Most Affordable & Trusted Volunteer Programs in Romania from $330

My IVHQ program in Romania was an amazing experience. While the program was located in a small town in Romania, Hungarians made up most of the population, so this was the primary language of the area. We were able to experience everyday life, and had the chance to meet locals through the weekly English conversation groups.

For my placement I was in the Special Needs program, which was a short walk from the volunteer accommodation. This program serves young adults, and helps them with tasks such as cooking, household chores, and language development. There was also other fun activities like a weekly dance class. All the clients received a weekly physical therapy session, and since I am a licensed physical therapist in the US, I was able to provide PT services, which was my motivation in volunteering. Everyone at this day program, with the exception of a few program leaders, spoke only Hungarian. While this was a little discouraging/difficult at first, it did not prevent me from assisting with daily tasks or providing PT services.

As for the volunteer accommodation, the apartment was very clean, and all the volunteers quickly connected, making it a welcoming environment. The accommodation is located on the main street of the town, and just about everything is walkable, including the train station.

The local staff was always available and joined us in events such as bowling, socializing at restaurants, and weekly group dinners. I highly recommend this program.

Just an incredible experience from the beginning to the end. I was met with a driver that carried a clearly marked sign and a big smile. From the moment he picked me up and the 4 hour drive to the acommendations, he was informative and so friendly. Additionally, he offer me a snack on a short stop on the way. Sunday, as schedule the representitive gave an outline of the following weeks over coffee at a charming street cafe. I volunteered to work on an Agriculture project and later volunteered my help with summer camps of school age kids. It was fun to see the smiles and experience their curiousity. I was the old guy in the group but never felt old. I was amazed of the experience and energy the young volunteers had. I was included in the many activities on or off of the camps including cleaning up gardens, barbecues, mountain hiking, observing bears, making cheese, and meetings at the local meeting places. I highly recommend the experience but spend enough time to get to know the locals. They are so friendly and humble, wow a stay in Transylvania, how exciting.

Using limited energy and vitality to try new things and discover different possible answers is what I am willing to do all the time.

I just can't believe that I did so many amazing things during my 3-week journey in Romania. I just made these all happen: Volunteer abroad, teach English, play with kids, make friends and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, get out of my comfort zone and seize every magic-filled minute in Romania.

Days flew so fast that I am still thinking that I am in Romania, I am with my homies. It is just like a dream, which is too perfect.

3-week time in Romania brings me not only so many adorable friends but also an opportunity to truly get to know the big world. I was so lucky to get a chance to see how the world is. I feel like this wonderful experience made me have courage to straightly face the big world and made me realize I can also change the big big world by making small changes.

"Awesome, innovative, worthwhile." I can assure that it is really rewarding beyond words.

Thanks Care2Travel and IVHQ for letting me be A true ivhqer.

It was a great experience with IVHQ Romania, Miercurea Ciuc. I chose the "after school support" program, and it was right choice for me. I've achieved my ambition to volunteer and teach children and play with them in a nice atmosphere, with the kindness of the locals, and a free time to enjoy the rest of the day in a pub, or dining with my volunteer group. It was really a wonderful and useful experience

My trip to Romania was a great experience! The local team was very supportive, and very focused on helping foreign volunteers make a positive, ethical impact on the community. They also gave us many opportunities to interact with local people which greatly enriched my experience. My project at the dog shelter was wonderful. The shelter was a very human and worthy organization, and the conditions were quite good. The staff was friendly and accommodating, and the work was enjoyable as well as meaningful. Romania is a beautiful country with lots of scenic beauty and friendly people. IVHQ made the experience that much better by being well-organized and readily available to address my questions and concerns. I also felt assured that they had a genuine commitment to ethical volunteering. I felt supported from beginning to end.

This was the first volunteer trip I had ever been on so I was a bit hesitant on what the experience would be like but IVHQ made everything so easy and I felt supported throughout the entire experience! There was always staff available to answer questions I had both before and during my trip, it was easy to sign up, I felt like my skills were being used, and I had plenty of free time during my trip to explore the city. I volunteered both in Belgium for the Mobile Library project and in Romania for after-school support. They were very different from each other in terms of culture but being able to volunteer with IVHQ made the transition easy and I didn't have to worry about where I would be staying or my safety. I definitely recommend to anyone wanting to do some travel while still working on awesome, fulfilling projects and I already want to do many more of the programs! My only regret is not doing them for longer than 2 weeks, I was not ready to be done!!

Overall, it was a great experience and I would love to go back. With a tour guide employees by Care 2 Travel, it’s a great way to see the country and all that it has to offer. The town itself is a small town with a lot of culture and life, which is such a great way to experience the culture. The town has a small, but enjoyable social scene and a lot to experience within the city itself. The volunteer opportunities that are set up are amazing and I enjoyed every second of working with the children.

My time in Romania was truly life changing. I traveled with my younger sister and it was such a bonding experience. I could not have asked for better on site support from both Care2travel and the schools that I taught in. IVHQ set up the program in such a way that it was easy to feel comfortable and safe. I think I learned more about myself in three weeks than I could have ever imaged. The staff at Care2Travel were extremely helpful and offered myself and my sister (who I was traveling with) a lot of support throughout our trip! I'm under the firm belief that, counter to popular opinion, one does not leave bits of themselves in the places they travel. Rather the countries that you go to become a part of you. I am so blessed to know that Csikszereda, Romania will always remain in my heart. One piece of advice I would give is to always be adaptable (in your accommodations life and your volunteer placement). If you are open to learning from any experience, I am sure you will find your trip very enriching.

