Program Reviews

I chose to work on a community development program 1x1 with the main program manager in the volunteer office. My project was to assist in a school building project in a small and poor village in Cambodia. My responsibilities were to re-write and improve the funding proposal (12 pages+), write the newsletter (5 pages+) to the current supporters who have already donated to the project, edit a marketing video that was previously recorded, and start the GoFundMe page for the project. I was only volunteering here 2 weeks and I definitely feel like I had a huge impact. During my time in Phnom Penh, I also visited the village where the school would be built. Although I left Cambodia after those 2 weeks, I have been in weekly contact with the program manager to help finish the project and we are nearly done!

Generally, it was an amazing experience for our high school students. They had unforgettable experience doing volunteering in Yunguilla and teaching the primary school students Chinese words.
My students are asking for more hands-on work in the forest which can give them more sense of achievement.
In addition, if a specific daily schedule can be provided before the program getting started, it would be very helpful and also if the volunteers can know how the money being used to help develop this area, it would be great so that we know what should we do for the next time.

I am a 17 year-old Guatemalan teenager, who had a unique and extraordinary experience in Costa Rica. The kiddos were amazing, and very eager to learn. The host family was very attentive and friendly.
After finishing my classes, I had to opportunity to visit some museums and shopping malls. During the weekend I booked some tours through Tropical Tours (awarded by TripAdvisor), and have a wonderful time with the wildlife of Costa Rica.
I plan to retour to Costa Rica in a near future. Highly recommended.

I did the teaching volunteer in Ayutthaya, Thailand in December 2019. The teaching experience has been rewarding for me as I have gained my confidence in leadership skills and made an impact on the students' educational experience. My experience with accommodation and the tour was great. My teaching programme was about 2 weeks and this is efficient for me to learn about how to;
1. Lead and manage the kids aged from kindergarten to middle school (from grade 1 to 6) through effective communication strategies, while keeping the lesson engaging and
2. The importance of teaching & speech preparation before the lesson to maximise students' learning

I would recommend staying for more than 2 weeks to gain much more valuable experiences.

Highly recommend this program to the nursing or medical student. There are lots of opportunities to observe doctors and nurses and ask them questions. We found this program to be less useful for certified professions. If you are a certified professional, make sure you check out the exact details of how you will be volunteering first.

The host, Mama Alice, is fantastic! She will help you to get anything done. It is very useful to have her help in times of miscommunication. She definitely makes you feel safe and a part of her family! We stayed with other volunteers and the occasional tourist.

As a solo traveler for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect moving to a new country for a couple months, but now I understand how much fun and growth you can take away from an experience like this. This program helps people learn how to become leaders and teacher which provides a lot of support and help to communities. I learned how to not only be an English teacher but also how to communicate with people and to build relationships built on similarities and differences. Although things got confusing and tiring sometimes, the connection with the children is something I’ll never forget,

This was a meaningful program that I enjoyed immensely. I spent two weeks volunteering. I am mid 60’s, my volunteer colleagues were 18-25 with one other couple in their mid 50’s. Age had no barriers, the commradery was delightful. Each day’s work is different, and each day you see the results of previous volunteers efforts which gives you immediate satisfaction that your own efforts are meaningful. On one of my first days I saw a large grove of indigenous trees planted by previous volunteers.......and I immediately realized the value of the program. Working with the Giant Tortoises was my favorite. We planted, harvested and prepared (chopped different sizes for different tortoise age groups). Our typical day was breakfast around 7:15, work in The Highlands 8:00am-12:30 ish, lunch and free afternoons to explore the island (San Cristobal). We planted, transplanted a variety of indigenous plants and worked toward eradication of invasive non-indigenous plants. The best part was our hosts, Eduardo and Lucia. They provided a warm loving environment staying in their home and solid management of the program. They are 3rd or 4th generation Galápagos natives, they work very hard protecting their islands/environment and they treat volunteers with dignity and graciousness. I wholeheartedly recommend this program.

