Romania Volunteer Programs | Most Affordable & Trusted

Romania came as a surprise to me. As a European myself, I never was very interested in going to East Europe, so I didn't have very high expectations. I mainly decided to go because it was one of the safest places to go with the pandemic going on. But, once I was there, all my presumptions were shattered. I got to meet very nice and open Romanian and Hungarian people, learn about its rich history, visit its beautiful castles and cities, and hike through mesmerizing mountains.

Moreover, the volunteering experience was very rewarding. I did everything I could to make myself useful to a local NGO as a NGO Support Volunteer with IVHQ. My aim was to start my journey to understand how NGOs work, while helping out one with a memorable cause: to provide educational and fun summer camps to disadvantaged children. Among other things, I got to help them out with the online marketing for a crowdfunding campaign, write a blog post about one of my adventures in Romania, conduct interviews, snap pictures of the summer camps and help build a space to hold these camps for children on rainy days.

Altogether, it was a great experience that I wouldn't change for anything and one which made me see a part of the world with new eyes.

I can only recommend Care2Travel ! Even though I was only there for 2 weeks, they really made sure I was able to do the work I went there for and have a lot of fun playing with children and teaching them English. Outside of the summer camps I had a great time as well, because I was able to meet other amazing volunteers who became my friends and with whom I could enjoy the great city of csikszereda. The entire team was always there to help you out and guarantee you were having a great time ! I will never forget this experience!

For anyone considering the IVHQ Romania program I have three words - just do it! I recently returned from 7 weeks volunteering in Romania and would highly recommend to anyone looking to help the community, discover a new culture, and grow as a person.

As this was my first time volunteering abroad, and spending more than a couple weeks away from home, I appreciated how helpful IVHQ was in the process. IVHQ assisted in different ways, from giving advice about which location was best for me, to helping set-up travel, to providing detailed information about what to expect when volunteering abroad as well as an outline to help you prepare. IVHQ was always quick to answer questions and provide the information necessary to help me get ready for this adventure.

Once in Romania, international volunteers work through the local team, Care2Travel. Care2Travel is made up of a small, but wonderful, group of people committed to ensuring that both their foreign volunteers and local partners are supported and receiving the assistance they need. Care2Travel provides an excellent orientation (both before arrival and after) that helps volunteers better understand the language, local culture, and city that they will be living in. These orientations are a great way to get to know the area, the Care2Travel team, some local volunteers, as well as the other volunteers you will be living with during your stay. I spent 6 weeks as an NGO Support volunteer, and was able to see first-hand how much time and effort the team puts in to making sure operations run smoothly (both at programs and in the accommodations) and that they are effective for both the volunteer and the local community. Being part of the daily operations provided first-hand knowledge of how a non-government organization works. I was able to assist on projects both big (such as assisting with a job interviewing process) and small (organizing summer camp materials). This opportunity provided insight into how each task and the various programs form a bigger picture and help the local community in the long-term. As someone who has studied and/or worked in communication, counseling, and social work, there is no doubt that my experience can help better inform my work and my schooling.

Most importantly, I came away from this experience having not only worked for an amazing group of people but having met amazing people as well. Living in the accommodations with others provides an opportunity to get to know your fellow volunteers. Talking with others, I was able to learn about who they are as people, their home countries and customs, and their thoughts and experiences about placements that were different from my own. Through various opportunities, I was also able to meet, spend time with, and talk to locals in the area. Getting to know the locals was a great way to develop a better cultural understanding of both people and place, test your new language skills, or just have wonderful conversations about topics ranging from movies, to history, to international relations. By the time my 7 weeks were up, it was hard to leave the newly established relationships I had made while in Romania.

