Program Reviews

Would definitely recommend! I’m 18 and this was my first time solo travelling so it was great that volunteering in Nepal felt safe but still adventurous and exciting and I got to be fully immersed in a new culture. Teaching the women was difficult at times but also rewarding and fun and the women are so endearing and eager to learn. Staying with a local family was great - they were so hospitable and kind and the food was fantastic! A great way to experience the culture while having homely comforts.

The volunteer program was an ethical, engaging and family-friendly experience. It was so rewarding to be a part of the program, engage with students and teachers, learn more about their culture, and have a sense of contributing to the community. My family including a young child were able to witness the positive impact that volunteering has on communities.

The program has gone so well and has exceeded my expectations in many ways.

The teaching itself was not as challenging as I had imagined. The students at various levels were conversational, and willing to make mistakes, so the classroom was a fun and rewarding place to be!

The local team were so welcoming, accommodating and generous with their time, supporting the volunteers around the clock.

My time volunteering in Laos was absolutely fantastic. The local team were really friendly and helpful, they made sure you were comfortable with everything from the program to accommodation. The program was very enjoyable, I absolutely loved joining in and helping the kids with all their activities through out the day. Seeing their smiles and excitement when you walked into the room was lovely.
I also participated in the adventure week which was an amazing way too
immerse your self into the Lao culture.

My volunteering experience quite literally changed my life. It had always been a lifelong dream to volunteer in Africa and IVHQ made that happen in the best possible way.
Pre trip I was very supported through emails from IVHQ, as they would send me information and always answered any questions I had, which helped me reduce my anxiety.
During the program, the local team was amazing! From the moment you step off the plane, you’re supported by them. We were taught to move around and experience the place like a local, which was the best because it helps you immediately feel at home. I didn’t even think of getting homesick!
My placement was everything I had ever dreamed of: the students, teachers I got to meet. It was such a soul fulfilling experience.
And if that weren’t enough, the people you get to meet are everything! The people in our volunteer house became a family, it was such a special bond that I will forever cherish.
Overall it was such an incredible experience that I can’t recommend enough. Thank you IVHQ!

It was such a fun time. Being older didn’t make any difference. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming. It was great to meet the other volunteers and I made life long friendships. It was a great adventure working with the students while teaching English. The children were so open to learning. They all had a beautiful nature and we’re always happy to see us each day we arrived. The coordinators and the team were really helpful. I upgraded to single accommodation and it was outstanding. The food was good and everyone had plenty to eat. I would recommend.

As someone who has never traveled solo internationally I was so happy with my travels to Fiji. I never would have thought I loved Fiji as much as I did!!
The staff at Green Lion were exceptional and amazing in accoomodating us at our every request. The volunteer experience as a whole was so amazing and the community welcomed us like family as well as the Green Lion Workers. They were truely our friends. The work that was instructed for us to do was straight forward and not too out of reach. We were given more than enough time for free time to do what ever we wanted and to explore.

I would recommend this program to anyone that is interested in traveling abroad. It was lifelong dream of mine to go to the Galápagos Islands and this program gave me that and more.
The volunteering application is a very easy process. Once accepted into the program it becomes a little bit more time consuming, but if you read the program guide completely it is really fairly easy. If you do have problems, the staff is very knowledgeable and willing to help. They are also very good about returning phone calls promptly. They also email you with information that needs to be completed as you get closer to your departure wherever that may be.
Once on the project the accommodations at the volunteer house were fairly good for me. My only complaints were there were too many cockroaches in the common area, none in my room. Also it was way too hot in the common area because the air conditioner was not working. The air conditioner in my room did work, so overall it was okay. The food selection could have been better, but overall it wasn’t bad.

I went to Portugal to volunteer in a Youth Support project. The experiences I made were absolutely invaluable and in the one week I was there, I met some wonderful people. The hostel I stayed in was clean, the staff were friendly, the food was plentiful and the coordinators were always there to answers my questions. One of the highlights was getting to meet volunteers from all over the globe and discussing both similar and different experiences with them. I’ll miss the days out that I had with my group and looking forward to hearing about the day they had at their program.

