Program Reviews

These children need help.
They have very little english, math, basic life skills. They need an education.

I understand the logistic difficulties finding full time volunteers to teach wich makes a teaching programme difficult to organise.

My host family was so dirty, the father asked me for a few loans and feeling horribly sorry for him and his family, igave him some money to help him out.
He still owes me alot of money and i have since found out his ridiculous gambling problem, alcoholism. A family of 3 with no jobs taking money from volunteers when it could be helping the kids, insted the money we pay goes to roulette at the 2 local casino's. (People are free to do as they please but im not happy about funding a casino.)

My host family was extremely controlling and i felt pressured into doing things they wanted to do... then paying for it.

The organisation had no direct contact with the monestary and had no idea of schedule, skill level of the kids or anything. My host family knew 1 monk and that was the only connection.

This is my first time going to Bali and doing overseas volunteer work. I always wanted to do so, but I cannot find an affordable one. On Aug30, I finally found IFRE and called them to see if it is possible to arrange 1week program at last minute and go to Bali on Sep 21. The staff was very helpful and immediately contacted the local coordinator (Komang) to see availability. I confirmed and did the payment same day. The documents are prepared immediately and I actually very impressed that IFRE has a local coordinator that I can contact during my stay.
Being a person who never teach children and looking after turtles, I am soooo fascinated about education in Bali. Every kids are very polite, and I actually learnt from them too - To be grateful in everything.
For sea turtle program, I am so lucky to see 2 turtle mothers laid their eggs! The person who is responsible for the turtle centre (Agung) is truly enjoy taking care of the turtle and love them. I can feel his passion and I did enjoy the whole week there! I didn’t expect a sea turtle can lag that many eggs and there are thousands of eggs waiting to hatched in the centre! The tourists love the idea of nurturing the baby turtles and release them. They really appreciate what the organisation did. I enjoyed to introduce them the sea turtle information too.
Komang is very supportive and he kept checking with me to see if I have any issue (so caring!). He helped to arrange driver to pick me up from the airport (again I am so impressed about it, I thought I need to go to the accommodation myself). The driver was very friendly and took me to a local restaurant (which is very tasty!). Komang has arranged a hotel for accommodation, I loveeeee the staff there, the meals are good too! They are very friendly and I like them!
The working hours are flexible and you can go to have other tours if you want to. Just tell Komang and Agung is fine.
I was so excited to finally step out of my comfort zone!! I even made a short story to introduce the process how sea turtle mother lay eggs :) I love Bali - good food, good weather, good people. This is a great experience and relaxing week and I definitely will come back next year and have a longer time staying in Bali.

My daughter and I volunteered for 2 weeks at the NATUWA Wildlife Sanctuary. We were looking for a true hands on experience that was affordable and educational. It was all that and more!
The staff were knowledgeable, extremely friendly and loved to joke around! They also took their work very seriously. We felt welcome for the moment we arrived and learned so much from them! The kitchen staff were very accommodating to vegetarian and gluten free diets. You will not go hungry!
The theme was, “work hard, play hard” while we were there. Every day was different. Besides preparing food and feeding the animals twice a day, we worked on many projects throughout the sanctuary. It was very satisfying work. At the end of the day there was time to relax in a hammock, play games or go into town. We often walked to the local store and hung out by the soccer field. We even joined in a soccer game with the locals... so fun!!! We felt welcome wherever we went.
We also got one day off a week to go on a day trip. We organized a trip with 8 of us and hired a tour company to take us snorkeling and go swimming on a beautiful island. Along the way, they took us to an island where we got to see spider monkeys swinging around. They also took us past a rocky area where there were may birds. Along the way we saw lots of dolphins and a whale! We ended the trip with a visit to the bioluminescent water, where we could go swimming!
Although I went with my 17 year old daughter, I didn’t see much of her during the work day. She was busy giving tours of the sanctuary and working on different projects. There were 4 feeding routes, too, that we rotated during our stay. This allowed us to get to know all the animals at the sanctuary. There were many young people volunteering, as well as a family and people of different ages. We all made new friends and are in touch through WhatsApp!
We will definitely volunteer through IFRE again!!!

I volunteered for 6 weeks in Chitwan doing forest conservation where I helped to build a small farm for which vegetables would be grown and given to the nearby orphanage. Through this I learned how to grow cucumber, okra, soybean and pumpkin and different conditions need to grow each one. Despite it being quite physically challenging i really enjoyed it in addition to the stunning views and great staff. I also appreciated how they listening to my ideas regarding plating trees where we ended up playing roughly 270 jackfruit and mango trees in the nursery. Thanks you also to my lovely homestay for their hospitality and amazing food! Overall I would definitely recommend this project as it really improves your tolerance, persistence and communication skills with the local people.

