Program Reviews

I spent six weeks volunteering in the whale and dolphin conservation Tenerife in November/ December 2023.

I had an amazing time and enjoyed every day. The daily activities felt meaningful and professional while still being fun. On the boat trips, we saw many pilot whales and were lucky enough to encounter bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted and striped dolphins, a hammerhead shark and some curious turtles as well as flying fish.

Tenerife's landscape is beautiful, there are so many different things to do in your free time and the organized experiences are great too.

The staff members on the base are truly amazing. Very understanding, fun and you can feel the love that they have for their job. We were even offered great help when organizing trips in our free time. Occurring problems (Calima, short-term lack of water, minor injuries...) were handled quickly and professionally.
Of course, Tiny the cat deserves an honorable mention.
There are a couple of rules that need to be followed but I found these rules to be reasonable and meant to keep the participants safe.

Originally, I booked for four weeks but decided to extend my stay. It was super easy to do so, the e-mail support was great and everything was cleared for me to stay longer the day after I made the decision.

I got to know so many great people from all over the world, some of whom became good friends. It also helped me to improve my English.

There are only two little weaknesses in my eyes. One is the cost of the project. It is not easily affordable for young people. But you do know the prices from the beginning and there are good offers every now and then.
The second thing is that for me, it would've been great to start the project on a Sunday and also leave on a Sunday. I felt a little lost on my first two days as the weekends are free and we didn't quite know what to do yet. I also think it would be nice to have a last free day before leaving. On the other hand, I understand that starting on Saturday gives more time for people to settle, especially for people with e.g. long flights and possibly jet lags.

I had one of the best times of my life volunteering in the Canary Islands. This project made me want to pursue a career in conversation, especially marine biology. I am already looking into booking my next GVI experience.

The entire experience that GVI provided was amazing. It started with me being picked up by taxi from a long journey on the aeroplane, which was incredibly exciting. I am very privileged to be able to have gone on this trip and experience everything that I did. From tropical and close to extinct animals like the green macaw, to lovely exotic fruits and foods, I was enamoured by every second spent in Costa Rica. We started our week as the itinerary detailed. We learned how to make tamales, went swimming in the lagoon and made a bench out of ecobricks. At night we went on turtle patrols from 8pm - midnight to make sure poachers stayed away from turtle nests. One of the most amazing moments I experienced was when we saw a turtle laying eggs in the night. The sand was also magical as it seemed to glow, quite literally, underneath our feet as we walked, as a result of the live microcreatures in the sand. We also went to Sepeque where we interacted and stayed with a local Bribri tribe who showed us their way of life and hunting. On the return from this lovely community, we went on a day long hike through the beautiful rainforest where we say camens, iguanas, sloths and many many ants. In reflection, as I was dropped off at the airport, I was sad to see it all go and return to the boring UK. But I took comfort in the memories that I made and friends that I got to keep. Overall a 5/5 would recommend experience. Super!

I thoroughly enjoyed my 6 weeks at Gvi Limpopo, getting to see the African wildlife so closely was amazing. The living conditions are basic but overall I had an amazing time and would recommend to a friend. One thing that you should be prepared for is the lack of lectures and education, the staff will always help you where they can but in terms of structured lessons, I wish there had been more to help get a career within the area.
I had an amazing time due to the people I was there with, I got really lucky

I felt like it would be a life-altering experience going to Thailand for four weeks with GVI, and I was so completely right. Meeting volunteers from all sorts of backgrounds was so enriching and the friendships formed were so touching. The staff were all so caring and energetic, I felt inspired and excited about the work we were doing. It didn't take long to feel part of the team and when there were challenges I always felt like I could speak to people and that I was not alone.
I fell in love with this part of Thailand and getting to experience a side to it that was so unique felt really special and the kind of responsible travel that I was looking for. The people on the GVI base clearly cared so much about the community and had such a positive impact, it felt amazing to be a part of it all.

I met the most amazing and kind people. They are truly still my best friends even though they live halfway across the world. I stayed in Tenerife working on a whale and dolphin conservation project. We got to see pilot whales, atlantic spotted dolphins, and bottlenose dolphins so closely. It was surreal. Beach cleans were incredibly rewarding and actually fun with the friends we made. There were all kinds of cool activities for when we weren’t busy- surfing, canarian cooking, and hikes. It was very cool and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything!

Coming from a background In sustainability and recently completing a master's, I felt like I could make a difference when volunteering in GVI Ghana, the pre-departure systems gave me a lot of comfort before arriving and gave me realistic expectations. My experience has been nothing but spectacular, the culture in Ghana blew me away, and GVI gave me such great training in how to deal with cultural differences and classroom behaviours! although there were challenges, mainly the heat and unexpected power cuts, GVI made my 8-week stay comfortable and maintained communication while offering me support through projects and any queries I may have had. The Staff at GVI were considerate and made me feel welcome. I am most thrilled about having the opportunity to reach so many students and experience the real culture of the community. I recommend this program to anyone who wants to make an impact and learn more from the people.

GVI Chiang Mai has a very high volunteer return rate, and now I can see why. The villagers of Huay Pakoot made this experience spectacular, as well as the staff and other volunteers. I’ve made lifelong friends and unforgettable memories, and especially want to express my love for this village. The food was always delicious, the hikes hard but rewarding, and the activities always exciting and unique. The staff have done such a great job here and deserve so much credit. Everyone should come visit for as long as they can

If you are considering volunteering abroad, I can highly recommend GVI. My experience with them at their Ghana base has been amazing. I was looking for a project that has good ethics and is happy with older volunteers. GVI Ghana has fulfilled both of these requirements. During my time here there has been an age range between 75 and 18. The training, support and encouragement has been first class. The work in schools is both demanding and rewarding. There is a perfect balance between project work and socialising, with great trips organised for the weekends and barbecues on the beach and beach cleans. If you at all nervous about taking this leap of faith, my advice is to do it! It has been a fantastic experience and one I'm glad I did not miss out on.

My experience in Madagascar was incredible and ended all too soon. I spent a month completing an internship in wildlife conservation at Nosy Be and got to get up close with almost every species on the island. Not only did I Receive support from GVI from day one all the way through to after the completion of my internship, but I got to work with the most amazing people. Working with GVI is a great way to travel solo, make friends and make an impact on something you're passionate about. Staff were super supportive of what I wanted to do and I felt very safe.

In October 2023 I worked on the GVI Nepal Community Development internship for 4 weeks. During my time I worked one to one with the women’s empowerment project to teach computer literacy skills as well as English language skills in a group and one on one setting. The work was very rewarding as I got to build rapport with the wonderful women I was working with. Whilst completing the internship I gained valuable communication skills as learnt a great deal about Nepalese culture from the women we worked with. At weekends and evenings we visited the local surroundings including hiking to take in the beautiful scenery, watching films at an open air cinema and enjoying food in the lakeside restaurants. It was so lovely to meet likeminded people and it felt like a big family by the end of my time.