Me and my friend spent 3 wonderful weeks teaching children (age 6-12) in a primary school in Bali, Kuta. During the process of our online applications everything went smoothly, we were given all the help and support that we needed. The in-country coordinator Komang was more than just a support for us, he took us to a traditional Balinese wedding, showed us the most beautiful authentic parts of Bali and was there whenever we needed him. He was also really flexible and helpful when we wanted to change our accommodation or had any other questions.
About the teaching experience: We could choose in between two sites, Karangasem or Kuta. We chose Kuta and the school and teachers there are wonderful. They had one English teacher (Miss Surya) and we got the chance to teach alongside with her and help these wonderful, respectful and energetic children learning English. However, if you are seeking to have an authentic Balinese environment please do not go to Kuta, Karangasem is a much better option with the beautiful Mount Agung on one side and the sea on the other. Also as IFRE is a smaller organisation they spread out the volunteers all over the island hence do not really expect to meet with other volunteers, most probably you will be on your own.
I can 100 % recommend this program for anyone even if you haven't done any teachings yet.

I did the medical volunteering in/near Surin, Thailand in November 2019 initiated through IFRE and carried out by Starfish (a UK company).
IFRE was superb in answering a lot of questions I had ahead of time and for ensuring I made the right connections with the local group. They were also diligent about checking in on me during the experience.
The Starfish support staff was awesome. They were very friendly and supportive and treated me like a family member from day 1. They were constantly checking in on us and seeing if we needed anything. The coordinator assigned to the medical team has no medical certification but through training functions at the level a Medical Assistant would in the USA. She was energetic, engaged and highly competent. I would hire her in a minute for my own clinic!
The accommodations are very basic but clean. Shared room if there are many people and shared bathroom. The guest house is near some conveniences and a short tuktuk ride away from the center of town.
The clinical activities take place in several small villages surrounding Ban Ta Kook northeast of Surin. There is a very high-functioning team of NPs and volunteers deployed to this clinic and they provide many types of screening, diagnostic and treatment activities that the volunteers support. Transportation to the Ban Ta Kook clinic and surrounding areas occurs in the bed of a pick up truck outfitted with benches and a cover. Activities include basic wound care/dressing changes, dental fluoride sealant application, blood pressure and diabetes screening, and home visits for their immobile patients.
The volunteer activity is meaningful to the local clinic I think mainly by way of providing enough manpower to efficiently do a lot of screening and to free them up from mundane wound care tasks to do other things.
The food is out of this world if you like Northern Isan-style Thai food.
Weekends are free to explore Surin or any part of Thailand (islands, Bangkok or National Parks) or Cambodia (Angkor Wat complex for example) and the staff will set up the transportation for any of these excursions including transport to Siem Reap.
If you're a physician or an NP/PA or Registered Nurse, if you don't have a Thai license you can't really be left alone to do diagnosis or treatment but their NPs are certainly happy to hear what you would do in the same situation in your country. And unless you speak fluent Thai it would be difficult anyways. Just figuring out the medical system for the remote villages, the organization and application of practice protocols and how the community cares for its members is really interesting.
I had a blast in my 2 weeks and would do it again!

I had an amazing experience during my volunteering project in Cusco, Peru. My host family was great. Maria cooked great meals and was always friendly and ready for a chat. Roger, my coordinator, was the best he gave me a great background on the orphanage with teen mamas and their children. He really tries to help them in any way he can. On a Sunday Roger showed me around the ruins in Cusco, with some history lessons and we went to a local restaurant to try the best local Ceviche. The work at the orphanage was an incredible experience - helping the moms at their daily work and taking care of the kids was very rewarding! In my free time I was able to visit the Inka ruins in the Cusco region, culminating with the Machu Picchu visit, which is hard to describe in words - it was breathtaking! In Cusco you have everything you want - great Peruvian food, good pubs, a lot of friendly foreign travelers and the best night life in Peru! You your looking for an amazing experience, I can only recommend Cusco! Thank you!