Program Reviews

I really enjoyed this trip. It was very safe and entertaining while being able to help the community. Language barriers and the locals heavily ripping off the tourists were a problem but other than that, i throughpy enjoyed the trip and would definitely recommend this trip to other people.

We're excited to hear more! For example: share why your experience was unique. What would future participants want to know? How did this impact your life post-program? Tell us about any useful tips, your favorite memory, etc.

We're excited to hear more! For example: share why your experience was unique. What would future participants want to know? How did this impact your life post-program? Tell us about any useful tips, your favorite memory, etc.

Thanks.

MOA in conjunction with go overseas did an amazing job in organising this programme, which not only benefited me academically but also socially. It taught me the different ways of life, made me meet such wonderful people like Michael and his family! It has been the most wholesome experience of my life as of yet and I’m loving it! Would definitely recommend it to all the people out there! As of now, I am very happy with the content of the program and am eagerly waiting for the coming one week ( to serve the community ). The home we are staying in is very nice in terms of good care and support! The people are wonderful and they’ve been extremely caring! If I were to do this again I’d definitely come and stay with them since it’s cheaper and better. In terms of the content of the program, it’s well organised and well put as well!

I have been volunteering for an health program in a hospital in Kathmandu for 3 weeks by now. I am an authorized docter who has been working as a doctor in 2 years after my internship. It was very interesting to observe how they worked in the hospital and I felt I did learn about some rare diseases that I had only read about in the books before. The staff of the hospital was very nice and friendly and if showed enough interest they would always answer me. I have to be honest that I didn't really felt like I was a resource for the hospital, they had enough staff and didn't really need an extra person around to help them. They did everything on their own. I did some nursing assignment in order to keep my self bussy. But after second week I felt like I didn't have so much to do there, I think its because once your are used to work as a doctor its hard to just stay and watch for long time. That is my opinion about the medical program, its more suited for students then doctors in practice. Or in that case for shorter period for doctors. On the other hand, I am really interested in culture and people around. And that I got most of through this program. I loved living with an host family and having my coordinator so close and available all the time. They were very kind and friendly. It gave me a great opportunity to learn about the country, religions, the living and food culture in the very closest way. That is something I really appreciate. They helped me with what I wanted to and were very flexible and understanding, something that made me continue staying here after the second week even though I wasn't sure I was very much of health care resource in the hospital.

I've really enjoyed my stay in Sri Lanka so far and am looking forward for the rest of the week. Micheal and his family have been an amazing hosts and have really taken care of us. The first week of community outreach experience has overall be good. One of the experiences I really enjoyed was learning from the doctor about a case that she had pre planned for us. This session at the orphanage was well organised and quite informative. Spending time at the rehab with the girls was very valuable as well. I found that planned sessions by the doctors really aided my learning. Activities such as going to the Yala National Park, Cinnamon island, Still fishing and Turtle hatchery were very enjoyable and gave me the opportunity to also explore Sri Lanka along with the educational experience.

The outreaches were special in that we were able to visit a variety of places including a school, orphanage, and rehabilitation centre. This gave us an opportunity to meet many people from different demographics. My favourite memory is definitely of playing with the children at the orphanage. They’re extremely energetic and it was certainly tiring but their joy is contagious and their smiles touch everyone’s hearts. This experience gave me a better idea of the healthcare setting in rural Sri Lanka and made me more aware of how culture and environment significantly impact health. I was also able to witness the groundwork that is being done in schools, orphanages, and correction centres around Galle and understand how these facilities are benefitting people of many ages and backgrounds. Some aspects were challenging - it was difficult to navigate the language barriers, and many of the people’s circumstances affected me emotionally as well. Still, it is so worthwhile to just be there with people and love on them.

This week we had sessions at an orphanage, probation service and school. It was good that we had a doctor in each session to teach us medical aspects. Doctors all seem very knowledgeable, friendly and willing to teach us medical students of varying experience levels. Staff at each place were also very friendly and helpful. Due to time constraints and language barrier it felt like we did not have as much of a social impact with the children as we initially thought possible. Outside the placement times our host was very supportive and helpful with any of our requests. Also very friendly and easy to get along with. Made us feel very comfortable in the home. It was good that we were taken to see local attractions. Facilities in the home are reasonable. Meals provided were nice

During this summer break I decided to give something back to the community by volunteering to Teach English in South Africa. I was very much optimistic about my decision from the start.

Pre-Departure process was handled very professionally by IFRE. I was greeted at the airport and taken to a Hostel by the country coordinator. She was very Professional. She frankly mentioned all the difficulties I might face before the start of my project. She also provided me solutions to avoid such difficulties. The school was outside the boundaries of Cape Town. I used the Uber Cab Service to get to the project. I liked this because I also got a chance to analyze and witness the area from the hostel to the school. I taught grade seven students. They all were very nice and comforting to me. My responsibility also included assisting with the local teachers. I found this very challenging in the beginning. As the days went by and as I started socializing everything felt great.

The country coordinator was always a phone call away. She would take care of any hurdles on my way.

My Teaching English experience in Mexico is one that I will never forget. The team made me feel very special. The Country Coordinator was there to help me every step of the way. I was teaching at a preschool, the kids were very interested in my teaching approach. I made sure they were never bored. After the classes we also played games. This made the kids even happy. I definitely wanted to stay longer. I would recommend this program to anyone who wishes to teach and love teaching. I made great people during my two weeks stay. On a Saturday the school organized an awareness event for the people of local community where I spoke about clean and healthy leaving, tree plantation and proper nutrition. It was an overwhelming experience.
My hosts were very nice people. They made sure there was no trouble for me during my stay.

My experience with IFRE in the Teenage Mother Program (Peru) was very much rewarding and fulfilling. I really felt that the one on one interaction section with the mothers was much more productive and the time spent on day care was much more fun.

It was wonderful working with the teenage mothers. The organization needs a lot of help and the tutors do a fantastic job managing everything in spite of limited resources. It was really wonderful to work with these lovely group of women.

The home stay was well organized, comfortable and clean. Learning Spanish with the Host Mother was very helpful to me.

The entire process of organizing my trip with IFRE was very pleasant. I would have liked to spend more time at the orphanage to be able to help but unfortunately I had to return.

I highly recommend this project in Cusco.

It was the best experience. lovely kids and nice staff, I will miss them so much. I also had a great time with other volunteers. you will have enough time to explore Sri Lanka at the weekends or in the afternoon.
The peoples in Sri Lanka are very friendly and helpful. specially my hostfamily! when I arrived, the hostfather showed me around and explained me all about the city. when I was sick, he went to the hospital with me and was very helpful. thank you Michael!!

It was the best experience. lovely kids and nice staff, I will miss them so much. I also had a great time with other volunteers. you will have enough time to explore Sri Lanka at the weekends or in the afternoon.
The peoples in Sri Lanka are very friendly and helpful. specially my hostfamily! when I arrived, the hostfather showed me around and explained me all about the city. when I was sick, he went to the hospital with me and was very helpful. thank you Michael!!