Program Reviews

I came here to explore Buddhism and basic living to train the mind and expand my knowledge of life. I was not disappointed. No Western curriculum could ever teach me what the Buddhist monks have made me realise. Due to the lack of basic luxury, hygiene and some forms of comfort you are forced to appreciate the small things in life, which I guarantee, you will do after this trip. Pratima (my guide in this adventure) was very helpful and reachable throughout the whole experience, as we’re the monks.

I spent 4 weeks volunteering at the hogar "Juana de Aza". I had the opportunity to get to know the incredible and sad stories of the young mothers living and working there. During the day I usually spent my time playing with the kids and taking care of the babies. I was responsible, together with another girl working there, of 11 kids, ranging in age from 5-6 months to 5 years old. I have to admit it wasn't always easy dealing with these kids, but in the end these young, energetic and curious human beings gave me a lot more compared to what I gave them, and for this reason I will always remember them and this incredible experience.
The support from the organization was helpful at the beginning, with their in-country coordinator being always there in case of necessity. The families that collaborate with IFRE were super nice and made me feel like at was at home.
Sadly there were not other volunteers while I was there, and even if there were, probably the opportunities to interact with them are not really facilitated by the way the program is organized. Of course I had the opportunity to meet other people during my freetime, but I feel the need to say that this volunteering program does not facilitate social interactions, so be prepared for that.
Also it is better to know some Spanish to better interact with the kids and the moms. This is not mandatory of course.
The cost of the program are overall okay, not cheap imo, but the quality of the accommodation is high.

As a medical doctor, the volunteer organization IFRE placed me at the Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh for 2 weeks.

The application was not difficult, and I got a placement very short term (2 weeks) as I had been hoping.

Upon arrival, everybody got an introduction concerning the history of the country and local habits. Some even got an organized tour of Phnom Penh. The local office of IFRE was available almost night and day, every problem was solved promptly and very friendly. They even organized private trips for the volunteers on the weekends on request.

I stayed at a rather basic hostel, together with 8 other volunteers, mostly much younger than me. While the other volunteers were working at schools and orphanages, I was the only doctor.
That hostel already was quite an experience. No A/C. No pool or outdoor sitting area. No toilet paper (you are told to bring your own). The shower is very basic, too. Constant noise as the roads are very busy.

Of the three meals that are prepared for you every day, they wrap up your lunch nicely so you can eat it at the hospital.

I was introduced on the plastic surgery ward and immediately started working.

The work is pretty much organized the same way as in Germany ( and probably other western countries, too). Ward round, then surgery, once a week you work at the outpatient department.

The kind of medical conditions though are really not what I was used to. The Soviet Friendship Hospital, built in the early 1960s, was at some point the largest hospital South-Eastern Asia. It is built in a way that the wards are long balconies and the rooms for the patients are connected to this long balcony and have small openings in the wall facing the central courtyard. The rooms are cooled that way by the little bit of wind that is blowing. A good system, if flocks of birds would not fly in and out all day long.

My ward had 25 rooms with 4 patients each. And the amazing thing: healthcare is absolutely free.
Only the poorest of the poorest go there. The hygienic conditions are not optimal, of course. The materials rather old or cheap.
But staff does an awesome job there!

As most of the patients come from the really poor parts of town or remote vilages where there is literally no healthcare (and they couldn't afford it anyway), they show up with very advanced conditions. Bone tumors the size of oranges, having penetrated the skin weeks ago, infected all over. Weeks old open fractures. Chronic wounds. 10 huge lymph nodes on each side of the neck.

On my third day they started to let me do most of the surgery. The Cambodian doctors and students assisted me and asked many, many questions. It would have come in handy if I spoke French. But some of the colleagues spoke some English, and most of the reports were written in Roman letters, so communication worked quite well considering.

The workload sometimes was massive. The smell was unbelievable. But all in all it was absolutely enjoyable to work in such a motivated and interested environment.
Prepare though to struggle with the fact that the patients get absolutely no after treatment but a few antibiotic pills. Chemotherapy or Physiotherapy are not available. It must be hard for the doctors here to know, which ever effort they make, the outcome will be less than ideal. Most of the colleagues I met were at least partially trained in France or Korea.

