Program Reviews

There seems to be a subtle charm to Laos not many people get to see and I felt incredible lucky to experience. The beautiful green landscape of this country is beyond beautiful. I loved the pace of the program. We had a lot of time to take in such beauty and engage in meditation and even deep conversations with our fellow travelers. Although the level of comfort fluctuated throughout the trip, it felt intentional and you get to grow to love it. Staying at a remote small village, Sop Chem, felt unreal and extremely different from what you are probably used to. Giving back to this community through education, permaculture projects, and overall social engagement felt effortless. The people here are so warm and welcoming. I can genuinely say I'll carry all I learned with me for a long long time.

I love to travel and this experience thought me a whole new way to do so! It felt very liberating not having to think about an itinerary or what was next. The tour guides were great at communicating and making sure we were ready for the next activities. No matter how wild the adventure, we always felt very safe. From the learning discussions, to the volunteering sites (education and permaculture), to the cultural immersive activities, I felt the program was very complete. A mix of giving back to the community and enjoying the beauty of the people and the country. I'm very glad I went on this program!

Habari Marafiki! 🇹🇿

A year ago, I encountered a bright green flier with the words “GIVE” in bold while sitting in my math class at Illinois State University. Feeling reverse culture shock after a transformative first semester of college living in Costa Rica, I can’t explain the happiness I felt when I saw this bright green opportunity in front of me. I now realize these moments we encounter, when our heart beats, our smile grows, and our minds turn their gears, are signs of a manifestation awaiting our presence. ✨

“If you have YOUR WILL, you’ll find YOUR WAY”. 🗺

This summer, I was blessed to travel to Africa, the motherland, for the first time, volunteer as an English teacher to a hardworking Masai tribe, sweat with the construction crew as we built cement pavements for the Yakairo GIVE primary school in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and go on insightful excursions: safari, swimming with dolphins, visiting the original slave market and museum in Stone town.

Last week we ascended 5,895 meters to the world’s tallest freestanding mountain, Mt.Kilimanjaro! I couldn't have made it to the roof of Africa if it wasn't for every hand who helped make this experience possible for me, including the best guides, porters, chefs at Green Paw Adventures and supportive GIVE Volunteers in Tanzania! 🇹🇿

Congratulations to everyone pushing their limits and conquering new heights for themselves! 🏆

“Travel is not a place outside of reality, but into reality”. - Professor Kent, Suny Cortland, Ecotourism Course 🌏

Thank you GIVE (Growth International Volunteer Excursions) and the family of Kairo for touching me deeply with your smiles, your laughter, your dreams, your pole pole “slowly slowly” and hakuna matata “no worries” lifestyle. Above all, thank you for sharing your abundant love and care, without hesitation of giving me the shoes off your feet or a warm meal inside of your home. Thank you GIVE guides, volunteers, teachers, chefs, and the many helping hands that continue to help build our community up from its roots. 🌳

“Thank you again for supporting my beautiful village of Kario, it misses you all very much”. - Baboi, GIVE Tanzania Guide ❤️

If you're willing and fully immerse yourself this will be an experience of a lifetime. Some people on the trip seemed to want more of a vacation abroad with a focus on partying. This trip isn't like that, it's a cultural awakening. You get to experience a new way of life firsthand and you have amazing local guides to make everything fun and easy to learn. I can't put into words how wonderful it is to have local guides, they made the trip and I can't imagine Thailand without them. Something I've been saying to people who ask "How was Thailand?" is that Thailand is the land of smiles. That's its nickname and it holds so true. Everyone was happy and friendly, I smiled and waved at all the people I passed. As happy as you are to be halfway around the globe, the locals are so happy and proud that you came to them. Making connections despite the language barrier was so easy because both sides were happy to be with one another. If you think this is something you want to do, do it. You only live once, so conquer your fears!

This was an incredible experience. I felt so taken care of and did not have to worry about a single thing. From white-water rafting to zip-lining to night safaris, we were never bored. The tour guides were amazing and so welcoming, they made the trip as special as it was. Learning about permaculture and sustainability was so eye-opening and being able to stay on a farm where it was actually being done made it seem so possible. I felt so immersed in the culture from only eating at mom and pop restaurants and choosing where to spend my dollar. I will definitely be going on another trip!

My trip to Tanzania impacted me more than I could have ever imagined. Each day was filled with so much joy, so much passion, and most of all a bigger purpose. Each day was a new gift, engaging and getting to know each of our students and in return getting to learn about their cultures in an immersed way. By the end of this trip each of the locals truly left an imprint on my heart, Kairo is a place with the most beautiful souls and the most love to give. I also did the Kilimanjaro add on and it was one of the best ways to end this amazing experience! So challenging, supportive and beautiful all at the same time.

This was the experience of a lifetime with GIVE. The guides are so amazing, literally giving the volunteers the shoes off their feet and the shirts of their back. GIVE staff put their full effort into truly making this experience the best it possibly can for volunteers and the locals. Would go again!!! More specifically, my trip to Tanzania and Zanzibar was a blast. It was a great mix of culture, volunteering, education, and fun! The people I met will be friends for a lifetime and I will never forget this experience. Highly recommend!

My trip to Thailand was the most rewarding and fulfilling experience! In only two weeks, I got the opportunity to fully immerse myself in Thai culture. The guides on the trip were easily the most insightful, inspiring, and pure humans. From playing with and teaching the kids at the schools to working in the permaculture field, each day offered a new chance to learn, grow, and challenge yourself. While in Thailand, I had never felt more grounded and at peace thanks to all of the welcoming and truly kind locals we had the pleasure of meeting. Getting the chance to embark on this adventure has been indescribable and absolutely life-changing. I am forever grateful for this journey for changing my perspective on life, teaching me how to care for our planet, and allowing me to make life-long friendships. Choosing to travel with GIVE was the best decision I ever made.

My experience on this volunteer trip was nothing like I expected in the best way possible. It was fun, interesting, exciting, in an amazing welcoming community getting to do things I would have never dreamed of and being able to help others while I did. The things that you never knew you never knew will baffle you and leave you searching to learn everything more that you can. It put an entirely new lease on traveling and being a tourist and showed me how you can see the world without damaging the communities you want to learn about. I would recommend this trip to anyone I know who’s ready to work hard and learn something new!

Wow! Do it! Take the jump! This Thailand experience was like no other, absolutely life changing! From the amazing people from the land of smiles to being truly immersed in the culture from the hill tribes this trip will allow you to grow in ways you don’t expect! The beauty of this country is breathtaking and Give allows you to experience all of the beauty!! The Thailand Give trip is a unique experience that will teach you how to travel responsible while having the best time of your life!! Teaching in the class rooms with the kids will bring out your inner child, the students are so welcoming and talented! And volunteering with permaculture at a local farm allowed for me to be more knowledgeable about self sustainable living that I want to continue! This trip is like no other experience, take the jump!