Affordable Arts & Music Volunteer Projects with IVHQ

I arrived in Africa alone, but left with a family and friends.

In one month I was able to teach 30 kids english and math, play with them and supply them with new toys and school supplies, kickstart a women's empowerment group and teach them how to make jewelry, reach out to a refugee camp and start a fundraising campaign for them, paint a school, learned and became a part of a beautiful community that taught me that life is truly what you create it to be.

Its hard to put into words what this trip meant to me and who it helped me become but there is this; theres a fine line between volunteering and tourism, and trust me Kenya is beautiful, visiting Mombasa, going on a Safari in the Masai Mara, and riding camels on Diani beach was beyond my expectation and absolutely amazing . However I knew I wanted to create a change whether it be small or big, so it was up to me to put in the work and effort to create that change.

I spent one month in Kenya, but lived years.

I had the pleasure of volunteering with Jive for two months. Prior to working with Jive I had worked for two months with a similar volunteer program, so by the time I arrived in Rio I was aware, to a degree, what would be awaiting me. Though I had traveled before and already volunteered, getting used to life in Rio was a hard task my first few weeks but Zac and Vivi really made me feel welcome and at home. I never felt like I was alone or lost while I was volunteering in rio, because of their constant support both on and off the project site. For my two months in Rio I worked with children in an arts program where we would do various different art projects during the morning and afternoons. What I loved so much about the actual volunteer work was that I would often see Zac or Vivi coming to visit the site to see how everything was running. They didn't only check up on us but also did work with us which, in a way, was really inspiring to see. When I look back at my gap year and my time volunteering in various different countries, the experience that sticks out the most is my time spent volunteering in Rio. I made life long connections with Zac, Vivi, and my fellow volunteers. I truly could not have asked for a better experience.