Would recommend to anyone who wishes to venture outside of their comfort zone and try something different.

Great support for my 2 weeks of volunteering in Ho-Chi-Minh-City (in a soup kitchen, preparing food for those in need). You receive a lot of valuable information before, during and after the programme. Great local team! We also had a lot of fun besides working.
Great personal experience - can recommend to everyone.
It is a great feeling to give something back to the society. People really enjoyed to see how enthusiastic we worked during our volunteering programme.
Every detail of the programm (accomodation, food, working hours, working location) is described in detail in advance.

The information that IVHQ provided allowed me to make informed decisions. The organization that they used in Costa Rica was our on the ground connection. Everything went very smoothly. From arrival to departure, I felt comfortable.

I was met at the airport by a huge, yellow smiley face. From there I was taken to my host house. The owner of my host house was so gracious, kind, funny, and what a great cook! She made the best meals for breakfast and dinner. She was so accommodating. There were about 8 other people staying during my stay and our host coordinated everyone's meals, making sure everyone was well fed. Her home was very comfortable. The home was across the street from the last stop for the bus, and the bus stop to get to town was about 1/2 block away. Uber was always available as well. The only thing I'll say about the host house is this: we were in close quarters with others and we shared a bathroom. With different schedules sometimes people would be up earlier or later chatting or playing music. I would prefer something a little more private and my own bathroom. Also, this is the second country that I've visited where you throw your toilet paper in the trash. I would be ok with that if I wasn't sharing a bathroom with others. At least, I would be more ok with it, never totally ok with it.

My host, took my co-volunteer and I to our first day of service. We took a bus which was about 1/2 hour. There we were met by our guide, who took us to our first day at the childcare. The childcare location was about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes away. (The remainder of the we took an Uber to and from the childcare.) At this childcare location we volunteered from 8-12. It was non-stop. The children would begin the day with formal lessons followed by movement, lunch, and lastly free playtime. One day we walked to a park. The children were a lot of fun. It was less difficult than I thought it would be considering I did not speak a lot of spanish. We were able to communicate with the children and the staff well enough to make a contribution and be of help. Two days into the childcare I developed a terrible cough and lost my voice. I decided it would be best if I wasn't around the children, so I switched to the construction program. Everyone was so helpful. I must have bugged the front desk at least once a day. Everyone, was very helpful and always made things work out.

The ground connection was great. They have a building with a small snack stand, a computer room, a meeting room and meeting space, a travel agent to assist with all of your travel/transportation/activity planning. You can go to the front desk and get all of your questions answered there. I also took Spanish lessions there (which I think is their main business). One night a week they had salsa dance lessons and one night they had cooking class. I attended both cooking classes. The chef was a man of many hats, tour guide, driver, and much more I'm sure. The only thing I would like to have seen is a way to reach the company after hours. They had an emergency number, but I did not have my service. Whatsapp would have been nice. Luckily, I did not need after hours service, but a couple other people did and the response was a little slow. During the day it was great!

So I switched to the construction program. I cannot say enough about this place. The property sits on 2 1/2 acres and provides housing, medical care, child care, education, and much more to single mothers. You can google search to find out more.
My partner and I were given the assignment of painting the laundry room the first day. My partner supplied the music. We were accompanied to the project the first couple days, but then we took an uber. I think I could be a painter. This is the first time since my husband died in March of 2021 that I have been able to quiet my mind and really reflect on this burning questions of "who am I now?" We painted, scraped paint off the floor, and did a fine job. Wish I could attach a before and after photo. We were part of a group of 6 or so. The men were moving huge bricks and working on a two story building that was under construction. On the last two days we painted a cement mixer (to keep it from rusting). The laundry room painting was my favorite. There was a nice breeze and we were out of the sun, but even painting the mixer we were somewhat shielded from the sun.

My host friend invited me out to dinner on my last night there. She and her family took me to a restaurant, not sure where. Then they drove me to a surprise. The overpass overlooked the town of San Jose! Simply breathtaking!!