My experience in Romania was a highly rewarding and unforgettable one. Working in the dog shelter, I was given the opportunity to care for puppies which was even more special than I expected it to be. The dogs responded very positively to the attention and I really felt like I made a difference to their overall wellbeing. I also got the opportunity to build a new shelter for the dogs and also to brush the dogs which made it very different and exciting. The support I received from IVHQ throughout my whole trip was phenomenal and I would definitely recommend the programs to a future volunteer.

Clara Wee, Singapore
Afterschool Club Volunteer
IVHQ Romania Program

I recently returned from an incredible 4-week volunteering experience in Miercurea Ciuc (Csikszereda), a city in the Harghita county of Romania, with a predominantly Hungarian population. The Szekely community as a whole was amazingly hospitable, its people friendly and accepting. As an Asian (they don’t get many Asians in this part of the country), I always stood out but this was also a great opportunity to share about myself and my country with the people (locals, volunteers, children and carers at my placement) I met.

(Note to future volunteers – bring along maps and photos from home. This is a great way to break the ice with locals and fellow volunteers. You will have many opportunities to whip out those materials).

The good folks at Care2Travel (local NGO team for the IVHQ Program) are a great team. They are passionate about their work in the community they operate in and have put in a lot of effort to provide a comprehensive orientation program, resources (like teaching guides, materials, props, etc.) and support to volunteers to maximize their effectiveness in their placements. The team is also very happy to provide suggestions on how you can spend your weekends/free time and a great source of help for anything you might need while in-country.

I was placed in two Afterschool clubs in the nearby villages of Szentegyhaza and Kapolnas (about 60-75minutes outside Miercurea Ciuc). The children, aged between 6 to 15, who attend the clubs are from disadvantaged backgrounds; many of them from Roma families. My role included teaching basic English, helping the children with their English homework, preparing fun games and activities to engage the children, and providing general support to the carer of the club. You don’t have to be able to speak Hungarian before you start your volunteer stint but it is good to pick up some basic words and phrases while you are here.

The first couple of sessions with the children were challenging – some children need more time than others to warm up to a stranger. The language barrier didn't help either. Many of the children, especially the younger ones, know little or no English and a few were reluctant to use it even though they could. However, it is extremely rewarding once the children feel comfortable enough with you to want you to play with them (expect to play lots of foci or just kicking a ball around), demand you sit next to them at meal/snack time, or come to you wanting extra time to practice/learn English or simply responding to you when you interact with them. The children would also try to teach me Hungarian while I tried teaching them English. This mutual learning process works well and is a source of much laughter and fun.

It has been an interesting and memorable experience to learn about the history and culture of this beautiful country. Romania has lots of fascinating cities, sights and activities to offer visitors. As it is not as popular a tourist destination (yet) as other Central/Eastern European countries, it is relatively cheap to travel in Romania.

I would also recommend volunteering to everyone, regardless of age or background. If you want to be more than just a tourist, if you want to immerse yourself in the culture of a country and give a little something back to the country you are visiting – volunteer! Go with an open heart and open mind, be willing to learn and adapt to your environment. You won’t regret the experience.

I am glad that I applied to volunteer with IVHQ Program - after school activity program. In this one week program I felt that I gain more than what I gave. My volunteer program was more than what I expected, and I learned a lot from the local people and the members of Care2Travel. While volunteering at the after school club I thought that as a parent, I am aware of methods of dealing with kids, but I realized that how much we know is never too much. The program helped me to have insightful perspective and thoughts about Romania, the culture, and the abroad volunteer programs.

My summer working with the charity Care2Travel through IVHQ was one of the best experiences of my life. The children I worked with were so enthusiastic and grateful as well as being very cute. You felt like you were truly making a difference. But personally, I received many benefits myself including making some of my best friends while working in Romania. We bonded so well that what started off as a joke, resulted in me and two other girls from around the world all getting matching friendship tattoos. This is a memory I treasure and constantly reminds me of my amazing time there and the people who contributed to creating fun summer camps and joining in some crazy weekend activities too.

The program was deliberately structured, every representative of host organization clearly knew about his or her assigned responsibilities. People were helpful, I felt as if I am with my distant family. Everyone including children was so polite and open to learn, indeed everyone was actively receptive. I found the program not only congruent to my volunteering aspirations but also cognate to all fun activities that one would envy do relish. I would certainly look forward to engross in the program next summer.

Considering that it was my first time volunteering, I had the best time in Romania! I got to meet wonderful children and as I was trying to teach them, I realised that I was learning a lot from them. Also, I made a lot of international friends and having the opportunity to learn different cultures was definitely one of the best aspects of this experience. For sure, I couldn't have such an amazing time if I didn't go there with IVHQ, since both IVHQ and the local foundation in Romania (Care2Travel) were always so supportive and helpful. Lastly, this volunteering trip absolutely took me out of my comfort zone and made me see different aspects of life that I couldn't have seen otherwise. Would recommend to everyone!