Location
  • Argentina
    • Buenos Aires
Length
2 to 24 weeks

Program Details

Language
Spanish
Age Min.
18
Timeframe
Year Round
Housing
Host Family Hostel

Pricing

Starting Price
400
Price Details
What is included in the program fee?

Airport pickup, Orientation, Accommodation, support from the local staff, program supervision, in-country 24/7 emergency support throughout your program, in-country administration costs and donation to support your project.

Registration fee is only $149 and covers marketing costs, pre-placement support from our staff, a complete country information guide, volunteer training booklet, fundraising guides and tips, administration costs, travel to run inspection visits in all locations, communication costs, and office staff.

Volunteers in our Argentinian program find U$100 to be sufficient for basic weekly expenses.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Some Meals Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Meals SIM cards Transportation Travel Insurance Visa
Jan 16, 2020
Dec 18, 2018
16 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Iko Poran offers affordable, safe, and meaningful volunteer programs in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Our variety of programs includes Child Development; Childcare (Orphanage); Sports & Community Development; and a Special Community Feeding Program. We have the perfect volunteer project that matches your skills and interests.

At a glance:
- Available all year round
- Start dates: 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month
- Program length: from 2 to 24 week
- Accommodation in a student hostel, in a Recoleta Paris Style Townhouse
- World's most affordable fees!
- Iko Poran is a non-profit organization based in a developing country. We are a volunteer organization that works in partnership with other development organizations.

It is impossible to describe what it is like the experience to volunteer in a foreign country – the local people you will meet, learning a new culture, living & experiencing new environments in amazing landscapes an sceneries

Consider your impact: Volunteering abroad can be a rewarding experience for both volunteers and local communities, and at Go Overseas, we believe all volunteers should have the resources to make informed decisions about the type of volunteer project they want to partake in. However, despite best intentions, some organizations offering placements in orphanages may unknowingly place children in danger. You can read about the potential dangers of orphanage volunteering here.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • We believe that volunteering shouldn’t cost the earth. Our program fees start at only $400 for two weeks
  • We are the only international volunteering organization to be based in a developing country that also runs its own projects. Most providers are profit-making travel companies based in First World nations.
  • Most affordable registration fee, only $ 149! Program fees starting at $400 for 2 weeks; no 5% transfer fee on top;
  • We are non-profit – fees received cover our costs and help us to achieve our mission by contributing to local programs. You pay the program fee directly to the local organization
  • You gain a unique experience by participating in developing communities for a fairer world while creating a rich personal experience

Related Programs

Program Reviews

4.80 Rating
based on 5 reviews
  • 5 rating 80%
  • 4 rating 20%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.4
  • Support 4.8
  • Fun 4.6
  • Value 4.4
  • Safety 4.8
Showing 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Default avatar
Lucy
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Community Feeding

I recently volunteered in Buenos Aires with my best friend for their community feeding project. The experience was very rewarding, working with the mothers in the kitchen. Despite us not knowing much Spanish, they were very accomodating and welcoming.

During the program you help prepare the meals by chopping up ingredients, grating the cheese, peeling potatoes etc. You then serve the meals to the people in the neighbourhood as they walk in the door. After we finished serving, we were always offered a generous meal by the ladies which we loved.

We felt some things were lost in translation between us and the volunteer coordinator, which was frustrating at times but of course it's expected with a language and culture difference.

Overall we felt very safe all the time and the other people staying at the student hostel accomodation are absolutely lovely.

81 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Adam
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Buenos Aires Sports Development Programme

I recently returned home from 2 weeks volunteering in Villa Rodrigo Bueno, a small neighbourhood in Buenos Aires. The main aim of the programme was to use organised workshops in football, boxing and English to encourage the local kids to get involved with productive activities and become active members of their community. All in all it was a fantastic experience, and I was really well looked after by the people there. Flor and Bautista, a husband and wife team who ran the community centre, made sure I was safe, comfortable and well fed whenever I visited them and Andrea, who was the link between Iko Poran and the neighbourhood, was in constant contact with me throughout. Taking part in the workshops with the kids was a lot of fun, and I was also invited to take part in other activities with the adults too- a midweek football tournament being a particular highlight.

I'd definitely recommend learning some Spanish before you go as nobody in the neighbourhood speaks English, so communication could be a bit tricky at times. Nevertheless, everyone I met was really hospitable and I was made to feel very welcome. Facilities in the neighbourhood are very basic and the activities are subject to weather and other factors, so be open-minded and prepared for your schedule to change at short notice.

The programme title suggests that you will be coaching sports, but in reality you are mostly just joining in with the workshops, and in some cases being coached yourself! In many ways this was probably for the best as the standard of football in the neighbourhood is ridiculously high, so I'm not sure if I could have taught them anything anyway! There are still lots of ways to make yourself useful though: helping the kids with their homework in the English workshop, unloading food deliveries, and helping to distribute food to the local residents to give a few examples. As Andrea kept telling me, the more you put yourself out there, the more everyone gets out of it.

84 people found this review helpful.
Lindsey
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Community Development

My fiancé and I had an incredible experience volunteering in Argentina and now in Brazil. Our project in Buenos Aires was in a very special community of which we were welcomed with open arms. The family we worked alongside we now consider our own family!! Here in Rio doing sports development has been extremely rewarding and we are learning so much about this beautiful culture and even learning capoeira with the locals!! Felipe and his family have been SO accommodating & we are having a blast living with him and his beautiful fam! HIGHLY recommend all IKP programs :)!!

82 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Nathab
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

AMAZING!

Amazing experience with some of the greatest people. The local coordinators and the local organization were perfect. We will carry these people and memories with us for the rest of our lives. Everything went smoothly and it was much cheaper than other organizations. I would highly recommend this program! My fiance and I will probably come back because the program and the people changed our lives so much. The local volunteer neighborhood invited us to the pool and to play soccer in their community. Once in a lifetime experience!

86 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Matt
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

No better way to start your travels

As an 18 year old exploring the continent for the first time this was a great way to acclimatise to the friendly South American culture. With the city of Buenos Aires just a half an hour train away as well as other day trips such as Tigre and Temaiken close too, San Isidro offers not just a great support scheme for young affected children, through the Fundación Cor program, but also offers a great location to spend your time during the program.

With a range of children from about 4 months to 13 years it really felt like a family here - which is precisely what those kids need. That and a bit of love and attention of course. I felt a real connection with not just the kids but also the super caring staff.

This program really must be considered by anyone with an interest for volunteering or just putting a smile on the faces that need it most.

What would you improve about this program?
More outdoor activities for the kids.
84 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers