faces everyday. I will come back and volunteer longer next time.

Michael, my host is a very nice guy, he responded to all my queries in email very quick. I feel safe before and during my stay with him and his family. Also his grandchildren are so adorable. We played UNO everyday after dinner!

My friend and I volunteered in a clinic as nurses for 2 weeks and stayed with our host family in Nairobi. The family was very welcoming and encouraged us to learn Kenyan culture by allowing us to participate in making meals (we mastered making Chapati!), going to the market to shop for food and learn to take local transportation.

The clinic allowed us hands-on experience to interact with the people of Kenya and to learn how different the health care and processes are however, the clinic was not what we had expected and felt that our nursing skills were not useful in that setting. Our volunteer coordinator was very receptive to our feedback and he brought us to visit multiple projects in and around Nairobi where we were able to experience much more. We visited different schools, had the opportunity to bring food and a water filter to a rural school in need as well as, visit an orphanage in Nairobi. The coordinator brought us to his countryside home and we also visited Masailand where we learned about Masai culture and projects being started there.

The people of Kenya were all very welcoming and we felt very safe traveling around the city. The coordinator traveled with us on the bus multiple times to ensure we were comfortable getting to and from shopping and the clinic. On our weekends in between volunteering, we were able to see all the unique things Nairobi has to offer, whether it’s going on safari or visiting local attractions.

My favourite part of this experience was being submerged in Kenyan Culture. Living with our host family was fun; we always felt welcome and like a part of the family. Meeting the children was always exciting. Their energy and smiles are contagious and I looked forward to interacting with them daily. The children are so kind, playful and eager to learn. They loved to sing for us and I left each day with my heart feeling full.

Kenya is a beautiful country full of vibrant landscapes, opportunity and growth. The people of Kenya are in great need but their resilience and positivity is inspiring. This experience has been life changing and we will definitely be returning!

My friend and I volunteered as nurses in the medical program with RDCP in Kenya. Given my years of nursing experience, I expected to be more useful than we were in the Nairobi clinic we were placed in. The clinic was already well staffed with a two nurses. That said, I did appreciate the the welcoming staff, the opportunity to participate in care of patients, and the willingness of staff to share their knowledge and experience.
The clinic is located in Kawangware, a neighbourhood in Nairobi, so we had to get used to using local transportation and navigating the streets, which is an experience all on its own. We were accompanied several times by our volunteer coordinator to ensure we knew what to do and felt comfortable moving around on our own. I really felt that our safety was a priority for the RCDP staff for our whole stay.
Our volunteer coordinator, and host, brought us to a few other projects while we here working. I was able to spend a day at a rural village school as well as a nursery school in Kibera. We also stopped by a medical clinic in Kibera and learned about an NGO that provides water filters to communities in need.
My favourite part of the whole experience was seeing different aspects of Kenyan life. We met people every day in the clinic, walking around and through our host family. Our host brought us to his farm in a village outside of Nairobi and we spent a day in a Massai village.
I especially appreciated being welcomed into the home of a Kenyan family- it was a pleasure to spend time with them and participate in their daily lives.
Kenya is a vibrant, interesting, beautiful country filled with friendly, welcoming, and resilient people. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to travel around this place and meet the people who live here.

Because my arrival in Nepal was delayed one week and the day was Monday, I had day off from the program. Despite of that this week was very good time for me. All the people I met during the week were very kind and ready to help me many ways, just as they could. I can recommend this program for everyone.
My First week was studying Nepal, so we couldn't visit many places and go out of the City. Particularly the nepal teacher was wonderful and very nice, incredibly patient and helped me so lot with my studying. After this week I can continue studying nepal on my own. Despite of thight schedule during the course week, we visited interesting places, like Monkey Tempel, on the hills,and boudhanat. This all helped me understand this country and this culture.

The experience I had was forfilling
& enlightening ..like any poor country the day to day living
in a city like Kathmandu can be quite challenging and it is advisable to prepare yourself not only physically but mentally as things are a world apart from what we're used to at home.. seeing the amount of poverty is not always easy .....The more self motivated you are, the more you can gain from the programme..
The information I received before travelling was accurate and true and the in country coordinators are extremely helpful and always just a phone call away should you have any questions or require any information. I would definitely recommend my experience.

Sowarth and all the staff at TRK were fantastic and treated me very well and made sure I felt very comfortable in the community The hospitality they gave me and the way they looked after all my needs was 1st class the only thing I could fault was the lack of organisation for me to contribute as much as I would have liked. But having said that I do feel I made a Valuable contribution to the community and helped in starting and building there first
Bungalow which they intend putting on air BnB to provide sustainable accommodation for tourists in there village with another 3 Bungalows to follow when finances allow and they allso have a organic veg farm to encourage the locals to grow without chemical.
The main purpose of the organisation is to provide meaningful work and future employment for women in the community which I feel is a very worthwhile objective

This experience was life-altering. The program was well-organized from start to finish in regards to every aspect. Meals were on time and excellent, Michael and his family were kind and hospitable, the location is amazing, I could go on. In the area of Galle there are many nearby beaches to explore as well as a bustling city center with great shops. If this city is not for you, Michael is keen on organizing cultural trips in which you can visit other parts of Sri Lanka at an extremely reasonable price.
The orphanage itself made the experience even more meaningful as it is evident how appreciative the children are that you are there to help and give them love. The orphanage is structured well and run well, which makes volunteering there that much easier and more enjoyable. My one complaint would be within the orphanage, the matrons in charge who run the facility do not seem too keen on us volunteers being there, and they occasionally pushed us to the side and encouraged us to leave early. However, some matrons were kind, helpful, and appreciative, so they made the experience even better.
Personally, I would absolutely come back and do this exact same program, same location, everything, just because of how unique and personalized my experience was. I felt I got a lot out of the program, and it has changed my perspective on many things.

It has been great teaching the kids, they are really nice and excited about learning. Super friendly as well. It really was a rewarding experience. Meeting and chating with the head monk was also very interesting and cool.

The host family was really nice, they helped a lot in any way they could to make it the best experience, also the food was really good, always something nice to have. The house's atmosphere was very cool and nice to be part of. The other volunteers living there were also really cool people and was nice to share this experience with.

There are so many places to see around sri Lanka. Really nice beaches and very cool landskapes across the mountains.

I would defenetely recommend other people to have this experience