Program Reviews

My GVI Ghana experience has truly been phenomenal. The community in Ghana is one of the kindest I've had the pleasure to work in. Thank you for this life-changing opportunity.

I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a volunteering/internship in women’s empowerment courses.

The base and facilities at GVI Ghana are fantastic and the staff are so welcoming.

You will meet some incredible people out here, those in the community and those working with GVI Ghana too, you’ll make friends for life!

My experience at GVI Ghana has been life changing for me. I have been able to partake in once in a lifetime opportunities on the trips we have taken and made friendships I know will be long lasting. Most importantly for me however is the level of personal growth I have experienced, and I know I have changed a lot as I go back into my life at home. I came to Ghana after I finished my masters program and was at a loss where to go and what to do next. Being out here and working with the amazing staff and other participants with the aim of helping the community has helped me understand what I deem important and helped me understand what I want to do next moving forward into my career. Throughout the course of my six week stay in Ghana I had to overcome challenges that I had not faced previously which allowed me to gain skills leading to a notable increase in my confidence. This change I have witnessed in myself is possibly the most important thing I have taken away from my time at GVI Ghana. It has given me a level of self assurance about taking on upcoming challenges when I get a job that I did not have before coming here and am confident I wouldn't have gained without this time. If you are nervous about taking a risk and coming to GVI Ghana I wholeheartedly recommend taking the leap of faith, I was extremely anxious before coming but now I can't imagine not having gained the knowledge and friendships I have. I will be forever thankful to GVI Ghana for the best six weeks of my life and I hope other people are able to experience it too.

So many young people dream about this kind of experience! Very few actually do it, be that due to fear or ignorance or anything else - and since doing it, I've had countless people ask how and where and how can they join too. It couldn't be easier with GVI, and what an example of how worth it it really is! From inquiry to payment you are guided by the team through the phone, and then from airport to airport you have understanding, knowledgeable contacts to make the process smooth. And once here? It is only heaven. As my first solo experience out of my country, I couldn't have asked for a better introduction: to the field of study, to travelling, to Tenerife, to living communally, to respect and hard work and common interest and above all, FUN! The most fun I've ever had! Every boat trip beheld spectacles: turtles cruising metres from the boat, baby pilot whales dancing and playing, hundreds of spotted dolphins racing us..... Dreams upon dreams coming true. You live amongst young people and professionals, all as excited and generous as you. Even though I was only a volunteer, from my first boat trip the programme officer Lou noticed I had a particular interest in birds and proceeded to take photos of them every day, just for me. It is that generous effort that gives you faith in yourself, I feel; I'm worth her time and effort, so I can do this! My life feels utterly changed; I'm ready to begin my career, and with the contacts I now have? I know exactly how to do it.

Wow! I have had an amazing time with GVI Ghana. It has been such a unique experience and genuinely something I would do again and again if I could. This experience has truly surpassed my expectations of my gap year travels. I spent my birthday out in Ghana and it was such an amazing day! Everyone here, staff and participants, are so lovely and welcoming and it feels like a little family! I've loved the project work and being able to get to know the children and teachers and my time here has felt so fulfilling. This experience is something I will seriously hold in my heart for life!

There are so many wonderful parts of this GVI program I can go on and on about. In order to keep it short I will just mention a few parts.

1. The people you meet/help are grateful and appreciative of the work you do in the schools/communities.
2. You as the participant are in-charge of the kind of impact you want to have/leave.
3. The culture created on base is that of a working and supportive family.
4. The weekend excursions are a blast! The are a way for you as the participant to see other parts of Ghana as well as get to know the other participants better.

