Most Affordable & Top Rated Volunteer Programs in Portugal from $505 with IVHQ

I had a genuinely meaningful, fulfilling, and enjoyable time on my first IVHQ trip. The youth support volunteer trip was based in Lisbon, Portugal, and it was my first time being in the country. What a great way to explore a new place! You connect with both fellow international travellers, but the rich local community, too. Likewise, you have the opportunity to stay in safe, private hostels/rooms, while still being central to the action (i.e. town/city centers, transportation, nature, etc). But perhaps the deepest, most profound educational experience is the hands-on volunteering. What better way to connect to a community than to help their most vulnerable demographics? My particular placement worked with young mothers enrolled in school (14yo-24yo) and their infants in need of day-care (1mo-1yo). The placement was ideal for me, as it allowed me to deploy my love for / experience with young children and enabled me to help the promotion of education for young women from disadvantaged communities. Overall, I developed a deep connection with the country and community, while also diversifying my interactions and experiences with a unique, cosmopolitan group of travellers staying in the hostel.

This wolf conservation program was a fantastic experience I would never miss a chance to do again. The accommodation provided was a cosy wooden cabin in the middle of the forest, surrounded by the enclosures of the nine Iberian wolves we were conserving. The staff were incredible, and working with them, and my fellow volunteers was an absolute joy. Meeting amazing people with the same passion for protecting wildlife as I do was such a wonder. Everyone was extremely friendly, and the scenery around us was always breathtaking. We were surrounded by 16 acres of woodland, allowing for lovely hikes in our free time. I feel so lucky to have been able to feed and observe such beautiful creatures and capture such footage in camera traps and on our personal phones. The work experience included a lot of manual labour, such as cutting up the meat for the wolves, clearing up leaves and twigs on the forest floor, removing unwanted weeds, and working with cement to reconstruct the enclosures. It was demanding work, but it was well worth it. The friendships and memories with the wonderful people I met will never leave my side.

I had the most amazing experience volunteering in Portugal! At first it was scary because I didn't know what to expect when I arrive in Portugal, but after finishing my program the only regret that I have is staying there for only a week. I made amazing memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life, and new friends from all over the world. The children at my volunteer placement were the nicest kids ever and even though there was a language barrier, they were understanding that I couldn't speak Portuguese and helped me understand them better. I cannot wait to volunteer with IVHQ again!

I volunteered in Lisbon and it was genuinely the best experience of my life (so far). First of all the team was so unbelievably welcoming and kind and helped me whenever I asked. The volunteering itself was such a amazing experience. I worked with the kids and they get you involved from the beginning. I felt so at home by the end of the 6 weeks.
The one and only downside is that I made friends for life that live all over the world that i miss everyday. It was bittersweet saying goodbye but we’re already planning a reunion next year !!

IVHQ was not only affordable but very straightforward with the program and how they do things. I enjoyed my stay in Portugal and working with kids so much planning to do another program with them. 11/10 the best and most affordable international volunteering program. I had chance to work in the youth support program. I helped in a program where the kids from the local school came after school just to do homework, get tutoring, or just hang out with friends until their parents came from work. It was a very rewarding experience. I built many connections and made some great memories.

My name is Mike O’ Neill from Ireland and I’m 16 years old and in March 2022 I volunteered with IVHQ for 1 week in Lisbon in Portugal doing youth support. I decided to volunteer in Portugal as it is close to home for covid- 19 restrictions.
I went with a friend from school as we both wanted to make a difference in the world while seeing a new place. IVHQ was so helpful with pre departure information and there was someone always willing to answer any questions I had. IVHQ emailed me a 12 step process to help me prepare without forgetting anything. When we arrived in Lisbon we were collected by the organisation and brought to our accommodation. The accommodation was amazing as it was so clean, it had amazing food and everyone there was so friendly. I’ve never met people so kind and willing to help. On the 1st day we met 5 new people from Columbia, USA, England, Germany and Netherlands. We had free time on the 1st day so we all went for a walk and got to know each other. On the 2nd day we had orientation and we got to meet all the staff and all the volunteers. There were 14 nationalities. We got a presentation about the area and our volunteering programmes. We got all the tips when it comes to transport, food and money etc. After our presentation we all got tuk tuk tours around the city. After that we had free time and our friend group went out for Mexican food. At this stage we were all really good friends. The next four days myself and my friend Max we’re volunteering in a centre with underprivileged children teaching them maths, English, geography and history. We also got to do boxing with them in the boxing club. It was one of the most fulfilling times of my life and I felt like I’ve made an impact in their lives. In the evenings of the week about 8 of my friends and I went out for food and clubbing and really bonded. Myself and my friend decided to stay an extra 2 nights. On the weekends we have free time so on Saturday we all went out for breakfast and explored more of the city and went out at night and on Sunday I visited my cousins who live in Lisbon as my uncle is the Irish embassador to Portugal. It was very emotional leaving the following week as we had gotten to know everyone so well. It was the best holiday I’ve ever been on and I’ve made life long friends. In May I’m returning to Lisbon to visit some of the friends. And in July I’m meeting 2 other friends in NYC to catch up.

I can’t describe how amazing this trip was and it was a great cultural experience and personal growth.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves travelling and volunteering no matter your age.

Review of volunteering in Lisbon, Portugal for IVHQ
The volunteer activity I signed up for was called Food Reclamation. As my first time with IVHQ, I decided to volunteer for one week. The volunteer program coordinator picked me up at the airport, spoke English very well, and gave us a good orientation to the hostel, the city, and the volunteer site. I was impressed by the professionalism and helpfulness of the IVHQ staff. They were always ‘cleaning’ the eating environment (dining room) and housing area of the hostel. My program location was staged out of a warehouse. We collected food, repackaged it, and dispersed it to families in need. The work was hard, but I always felt good when I was done each day.
Jean W

Hii! I’m Eva and I’m from Spain. This summer I’ve just volunteered with IVHQ in Lisbon, Portugal, and I loved it, so I just wanted to help you in this journey! I did the food rescue program in the Refood Santa Maria Maior and I liked it so much, you can actually see your impact when you get to give the food to the people who needs it. I stayed at the Impact House, where everyone is so so nice and they will help you in everything. The food was good and healthy, and I loved the pool (and the Fini ice cream!). I was a bit worried at first because of the language and also because I’m 17 and i didn’t know how everything was going to be, but everyone (volunteers, internships, workers...) was very nice. I recommend you to stay more than a week, so that you can really adapt to everything, enjoy and make an impact. Lisbon is so beautiful, I really liked Lxfactory, Cascais, the pasteis de bacalau... It’s so hot in summer, and you also have always to take the green bus card (valid also for the train, subway, trams...). You are going to make a lot of friends here, and go out everyday. I hope this helped you ☺️