Program Reviews

I went out to GVI Ghana in Spring 2021, it was by far the best thing I have ever done with my life. The base is in Kokrobite which is a town full of really welcoming people who are grateful for your time and efforts. I went out to do the Women's empowerment project, but also got really involved with the education side of it, and loved every minute. I have never experienced anything as fulfilling as the past 6 weeks of my life. I was only meant to be there for 4 weeks, but I very quickly decided this would not be enough time to spend there, especially when I had such an amazing opportunity. The connections and relationships you build up with your students (any age) and fellow volunteers is amazing, it's a bond you can't replicate. I love to be outdoors, meeting new people and trying new things, so this program was perfect for me.

I am a serial GVI volunteer, having done stints on marine conservation programmes in Mexico, Fiji and the Seychelles since 2018. This year, I decided to try a terrestrial programme instead and chose the Costa Rica wildlife conservation programme at Jalova in Tortuguero national park.

I’m so glad I did - I had a fantastic, action-packed and soul-enriching time.

In common with other GVI bases, the staff were passionate and eager to share their knowledge while also ensuring we volunteers had fun.

The work was so rewarding - I did the 28km jagwalk: the programme’s key data gathering exercise, which looks for evidence of jaguar predation on sea turtles and also the distribution of the big cats in Tortuguero national park, one of the densest populations of the wild felids in the world. I learned so much about camera-trapping and jaguar behaviour.

I also loved learning to ID the target birds, not just visually but by their calls too, so forest surveys - in flooded swamps to dense forests to night trails - were eye- and ear-opening, even if the mosquitos and swarms of other bugs were sometimes a challenge. ;-) I also went on night turtle patrols and morning nest checks - green turtle season hadn't quite started, but one morning last week, we did a leatherback nest excavation (to check on hatching success) after spotting little tracks left by hatchlings - only to find a live baby turtle which was just a little slower than the others. So we had to dig a little trench on the side and bury it so it could continue to strengthen its flippers as it clambered out for the battles ahead with the waves, and also to allow it to imprint on the location and get its internal GPS aligned with the Earth's magnetic field. Utterly magic!

Travelling has always been a massive thing for me and after my travelling got cancelled due to corona virus i was searching the net for other options. I found GVI volunteering and had a look at the different places i could visit during the pandemic. Ghana was one of the only places open at the time and i was a bit hesitant but after looking at the videos online and reading more about it i decided to book for 6 weeks (March 2021-May2021). I can say hand on my heart this was the best decision I've ever made, i even extended to 10 weeks whilst i was out there. I was working on the educational program which was so eye opening and incredible. I felt so lucky i could work so closely with the community and i was able to make such a difference over the 10 weeks. At times i did find certain situations hard to deal with but everything i did has made me grow so much as a person. Matt who is the Program Manager would always check on us and was always available to chat to if we were ever struggling or needed advice. Our weekdays were full with teaching the children and doing extra activities with them such as creative arts, boxing, dance and much more. As i have dyslexia i could straight away spot the children who also suffers with the disability. I found in Ghana the teachers were every unaware of the struggles some children may have because of dyslexia. I was able to do a presentation to spread awareness and give them tips of teaching methods which could help some of the children with learning. The weekends were our to do as we please. We were able to visit many places such as Cape Coast, Volta Region, Ada Foah, Accra and Wli waterfalls. Ghana is such a beautiful place with wonderful people and i couldn't recommend going enough. I'd give my whole experience 10/10. I cant wait to return, hopefully next year!! I also want to say thank you to Naa who did most the cooking which was all delicious.

Absolutely loved this course!

You are introduced to the concepts of human-centred design, behavioural science, systems innovation, social entrepreneurship and impact investing through 5 manageable modules which feature engaging case studies, optional in-depth study options, additional resources and weekly discussions.

I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how social entrepreneurs and enterprises are driving social and environmental change and how they're finding innovative solutions to the world most pressing problems. You'll find the course content truly insightful and engaging.

I started this adventure to make a career switch because I'm passionate about wildlife and especially the big mammals. I wanted to switch careers between working with humans to working with animals. Beside some volunteerwork, I didn't have a lot of experience with the bush or the safari life. Spending my time at the Limpopo base has been absolutely wonderful for me. The programs focus isn't only on mammals, they got me interested in bird watching, trees, invertebraes and reptiles. At every occasion I now grab my binoculars to watch some amazing birds here! I feel like I learned so much and I'm very excited to share this knowledge to my friends and family back at home. Life at base feels like one big family. In just a short amount of time you get so close to everyone. Especially because everyone here is very passionate and like-minded. I would highly recommand this program for people searching a career in conservation, it is a first step in the right direction.

I did the GVI online wildlife internship program and it was so rewarding and educational! Not only was I provided with classes to learn from, but I was also given a project to create which is now going to be used by GVI and other students for further research purposes! They give you a project in your area so I was able to work with an animal that I had never previously heard of which was really cool. Knowing nothing to being an expert on a topic if very rewarding. If the online internship was this amazing, I can't wait until I can do an in-country internship!!

I spent 4 weeks in Kokrobite, Ghana, teaching and travelling, and it was the best 4 weeks of my life! GVIs commitment to sustainable development really stood out to me and the staff at the base are very welcoming and friendly. GVI staff were incredibly helpful pre-departure also! Volunteering in the school is challenging but also so fun. The children give you such a unique insight into Ghanaian culture and its hard to see how the experiences I had in that school can compare to anywhere else in the world! I would recommend this trip to anyone looking to make a meaningful impact as a volunteer and anyone looking for an adventure!

Living in the jungles of costa rica is simply put, amazing, the wildlife is awe-inspiring, the scenery gorgeous and up-lifting. Whilst the there are many wonders to behold, there are still drawbacks to be aware of, many will find the very rural living, insects and lack of comforts we find ourselves enjoying in normal life difficult to cope with while staying there. However if you are truly passionate about wildlife, nature and exploration you will find yourself adjusting to these discomforts and especially in the lack of connectivity to modern society rather refreshing

The course has really opened my eyes to how amazing the coral is! The biodiversity I get to see in a daily basis is mind boggling!
Experiencing it first hand with staff with such great knowledge about every aspect of the reef really helps appreciate and understand it!
All the staff and volunteers are so friendly and helpful!
The diving itself is simply breathtaking!
The location of base is beautiful, with a jungle on one side and the beach on the other side. Shops are about half an hour walk away.
All in all, I am so glad I am on this course, I love every part of it so much so I am planning on extending!

Going into GVI, I was uncertain about what career path I wanted to follow. I have always been somewhat drawn to working with the environment, but didn't have much experience. Their online Climate Crisis and Sustainability internships allowed me to partner with two unique South African organizations where I got to learn more about the South African school system and about how waste is processed or reused. I work a full time job, so it was nice to be able to space out my research for each internship over the course of several months and then have a little extra time to complete the courses. This program helped confirm that I wanted to continue working with the environment and sustainability, and I plan to go back to school for master in public health (MPH) in global environmental health in the fall of 2021.