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Kaya Responsible Travel

Why choose Kaya Responsible Travel?

Make a difference in the world, whilst changing your own. If you are ready to see the world, and experience cultures and landscapes that are far from your own, then volunteering or interning abroad is a fantastic way to do that.
Kaya gives you the opportunity to gain invaluable work experience overseas, and to embark upon a fantastic adventure that will change your vision of the world. Kaya programs place participants in supported, sustainable, ethical projects that are locally-led and work with communities, for communities.
Kaya works in many different fields of development, from conservation to healthcare, community development and education. Their expert team of advisors will work with you to find the placement that aligns with your interests, and ensure that whatever skills or experience you are bringing with you will genuinely benefit your project.
With Kaya you can travel responsibly, in the knowledge that together you are making a world of difference.

Reviews

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Annika
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Medical Internship in Riobamba

I loved my time in Ecuador! I was able to learn more about the healthcare system throughout the country and compare it to my experience back home. I gained a ton of confidence in my language skills, my ability to interact with patients, and my comfort navigating a new community and culture! I also was able to spend a lot of time exploring other parts of the country to get an even richer experience. Riobamba is a beautiful city which is generally safe for travelers, which made it the perfect place for one of my first experiences abroad.

Pros
  • everyone in Ecuador is extremely nice and welcoming
  • A lot of flexibility in the work schedule
  • great way to practice Spanish
Cons
  • Must know Spanish
  • work is better suited for a doctor
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Taylor
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Environmental Volunteer

I volunteered and stayed in Belize for 8 weeks in the fall of 2018. I genuinely enjoyed my time in Belize. I stayed in a bunk room of up to four people with a homestay family in town. I originally thought I was going to build sustainable earth bag homes, but I ended up helping construct a greenhouse of sorts. I didnt know how many people would be there before i got there, but i was the only person on the project and shared a room with another woman who was in in a different Belize program. That actually worked out for me! I really enjoyed how lowkey it felt. I want to go back to help and see the family again.

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Edel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An amazing month

I had the most amazing time in Zimbabwe! I met the best people ( a lot of them local) and had an amazing experience! I worked with all kinds of animals from sheep and guinea pigs to lions and baboons! So the spectrum of animals you can work with is really wide and that was also a huge bonus! I learned a lot and I also had the opportunity to visit local schools and tell kids about some of the animals that I worked with on a daily basis! I was located in Bulawayo and it was completely different to anywhere I had traveled before! The local people I met were some of the friendliest, kindest and most humble people I have came across! They were also very family oriented and positive! And the food was also amazing! It really was an amazing month!

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Ben
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Peru Speech Therapy Internship

I spent 3 weeks in Cusco, Peru working as an intern at CEBE Don Jose San Martin, a school for kids with communication and intellectual disabilities. I worked in a classroom helping a teacher plan and create activities and lessons for the kids. It was an amazing experience and I am so happy to have done it. The Kaya team was so helpful and supportive throughout my entire experience and made it run very smoothly. The internship is now called a special needs internship probably because the job is more useful for people wanting to work with special needs children. Cusco is a magical city and I definitely wish I could've spent more time there. There's always an exciting tour waiting for you. The food is great, the people are friendly, it's a wonderful time. I strongly recommend it.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Have an open mind, be willing to go out of your comfort zone and take part in as many adventures as possible.
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Mo
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteering at Disabled Children's Riding school in Cape Town

I'm a mature lady that for once had a little time to be able to visit South Africa and do voluntary work at SARDA riding school for disabled children in Cape Town. Despite my initial concerns whether I would be able to cope with the physical work in the stables and as a side walker to the riders, it was an extremely uplifting experience and a real joy to see the smiles of the children who all appeared to benefit from their lessons. The highlight was on my last morning when on two separate occasions my name was called out and I was waved at by children who had learning difficulties.
I was very spoilt and so well taken care of from being met at the airport, escorted to my homestay with my own en suite. I was taken on orientation and other trips, I made so many friends who were on the same or different projects.
If you're thinking of doing a voluntary project, just do it, it's a life changer.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
Given the opportunity, I would spend more time on the project, I loved the horses, staff and of course the kids were amazing.