I can’t say enough to recommend that you consider a trip to Romania via IVHQ and their local partner at least once in your lifetime (although it is possible that the experience will be so lovely that, like me, you will long to return).
The preparation and attention to detail provided by the partner team mean that your comfort, safety and opportunity will always be foremost. The accommodation on a quaint pedestrian-only main street of the city of Csikszereda provides a place where you immediately become family with a cast of international characters. Mine were from Brazil to the Philippines, New Zealand to Malta. They included 18-year olds in search of adventure, a young couple in love, and a 68-year-old woman who returned to revisit the joys of a previous visit. I have a new “brother” from Texas, who may be one of only a few people who love Romania more than I do. New “sisters” include a bubbly obstetrician and a woman from nearby New Jersey who shared my own sense of belonging.
I chose to do the extra orientation week which gave me not only a chance to climb ladders 72 feet into the crown of a Jesus statue for incredible mountain views and to go 2700 meters below the earth into the Praid salt mines which host a bar, a cinema and an adventure park, but to also avail myself of extra Hungarian lessons, learning phrases specifically suited to my upcoming teaching project.
When Murphy’s Law reared its head and the teacher I was to work with in Bankfalva became suddenly ill, Peter, the director of the program quickly adapted the program to include me in the afterschool program in another village for that week. I was seamlessly included in a project that allowed me to spend longer hours and more play time with kids than the teaching offered, and I made lots of new friends.
Teaching resumed the following week at Bankfalva school with Peter himself standing in as a substitute, and my translator for classes. T think we made a great teaching team. Even though I had no formal teaching experience, I was able to interact with kids in grades 4 -8 by asking and answering questions and playing word games. The high point in my teaching experience came on my last day when I volunteered to participate in a service-learning project, helping the students pick up trash throughout the village. The kids delighted in teaching me new words, including the one for horse poop, and even pointing out their own houses. I delighted in setting an example as a 66-year-old American woman reaching into streams and gutters to retrieve garbage right alongside the students. We collected about 30 full bags of trash that morning.
When asked how much value the communities receive from short term volunteers like me, Peter answered that even one chance for a student to be successful in a conversation with an English speaker can foster enthusiasm for the whole class to understand the benefits of learning English. His explanation gave me comfort in understanding my role and value here.
I also had the chance to visit the animal care project when one of my flatmates generously took time on her day off from that project to walk there with me. We spent time socializing and playing with puppies. There’s nothing like some puppy time to fend off homesickness!
One last treasured opportunity this program gave me was the ability to participate in the local community. Through both quiz night and weekly English Club I met and was befriended by locals who taught me so much about the Hungarian heritage of this part of Romania. It was not unusual for me to meet one of these locals on a walk through the city and to be invited for coffee or a beer as if we were old friends. I’ve never had such a rich 3 weeks in my life.
So…. come with an open heart and an open mind to volunteer in Romania. Through this program you will share who you are and be given so much more in return, no matter your age, background, or ability. Take the first step on the journey of a lifetime. Fall in love with a place that will let you into its heart, with people who will remember you always.
I, for one, can’t wait to return.

Go Overseas...Go to Romania...Seriously do it!
This was honestly such a great experience! I applied through IVHQ to volunteer in Romania for 2 weeks but I loved it so much I extended another week and if I hadn't had any further travels I would have extended longer. The highlight of my volunteering through Care2Travel was Summer Camp! I didn't know a lot about Romania before travelling there but as a destination it has so many amazing things to offer. The people, the food, the landscapes - everything is just amazing! I can't recommend highly enough the team at Care2Travel. They were so helpful with anything at all and all the information provided before and during my stay was so comprehensive. You feel so welcomed and with the projects themselves you feel like you are contributing to a greater cause - whatever language challenges I faced with the kids on Summer Camp, the smiles and laughs really make it worth it!!

