Program Reviews

Getting to meet and socialise with both new volunteers and locals was fantastic for me, as well as getting out of my comfort zone. The construction work I did especially felt quite rewarding. The coordinators are all great and are super easy to get along with. I did 4 weeks, with 3 weeks being in Ubud, Bali and the other week being in Nusa Penida to do the sea turtle program for a week. I found it to be a good balance between doing volunteer work and being able to relax and explore other parts of the areas in your free time. It was well worth doing.

When I first signed up for volunteering it was simply just to give something back and help others. The process to register and the information provided was very thorough and super swift. Ashlea was always on hand to support any questions I had. She was just brilliant.

I chose Sri Lanka as I felt it was different yet close to my own Indian heritage (my parents are from India). I also felt I could completely immerse myself into the culture and lifestyle.
The local team in Sri Lanka couldn’t do enough for you, always looking out for you, giving you advise and support as you need, including being your local travel agent giving you sight seeing options.

I love children so decided that I would choose child development programmes - Well what can I say, the two programmes I supported were so different but the children I assisted and taught were some of the warmest, purest and kindest children I have ever met, especially the village kids. They greeted you every day with so much energy, enthusiasm and love, such beautiful souls.

I started the programme wanting to make a difference and give something back however I can honestly say that actually this programme has been a gift to me and I am blessed to have been able to experience something that many will never get the chance to do ever !!

The journey has been an honour, good and difficult times but volunteering with IVHQ has definitely altered my perspective on life, in a very special way. I am forever grateful for the opportunity and experience. I am now back home and I appreciate everything in my life much more than ever but a part of me stayed with them kids in Sri Lanka ♥️.

So I would say if you’re thinking about it - don’t, just do it!! There are a lot of children out there that just need your time.
Trust me it’s a life changing experience.

The preparatory organisation was excellent. Information was provided in a clear concise manner, timely and there was always a prompt response to any queries or concerns. The personal preparation workbooks were really useful and certainly helped me prepare for the project and contributed to its success. The local team support was exceptional in every way. Questions or queries were treated quickly and considerately. The local rep was exceptionally knowledgeable and proactively helpful. All these factors contributable to one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Any volunteering trip that you do, you would meet the most amazing group of people from all over the world who share your passion. The work in itself is rewarding and the local team are always bubbly and willing to learn from you. We stayed on a remote island which gave us the chance to experience pure Balinese culture and learn from the locals. The amount of time you spend with the turtles is based around feeding time which leaves enough time to explore the island and on the weekends you can head back to the mainland

I had the best time in Bali, thank to IVHQ and the local team, and , now that I’m back home, I can’t stop thinking about the next volunteering trip with IVHQ. I was really well surrounded, from the preparation before leaving with my online correspondent, going through the local team and until the coming back home advices with an other online correspondent.
IVHQ told me everything I needed to know about the country, the culture, the food and the behavior I should have before leaving. They told me what I had to expect from the accommodation and the program there and it helped me making a precise idea of the trip and really reassured me before leaving.
Once I was there, I met the sweetest people, which was the local team, who were always happy to help, answer our questions or spending great time with us.
I had a lot of fun doing my program, I loved doing what we did, I loved thinking that we were useful and helping the local community and my coordinator were kind and funny.
The country itself was also really nice to visit, we were lucky to be surrounded by local people who were giving us advices on where to go and what to see and even helping us planning our weekends trips. I loved discovering Bali and its culture.
Finally, I’d like to say that I met so many amazing people, I got along with a lot of the volunteers who mostly were the same old as me, had the same “life situation” and the same points of interests. I made some really good friends there and will definitely meet them again soon!
Thank to IVHQ for the quality assistance that made me feel so safe before, during and after the trip.
My head is now full of amazing memories and experiences from that trip, I can’t wait for the next one!

I taught English in Cambodia for 3 weeks and it was an amazing experience! The staff was well mannered and very helpful. They did everything in their power to make sure the trip went smooth with no bumps along the way. The food was amazing and the school was as well! The living space was clean and overall it was incredible. I tried new food, met new friends, and explored new places that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I would recommend using IVHQ for volunteering abroad, as I will be using them again as well.

IVHQ has been amazing! I volunteered on the childcare programme in Ghana for 4 weeks and it was the most eye opening experience ever! The children were so amazing and taught me so much about myself, new values and morals, how to be humble, how to stay grateful, how to just be happy! However, I cannot write a good review without mentioning IVHQ or the local team! The programme manager who works for IVHQ was nothing but helpful and supportive before I went to Ghana, providing me with all information with my visa, my vaccination information, what to pack and what to expect! I’m very much a need to know person and this manager would call me and answer my calls privately just to explain things in more detail so I felt very much supported! The local team were amazing, I am thinking of going back next year to do the same thing with IVHQ and that’s only too see the local team as they are now real life friends to me! Unfortunately when I was in Ghana I got ill with a throat infection, just one of them things, the local team done everything in their power to ensure I was looked after well! They took me to the clinic, hospital, waited for periods of time for me in the hospital, up to 6 hours, they provided me with easier meals to swallow to the rest of the volunteers and done nothing but make me laugh and care for me! The local team provide you with trips at the weekend, down to the coast, slave castles, waterfalls and more, all which are accompanied with someone from the local team, your always in safe hands! Thank you to everyone involved with this company, thank you to my new friends in the local team! I will be back!

My experience with IVHQ was amazing! The local team were so kind and supportive. They took us to the town and showed us some beautiful shops to buy sulu and some gifts. We also had a cava ceremony which allowed us to learn so much about the Fijian culture and made us feel so included. The food was also delicious and every meal was provided which was amazing! I had the best time meeting and helping the kids at the kindergartens too. All the kids and teachers were so welcoming and grateful. I had the best time and will definitely be back!

I am so thrilled to have been part of this life changing experience volunteering in an overseas country. The local team was a great support throughout the adventure and were ever ready to help with any queries. It felt great to be directly contributing to an initiative that was helping the local community. Meeting with the children was also one of the best parts of the experience which made the impact feel tangible. In the school we were involved in various tasks such as tiling, scabbing, painting, form work etc.

I volunteered in Hua Hin, Thailand, for 12 weeks and had the most amazing time. This experience was my first time solo travelling anywhere, so at first I was very nervous. However, when I arrived all the staff and volunteers were very welcoming and made the volunteer centre feel like home. All the volunteering activities were well organised and transportation was perfect. The accommodation was clean and comfortable and the food was always tasty. If anyone is debating volunteering abroad, I would definitely recommend using IVHQ as their staff were helpful every step of the way and offered great support to make the process easy.