Program Reviews

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!!

I volunteered at Al Gadhir Medical centre in Kenya for four weeks through IFRE. My major responsibilities included dressing wounds, taking patients' histories and vitals, counseling patients, providing assurance and moral support to patients' families, and disbursing medicines. I was placed in the orthopedic department. It would be very safe to say that I gained intercultural skills and qualifications for my personal and professional development from this volunteering program.

My host family was very helpful and supportive. They were some of the nicest and genuine people I've met. They welcomed me into their house and family whole-heartedly. Barnabas, the country coordinator was responsive and was always making sure that my experience in Kenya was a nice one.

Application and preparation process was also very smooth. I appreciate all you did for me! You have such an important contribution to the world in your position. Thank you IFRE Team for organizing this experience for me!

I was teaching English at an amazingly progressive school in the beautiful mountains just outside Xela. The school was led by Professor Edgar and he has a group of brilliant qualified and dedicated teachers in the school. I was there for the last month of the school year (October) and worked every morning. I was reviewing all the English the students had done in the year. I worked in each class which meant I met all the pupils in the school. The school has a lovely, happy warm atmosphere. Even though my Spanish is really poor, the teachers all went out of their way to help me. I was included in all the school activities including the graduation on the last day of term. This was brilliant to see the Guatemalan families being so proud of their children.
The journey from the house I stayed in was about 50 - 60 minutes each way. I loved the journey for the thrill of the mad bus drivers and because the scenery to the school is breathtaking. You get to see the real Guatemala, with all the people going about their daily business.
I stayed in a homestay in Xela with the lovely Mercedes and her 2 children. There were 5 of us staying in the house. Mercedes is a great cook and every meal was great fun sitting around the table there was always a lot of hilarity and warmth. The house is about a 10 minute walk to Park Central in Xela and so it was really easy to get to the bus stations or the markets or any one of the great cafes in town for some coffee or hot chocolate (make sure to visit La Luna!) I also went to yoga at the Yoga House, and I know there was a gym nearby.
Daily Spanish classes were included with Mario from the programme. He had great patience with me and arranged a time to suit in with my day. I would highly recommend taking them.
I didn't go out at night much, but there are loads of bars in town and a nice community of foreigners - not that many so you see the same faces in the yoga class, or coffee shop or bar after not too long! There is a laid back vibe in Xela and it's a cheap destination in Guatemala.
Would totally recommend making sure Xela is included in your trip to Guatemala, for the city vibe as well as the amazing countryside surrounding it. Make sure you go to the hot springs and the markets and don't forget to climb the volcano!

Medical volunteering was rewarding and interesting. I was able to use my experience as a nurse to give extra help to the nurses and doctors in the Emergency Room at KCMC. During my time there, I felt useful and welcomed. I loved collaborating with them and sharing stories of how we practice medicine in America. I was also able to offer medical recommendations and practica advice to help improve the emergency room.
My accommodation was very nice and the house was clean. My host mom, Mama Alice, was lovely and felt like my real mother. I always felt like part of a big family. There were other volunteers staying in the house, which made for fun and interesting dinners. Some of them will be life long friends and I am looking forward to visiting them in their home countries. Overall, it was an amazing experience.

I really enjoyed the volunteering experience. I liked my placement very much. The project " Special Education Program" was in itself very rewarding and overwhelming. The kids were very sweet. I had a lot of fun with them. The host family whom I was with was excellent. The food was good and they were always ready to help.

Thank you so much for taking me into this program I had a lot of great memories from it. I will send you some photos of my stay as well, but I am right now traveling in San Fransisco, Oakland, so I can't upload my photos. Once I am back in Estonia I will send some photos as well. Thank you again for letting me give my help through this program I feel good about the experience and maybe in the future will attend some more too!

Take care and wish you all the best!

The school that I was assigned to was a Rural School and the teaching staff and students couldn't have been nicer. I was made feel so welcome from the minute I arrived and felt right at home after about 3 days (once I got to know the run of the place)
A tip for any future volunteers would be to come prepared especially if like me you are not from a teaching background. Have some word games to make learning english more fun.
Maybe print off a few easy crosswords with pictures ect. The students like a break away from the text books and they get quite excited about playing games. Even though I was there to assist teaching English I joined the students when they were playing sport, although I need to improve my netball skills drastically !! They are such good humoured kids and will call out to you each morning when you arrive at the school gates. Those smiles really set you up for the day.