Strong support, good partnerships, a bit pricey

VIA China is well-run organization with a 50 year history. They more or less work with the same partner organizations in China every year and provide a month of summer training and a midyear conference, so this is not a fly by night program who simply drops you in some village and walks away. It's for people who want to actually get to know the culture of the country and who want to have a cohort experience.

The cons of the program are that you have to pay a $2,500 fee. This covers health insurance and some other things, so it's not outrageous, but it's still significant, considering at your main teaching job you're only making $400/month. Also, the impact of your work will depend a lot on which site you go to.

Overall though, this is an excellent program with some quality people. There's definitely a sense of community among VIA volunteers and friendships between volunteers and local staff/students. I'd highly recommend it.