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Maria Fredriksson

Maria Fredriksson is from Stockholm, Sweden and has worked with logistics and purchasing for over 20 years. She loves cooking, nature, travels and adventures. She’s interested in learning more about the different threats to our environment and how we can make a change. She was almost 40 when she decided to try out something other than the typical tourist holiday, this was the start of a new point in her life.

article reef construction

Morning: Most mornings started with breakfast at the New Heaven Diving School where you enjoyed the low tide and each morning were amazed over how beautiful the island of Koh Tao is. You got your breakfast from the coffee shop across the street, went to the 7-Eleven or got a real thai breakfast from one of the motorbike stalls nearby.

That day’s work was decided and a schedule was made for that day. The schedule was based on the weather conditions and sometimes needed to be changed, but there was always things to do. Normally you started with a walk along the beach after breakfast and took the chance to clean it up at the same time.

Afternoon: There wasn’t a day like the other. Same days we were out cleaning beaches, or doing snorkeling cleaning in shallow waters (often from the beaches), other days we were making beach- and road signs, handed out battery bins, making EM composts. Other days we worked with the divers at one of the land slides or making structures for the artificial reefs, or tying together buoylines. One day we helped the local community with cleaning the roads. Some days we went out with the divers and snorkeled in the shallow waters checking for trash and doing coral inventory.

We also went to the garden where a special kind of grass, called the King’s grass; is grown. This grass is really strong and gets a very deep root system. When the grass has grown stronger they will be planted at the different land slide sites to help bind the earth and mud together to help prevent more slides.

Evening: The day normally ended with a fruit shake, juice or such at the local beach bar before going home for a shower and a change of clothes before dinner. There was always someone to meet up for dinner. A couple of times we went to the Babaloo Bar and watched the fire show, just relaxing. You were normally home pretty early and just relaxed at the Tropicana resort bungalow, before going to bed ready for a new morning to come.

Highlights: There were a lot of highlights on this trip. One was learning more about that what you do on land effects the ocean and vice versa, but also working with amazing people who had such a passion for the conservation of both land and ocean. Learning new things such as mixing concrete, EM composts etc.

thailand beach

Seeing how “save Koh Tao”-community works together with dive schools like New Heaven Diving School to really make a change for the better and ensure that this little island still will be paradise for future generations.
Of course also being able to be outside from morning til evening was great.

And then we have the weather, the people, new friends and the whole experience. When volunteering you get to see all the wonderful things you’ll never see as a tourist and also experience things you normally don’t do as a regular tourist. You also get the opportunity to get involved in the culture and community, and get a greater understanding for the same.

This trip was the best 4 weeks holiday I’ve ever had, and it has made me want to do more of these kind of travels. I’ve already a new trip planned, this time for three months combining marine science studies with marine conservation work. This trip is also arranged with the help of Kaya Volunteer.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

How did you come to work for Kaya Volunteer in Peru?

I started working with Kaya last year. Heilwig Jones (the founder of Kaya) asked me to work with this project and I accepted because I think it is very important to show people the other side of Peru. I also enjoy working on these projects and believe social responsibility is something that is growing in Peru.

What needs are volunteers currently addressing in Peru?

We need a lot of different things in Peru, but education is definitely one of the bigest problems. We prefer our education volunteers to stay a minimun of six months to give the kids more time with the teachers. For other volunteer projects (improving infrastructure or building classrooms) time is not so important and volunteers can stay for 2-3 weeks and still have an impact. Health is another issue in Peru that volunteers help us address.

What can volunteers do after their time in Peru to continue making a difference?

This is probably one of the biggest questions we ask ourselves. We always want more volunteers to come to Peru and help us continue our projects. We help them stay involved after they have left through our alumni network.

Professional Associations

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