I was involved in two projects during my 3-month stay in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2009 - teaching English to young Buddhist monks in a monastery (they were actually very naughty the little ones!) and working in an orphanage, where the children were so upbeat and loving, it made me want to cry. Both projects left a huge impact on me, so much so that I want to return some day.

My host family made me feel like I was a member of their own family, and they even gave me a Nepalese name 'Nisha' which I became accustomed to. I'm so glad I didn't stay in a hostel or hotel whilst in Nepal as I believe the experience would not have been as enriching.

Then there's the other volunteers you meet which have the potential to become friends for life! I met people from Australia, Canada, Denmark, UK, Germany, Singapore - we're still in touch after 10 years!

I wanted do to something very useful for cative elephants, to improve their life. Here, you can discover how elephants are used by sri lankan people, and why. It is not just a place where captive elephants can rest, the staff really try to change the mentality of sri lankan people about elephants and their need of care. All the staff is very kind with volunteer, and answer to any questions. The vet is really important in this program because he works with owners of elephants to assure a good quality of life of their elephants, and try to make them understand that perahera and poja is not good for elephants, because it is a lot of stress, loud sound, and cages on their back hurt them a lot.
The foundation is not perfect, but they try to changes a lot of things.

You are never too old! My son, daughter, and I made this journey together from Texas. On our "Thailand Elephant "volunteering adventure we experienced the wonders of a part of the world that still believes in kindness, family, and the saving the Asian's elephants population.

Taking this journey was something I have always have wanted to do but would tell myself ... "Next year when I have more time." Now, at 60ish I did it and I will do it again. Volunteering overseas and at home is my now my passion.

We meet and made lifelong friends from all over the world.

The daily agenda always included laughter, hard work, and a kinder love for our gentle swaying giants.

Our guides in Surin, Thailand - were our favorites. Shout out to Worn and Ing!!

So, add this volunteering program to your bucket list.

I lived in nabbingo for 5 weeks and had a great time with Herman and his very friendly family.
As a med student I was able to practice and learn a lot from the friendly staff in mpigi health clinic.

I would recommend this project, and I think the school project is very good as well.

If you are trying to decide between projects, choose this one. I talked with other volunteers in Uganda and on the flight home and I am very happy that I ended up with Herman.
I can guarantee that this is 100 times better than the projects in Kampala hosting 20 volunteers a week.

(If you want comforts, parties and foreigners don’t go volunteering duh, otherwise do this project and not a bigger one)

The work of the clinic was focused on HIV, maternity, malaria but also non communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

IFRE and our in country coordinator Roger helped make our 3 generation volunteer opportunity a memorable life changing experience. My mother, daughter and myself traveled to Peru to work in the orphanage with teen moms and their children.

Host Family:
Roger met us at the airport and brought us to our host family right in Cusco. The host family he chose was a perfect fit. It was also a mom, grandma and daughter. Abuela and Memere ( my mom) hugged before we left each day as abuela told us to take care of her. The location and room were perfect for our family. We were able to walk to the town square as well as to the orphanage.

Volunteer Site:
We volunteered with teen moms and their children. It was our role to care for some of the children as the moms were at work or school. When the mom’s were there we would work alongside them and the director caring for the children. We were originally supposed to work in the morning but found there were more children and a greater need for us in the afternoon so we were able to switch our time.
Our only recommendation is that if you know you will be working with school aged children you have some spanish background before you arrive. We did, at times, struggle with this communication barrier.

In Country Coordinator:
We are grateful to Roger for his enthusiasm. It is evident that he loves his job and believes in the program he is a part of. He gave us basic background about the moms and children we were working with so we could further understand the circumstances and help in a meaningful way. He answered our questions quickly and with care.

He also gave us so much knowledge about Peru and Cusco. When we inquired about a specific landmark site he offered and took us to see it and gave us some added history as well. He was willing to help with any task.

I would recommend this program and organization to anyone.

Volunteering in Tanzania has been an amazing adventure for me and my friends. As my first ever volunteering experience abroad it surpassed all of my expectation. Before I arrived I expected hostile to foreigners environment, but after spending time there I can call this country my second home. Kids in the orphanage are so nice and friendly that you will never forget about them and the time you spend together.
The host family in which I been staying become a second family for me. Mama Alice is wonderful women which will always help you to arrange any trip or solve any problems. I loved this adventure so much that I'm planning to come back in a few years and visit them again. I highly recommend this program and promise you will enjoy it!