I was very pleased with my time here in Villa Allende and the IVHQ experience as a whole. The support of the staff was nothing short of wondeful, and they were more than willing to go above and beyond to ensure my time here was both safe and enjoyable. I was involved with the Sports program and worked with both Athletics and Basketball groups of children ranging in ages from 4-15. The two leaders of each program were incredibly patient with my still developing Spanish skills, and were always pushing me to become more involved with the program. By the end of my 3 months in these programs i felt at home in each program and had formed strong bonds with both the program leaders and the children I worked with. By the time i was due to leave, saying goodbye to everyone was quite difficult. I will always remember my time in Argentina and give my highest possible recommendation to anyone interested in this program.

My experience volunteering through IVHQ Argentina was incredible! At first I was really nervous about going all alone, however, as soon as I got there the staff made me feel right at home. As well, I met a ton of other volunteers from all over the world. During my journey I never felt homesick because I had so many wonderful people around me. I am very happy that I chose to come here during my gap year. This was the best experience of my life and I wish I could go back!

My first day in Argentina started with me being robbed of my backpack, passport, money and countless other itmes. While I regret to admit this I called my mom after and told her I wanted to come home. I was in a new country, thousands of miles from home and felt unsafe. Both of my parents encouraged me to stay and I couldnt be happier that I did. Though it has been difficult at times, the people I have met and the experiences I have made are ones that I won´t forget. I know that I will be back to Argentina, and hopefully see more of the country that I have come to love so much.

I really had a great time here!! The people with who I shared this experience will be friends for a long time. The staff of the house is just perfect: they are always there when you need them, have a (stupid) question or when you need someone to talk to. I did the childcare program for 1 month and than the special need care. Both really different but the people there were great and really welcoming. After two weeks I really felt like a part of the structure of the placement even if you can't always do a lot on the placement. But it is a great opportunity especially if you see the misery those people are into. They are really happy with some help. A tip: Take some spanish lessons, cause it is really handy if you can comunicate with your placement or even with the people of the town.
Argentina is a wanderful country. People are really open and you have sooooo many things to visit and to do. I didn't felt bored in 2 month's time.
Thanks for everything, I'll keep those memories forever in me... CHAU

All the people in Argentina are so friendly, from the people at the volunteer house to the street vendors and passerby. We were invited to celebrate one person´s birthday and so we had meaningful conversations with several local Argentineans. I even grew to know a student in Cordoba well whom I´d just met in the airport. If you show any interest, they´ll let you into their life. All the other international volunteers here were so kind as well. I have plenty of friends abroad now who I am excited to visit in the coming years.

I have recently retired after 40 years work in a hospital laboratory. After talking with one of my co-workers I decided I would like to do something totally different and rewarding. I did a search on the internet and found IVHQ. In April, I started my procedure to ably and start my preparations. But, my summer was on of difficuly. I had to put things on hold for a while after a forest fire was burning 2 miles from my home. After the fire was contained I decided I had to make my decision to either come or not. My decision to come was the best one. This left me only 3 weeks to get my plans in place. After I arrived I found a wonderful group of volunteers from all over the world and a very special staff who took care of us as family. My placement was just as unique as I found Argentina to be. At first I was a little skeptical working with the special needs patients, but it did not take long for them to win my heart. I found the staff to be very receptive and helpful even though I did not speak Spanish. Thanks to my friends and the hospital, where I worked for almost 40 years, I was able to purchase some much needed supplies for the Special Needs Center. When I brought them into the center for the patients to see and get to use I was overwhelmed with joy from the expressions on their faces. It was very hard to say good buy to them today. And I do hope I can come back again.

I had a great time volunteering with IVHQ in Argentina and have met some amazing people both at the volunteer house, the child care centre and the local store! The food at the volunteer house was amazing and they easily catered for my dietary needs. I took Spanish lessons with 2 of my 3 weeks and they helped increase my spanish a lot. Lichi, Ariel, Jose and Julio were very kind, informative and helpful.

I absolutely loved my time here in Argentina! I came in wanting to do the community development project and ended up falling in love with the special needs programme. I was so grateful to lichi that we had the flexibility to try a range of placements. I have gained a new perspective on how people with special needs can thrive under various activities, I think my favourite part of this was meeting new lifelong friends. I got lost in the streets of Salta, saw tango in Buenos Aires, lived like a gaucho etc. with so many likeminded friends. I will even go on to see some of these friends in my future travel. i loved the feel of the volunteer house. Everyone is like family. I am so grateful for Jose and Ariel, the love and support they offer is indescribable. I'm tearing up as I write this because I feel like I am leaving my home. Villa Allende became my familiarity, where I would do my laundry, exercise and grocery shopping. It will be so hard to say goodbye. I am also very thankful for the fact I got to do so much travelling, Lichi was so helpful with organising trips, my trip to Iguazu was the highlight of my time here.