Program Reviews

From the very beginning José did a fantastic job. On the first day he gave me the option between 2 facilities, which we both visited!

I elected the school in the poorest district of Quito as I wanted to face a real challenge and above all help pupil who really needed the assistance, motivation and language classes I could give them.

It was kind of great to every day enter San Roque and its people on the way to the school. Always with the "protection" of my "bodyguard" Fernando oder José!

The children were so hearty that I cannot find words for. Will never forget.

Also the school director was very kind and prepared a great goodbye ceremony at the end of my stay!

I can really recommend the program for male persons, as I am not sure, if women really want to daily go this district from Quito. But if you really want something different, go there and enjoy to the maximum. The children will thank forever, as they are not used to see volunteers!

Participating in the medical program in Sri Lanka at Karapitiya teaching hospital was definintly a lifechanging experience! Doing my 8 weeks of volunteer work I learnt so much about the different units I was connected to and myself. The doctors have been so good to teach, explain and answer every question I got. Participating in the program has made me so much more sure about my decision becoming a doctor! My stay was also more than just the medical impact - thanks to Micheal - the host - there was so helpful with whatever and was arranging a lot of trips around the whole beautiful Sri Lanka. Michaels home became a connecting
meeting point and platform for growing friendships between us volunteers from all over the world. When we did finish our volunteer time in the afternoons and weekends we went to see the amazing sights, that Sri Lanka has to offer.

If you got same considerations and want to experience a new culture and new sides of yourself, then I can only give my warmest recommendations!

I volunteered 3 weekes in a small private hospital in Kathmandu nov/des 2018. I choose the origination because they were easy to access and replied me very fast. In a matter of weeks everything was fixed. When I arrived the local coordinators were really sweet, kind and at the same time very honest about everything. The hospital was very interesting because I learned about many unusual cases, it also inspited me to see how they made everything work together despite the low resources they had. But somehow I didn't really felt like I was a recourse or did any difference by volunteering. And not having a task in 3 entire week gets very fast boring, I think the program is more suitable for medical students than practicing doctors. On the other hand I loved the cultural experience I got through the host family I lived with and my coordinators. They treated me really well and included as their family very easily and fast. I learned about Nepali religion, history, traditions and food culture in a very close way by living with and as them. There was nothing touristic about the experience, something I personally appreciate a lot. I got a very good relationship with my coordinator miss Pratima Ji, she was so including and did everything to make my experience unique, I specially enjoyed hiking to Chandragiri with her and her friends, which she arranged only for me.

Greatly enjoyed my time volunteering in Sri Lanka while staying at a wonderful host families house. The host, Michael, was very supportive and helped us with every question we had. I learned a lot from the Physical Therapist and enjoyed teaching the young Buddhist monks English. The other volunteers I stayed with were also very fun to travel with and we all became close friends by the end of it. The weekend trips were pretty fun as well and I would recommend taking full advantage of all the adventures that Sri Lanka has to offer. Galle was also a great place for surfing and we loved going to the beaches to hang out and surf for the afternoon after volunteering. I wish I had just a bit more time to explore the country. I would highly recommend to others considering this program.

I went to Indonesia (Bali) for two weeks in the beginning of August and worked at a primary school as a teacher the first week, the second week I worked at a babies’ home. I had an amazing time and I got a chance to experience the real Bali and meet some really wonderful people. It was real work, I really did get to do things and it really felt as if I did make a difference, sometimes the hours were long but it was always fun and worth the time. The coordinator was also very flexible and helpful. He helped me with any problem at work and also to plan my activities for the weekends.

To be honest I did struggle a bit in the beginning since it was all very new to me- different country, different culture etc, but the people were so nice and helpful that it went quicker than I thought. I would recommend everyone that is interested to stay for a longer period then I did. At least one month or more, which gives you time to settle down, get used to the work and get to know the children and teachers better.

I spent one week in Kathmandu for the photojournalism project and it has been a very interesting experience. I stayed with local people and had the opportunity to get in contact with local culture. I have seen local events such as a Hindu wedding and visited the most important places of the capital city, Kathmandu. I also visited two places with my tutor, Ram, to take pictures according to his suggestions. We moved using his motorbike. He has always been available to give me suggestions regarding my pictures. This project gave me great motivation to continue to take pictures all over the world and hopefully start a travel blog on my own to describe the beauty you can find in local cultures, especially when very different form ours, and in all places you can travel to.
Thank you!
Margherita

I had a great time working in a clinic in Cusco Peru. It was fascinating to see how the health-care system runs there, and help out. Having worked for almost 2 years in clinics and hospitals elsewhere, I can honeatly say that the ministry of health in Peru does life-saving work with limited resources. From vaccinating highschoolers against measles, mumps, and rubella, to stitching up lacerations, I appreciated the opportunity to practice my skills. The people in the clinic were warm and appreciative. My host, Maria was welcoming and lovely. She took excellent care of me in her beautiful home. My country coordinator, Roger, we above and beyond to help me enjoy the city and feel safe. He honestly cares about the work he does and wants the volunteers to, as well. I loved staying in the house with the other volunteers, sharing meals together, exploring the markets, and playing cards at night. Great experience!

Volunteering in Sri Lanka was a lovely experience! There would not have been a better way to spend my holiday than volunteering in Sri Lanka. I enjoyed living with a host family as they were able to assist me in adapting to life in Sri Lanka. I do feel that the program could use more supervision, and I would have enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer more. I taught English to the monks and value every moment that I spent with them. I would love to have this opportunity again!
The host family was a pleasure to stay with. They were very kind, open to the various cultures of the volunteers and also explained their culture. Being amidst the culture and to become a part of it was lovely.
I would highly recommend that others take advantage of this program. The price was very reasonable and the experience was priceless!

The Staff from the beginning to the end were wonderful. Hom the country coordinator was so wonderful, he made sure that every question we had was answered, we were comfortable and all our needs were met. Hom has a great staff, the driver Gen was always on time and came when he said he would be there at the exact location he said he would be. When he put us on a bus to our safari he made sure there was someone on the other end to pick us up. If you get a chance to go to Chitwan to see the safari go and meet Rajandra he is such a nice man, so proud of his culture and loves to share it. Also the language and culture person was so good and very informative. We were taken around to the various temples and he knew so much about all of them. I can’t say enough about the host family, Raj and his family opened there home to us treated us like family always made sure we were well treated. I was walking home from the medical clinic one day and Raj's brother saw me and he gave me a ride to his brothers home. Everyone was so kind and warm-hearted. I would recommend anyone to go to Nepal. Thank you for the experience.

The trip was very fun and gave me a really good opportunity to experience medical care in a country different to Australia. The hosts Michael and Berny were incredibly friendly and welcoming, along with their families as well. We were very well looked after and the house was very clean. The hospital was very eventful and I got to experience several departments like surgery, and internal medicine. One of my favourite memories is visiting galle fort, it was very beautiful and the food was also nice there. Another really nice destination was unawatuna beach and I think we should have gone there earlier in the trip because everyone liked it a lot. Also had a lot of touristy attractions and food places that we could have explored earlier. One recommendation is that we should be offered the chance to go to get SIM carda earlier in the trip as well as I did not realise how cheap the phone plans here were