At the end of the work day one passes the patients' relatives who live, wash and cook on the hospital premises, and take a TukTuk ( 2 USD) back to the hostel to have dinner with he other volunteers. The food is amazing, by the way.

You have to be flexible of course. Things don’t go your way all the time. You sometimes have to search all operating rooms on all levels of the hospital for scrubs. There will be no change of scrubs, and after the first surgery everything is wet with sweat. The sterile gloves have to be handled with care, the material tends to tear. You cannot do the same surgery twice back to back, they have each set of instruments just once.

Bring a white gown or 2, and blue T-Shirts, as well as toe covering shoes. You will need the shoes in the operating room, as special shoes are not provided. Bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer, as it is not always available. Bring a lock so you can lock in your belongings at the hospital while you work.

So, this exoerience is not cheap, but very well organized and vey rewarding and interesting.
It was my first time volunteering abroad, and I can absolutely recommend it!

My contact, Pratima, was well organized and helpful the whole time. Efficient and easy airport pick up. Orientation at the volunteer house. Got me a new sim card. Next over to my homestay which was with a very nice Grandad/Granddaughter pair. Then she helped with my first lessons and meeting the monks. Spending time with the kids was very fulfilling and I enjoyed it a lot. Everybody I met was helpful and cheerful. One day the main monk had some business across Kathmandu and invited me along and we spent the day, along with a couple of his friends who spoke very good English, in a historic area. Overall it was a great experience both with the kids and with some site seeing.

We volunteered at SJH hospital in Moshi. It was a great experience- staff were very friendly and made us feel comfortable. It was eye opening to see the contrast between the hospitals in the western world and Africa abd how the staff there improvised to provide care with limited resources. Accomodations were good and Mama Alice was a wonderful host! TZ is great for outdoor activities with Kili and all the national parks. Our safari experience was truly memorable! Hope to go back again sometime.

I returned from Tanzania one week ago, where I volunteered and traveled for one month. I am a nurse in training and it was an incredible experience to work alongside nurses and doctors at KCMC. Everyone is so kind, welcoming, and supportive. My host mom, Mama Alice, is wonderful, incredibly supportive, and so kind. The volunteer house in Moshi is beautiful, and very very safe. I spent three weeks there, 4 days on safari, and one week in Zanzibar. I would highly recommend this program to anyone .

My friend and I had a great experience in Tanzania, we loved so much the landscape and the culture of it. We had a nice staying e we miss the kids so much! The volunteer experience was amazing and we are very glad we did it.I reccomend to organise Safari one you arrive for petter offers. Also lovely day trips that are recommended in what they send you. We also built some friendship with the others volunteers that we hope to keep in the future. Met so many people and heard really interesting stories.

I spent two weeks teaching English at a school approximately 50 minutes outside of Xela. The entire experience was wonderful. The school staff was great and welcoming. I was glad that I had a bit of Spanish under my belt because it made working with the students easier. The principal/director of the school was also very helpful, making sure that I had the classroom schedule for each day.

The Guatemalan people that I had a chance to talk to were wonderful. I was surprised how my Spanish listening skills improved.

The family I stayed with were very kind and inclusive. Evelyn prepared some traditional Guatemala meals that were delicious. The pepian was yummy! Although accommodations were a little tight at their house, their generosity more than made up for it. I am considering returning next year.

I am thoroughly enjoying my experience in Peru. My language has improved enormously thanks to my classes, Roger, and my host family who have all helped me so much. I have the best support if I need it and I am completely welcomed into my family. The project is rewarding and I feel like I’m making a positive impact on the lives of the Mamas and the children I am working with. In order to properly experience the project, I recommend coming for more than 2 months in order to establish real relationships with those you are helping and working with.

It was wonderful meeting the children and helping to teach them. The other teachers and volunteers were very friendly and helpful. Antigua is a beautiful city. I felt very safe walking around by myself even at night. There are many day trips that you can take on the weekend. I would recommend learning Spanish before volunteering. Not everyone speaks English. You can take lessons while you are there for as little as $10 per hour. It is relatively inexpensive for everything in Guatemala. All of the streets are cobblestone so bring sneakers or shoes with thick soles. I would recommend asking many questions about the house where you will be staying. All the details about it.