I’m a first-time volunteer to a foreign country and naturally, I was very anxious and nervous to do something that I don’t know. But, from the time I decided to go through with the program, to the requirements and all preparations given, to meeting the local Romanian team, to experiencing the work I had to do for my placement and up until the time I had to leave...I was only made to feel cared for and safe the entire time, by every single person involved with IVHQ and the Care2Travel (local IVHQ team). I only had a week even, but it felt like a month because there was always something to do and there was never a boring time. We even had the chance to meet and interact with the locals, which was such a nice experience, specially getting to know their history and culture. Plus, I had the opportunity to see one of the highest points in Romania in it’s beautiful autumn weather! I was certainly able to do two things I like all at the same time and in such an affordable price. With the fee I paid for, I had absolutely no problem with the accommodations, the supply of food and had so much more extra pocket money left for mini-tours and souvenirs to bring back home. All worth the decision to go and all worth the time spent each day being there. I did not expect how organized and professional the whole process was from start to finish and I have no doubts at all in recommending to volunteer thru IVHQ to anyone—specially choosing Romania. It is not a country that most people would even think of visiting but it surely was worth looking into the first time I saw it on the list of available programs I wanted. (ie, agriculture). Personally, it is the perfect place and the best team to take on a first-time volunteer. I can’t say that my short stay has allowed me to change the world with the help I did. But...it has given me a good taste of volunteering and it is why I am considering on doing this often—maybe then, I’ll get a chance to change the world a little bit more each time.

I wanted a change this summer. This year was about giving back, doing something for someone else. To be a part of something bigger than myself. So next thing I know I am booking a sustainable agriculture volunteer program in Romania for a week, through IVHQ and Care2Travel. This was just a taster, I didn’t want to get ahead of myself as it was the first time I was completely travelling alone.

Getting ready for this I was nervous and anxious, questioning if I’d made the right decision and it wasn’t too late to back down. All I could think about was; I am about to go to a country I have never been to before, live with people I have never met before. Am I going to get along with the people there? is this program the right fit for me? will I make a difference in such a short period of time?

The moment I stepped into the airport I was welcomed by Inu our driver and three other volunteers arriving on the same day as me. By the end of a five-hour drive most of my anxieties had melted off by the conversation flow and nestled in the mountains was Miercurea Ciuc. We dropped our bags at the accommodation made quick introductions and joined some other volunteers in discovering the town, it was the ‘potato festival’. There were food stalls, lights and live music, we even ended up dancing with a local gypsy.

The first day was orientation day, it was time to properly introduce ourselves to one another and go over the details of the town and work schedule. Awkwardness, the first fifteen minutes then someone cracks a joke, then tension from that moment melts away.

When I reached my placement and I first laid eyes at the community garden I was daunted it was huge project there was so much to do. Our volunteer leaders Peter and Jackie were full of reassurance and help telling us that they were open to our ideas and that our input no matter how small was significant. So sleeves were rolled up and days were spent in the community garden getting everything back into shape, ploughing, digging and weeding under the sun, with a cup of tea here and there. After work the day was mine. I managed to experience aerial yoga for the first time, chimney cake, family style dinner with my fellow volunteers and also my first tattoo.

At the end of my stay I could already see a difference in the garden it looked as if it were up and running. There was that enormous sense of achievement. The last night of my program was the icing on the cake. All of us had huddled up near a fire making smores underneath the stars, talking about our journeys, dreams and goals.

All of those fear and worries were uncalled for because at the end of the volunteer program I honestly came out of it getting more than I expected. It truly changed me. I came out with friends and an appreciation towards finding a common goal even though we all came from different back grounds. The only regret I have is, I wish I had stayed a little longer…

Our group was younger than most volunteers, 7 girls aged 13-15 and their 3 leaders.
The volunteer programme had been well thought out to ensure that the girls were able to fully participate as indeed they did!
I hope that the trip has made memories that the girls will carry with them always and that they have left a positive impression on the local community we worked with.
They also gained a lot from meeting and interacting with the other volunteers on the programme - both local and international and with volunteers on different programmes that were staying in the accommodation. Transylvania is a beautiful part of the world with good weather and some fantastic scenery.
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