Firstly my first GVI experience was fun and I got a lot out of it, however my second experience was unbelievably bad and I will never use or recommend this organisation to anyone.
I booked a 2 month marine conservation programme last year and things were fine until our webinar where I realised I didn't receive an email from GVI with the necessary visa documents. I had to request they send me this email, which had been sent to everyone else months ago. When I got the documents I realised why it was sent out so early, the visa application was for a business visa and was very involved, it included a police check and a thorough medical, my CV, work history, etc. It was a week before Christmas when I received this email and I was flying out to my programme the first week of January.
I was told it was fine by the GVI support officer and I can get it all done in a week, this was not possible at all. There was absolutely no way to get this done beforehand and I received very little support from my support officer (probably because it was a week before Christmas). I called the embassy to see if I could get some help there and they assured me I would only need a tourist visa (I did outline exactly what I would be doing there). Two days before I flew out I was told by the support officer that I couldn't do the programme if I didn't have the business visa and the embassy was wrong. I decided this was more trouble than it was worth so I wanted out and asked for a refund. Was told I wasn't eligible for a refund as I didn't buy the $500 cancellation waiver at booking so I couldn't get my $10,000 for the programme back.
I wasn't going to just let $10,000 go so I flew out to the programme and tried to make the best of it and get my business visa (for a volunteer programme) in country. While there I received no help in getting my visa. I had to make my own way to Suva from the village (3 hour bus ride) and organise/pay for transport, medical, application, and accommodation.
I left after 1 month when I had completed my PADI Advanced Open Water course. I left for personal reasons as well as being unsatisfied with the programme/organisation. Now that I had left I thought I could put the whole mess behind me and enjoy my new diving qualifications. I waited a month for my diving card to arrive and contacted the Fiji project manager to ask if it had been sent there. Took about a week and multiple attempts to get a response and only after giving up and contacting PADI myself did I learn that I was not in their system. I then received an email from the programme and learned that the instructor had not submitted my data to PADI and he has since lost all record of my training. So $10,000 (plus the scuba gear I had to buy and the visa) and I still do not have my diving qualifications nor did I do any actual volunteering on the programme.
This organisation is not interested in your experiences or helping communities/environment etc, they only want your money and good luck to you if you give it, then you're on your own.
As stated at the beginning the first programme I did was fun and I enjoyed it, however the second time is beyond a disgrace. Do not trust GVI. Even when the programme was good it was not that good and it is certainly not worth the gamble. This has been the worst experience I've had with any business. If you want a good volunteer experience please check out Laos Conservation Trust for Wildlife (LCTW)

The best experience I’ve ever had. Amazing people and an amazing community. As a previous education volunteer I spent a lot of my time in the local schools. Working with the children was by far the best thing. They were so enthusiastic to learn and were always full of energy. During school I would work closely with individual children helping them with Maths, Reading and Phonics. In the school library there were helpful learning resources that helped me in providing good lessons for struggling children.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you GVI Ghana! I can’t say I’m not looking forward to having Libby home next Saturday, after a month in your care, but we will be forever grateful to you for the wonderful experience she has had and for the friends and memories she had made, all of which will always be part of her. As a post A’level student on a gap year, this is the first extended period we have had apart from Libby and her first extended time away. We couldn’t have wished for her to be taken better care of. From the moment she arrived with you and we received our reassuring introductory email, to the birthday celebrations, banners, birthday breakfast, party and party games along with her favourite chocolate cake, all lovingly organised by the staff 2 days later (and of course, including us in a bonus FaceTime call as she blew her candles out!) we knew she was in wonderful hands. I know the idea is that volunteers come over to you to 'give back’ and I’m sure (or hope!) she has, but, it's clear from the phone calls we’ve had, that she is getting so much back herself and gaining so much personally from the experience. The varied activities with the groups of children and women have given her such rounded experiences along with a sense of autonomy and appropriate levels of independence and choice in leisure time. As she begins her last week with you, I hope she can savour every moment, take in every sight, sound and interaction to enable her to hold this special time close to her heart for a long time to come. To any parents out there considering this type of experience for their child, I can’t recommend GVI highly enough. Let them do it, you won’t regret it; staff members Will, Carly, Esther Libby and Matt are fantastic and will make sure your son or daughter has the best time, looking after them responsibly as they would their own families.

I had the best time with GVI on Curieuse Island, Seychelles over 6 weeks. It became a home away from home. I'm an postgraduate Marine Biology student who graduated during Covid-19, so was unable to experience in the field studies, surveys etc. Therefore I chose to do an internship with GVI to get the hands on experience in the field. I have a passion for turtle conservation so felt very lucky to see two turtle nests hatch. GVI Curieuse also complete other exciting surveys with Aldabra Tortoises and Juvenile Lemon Sharks.
The staff on base were very helpful with assistance during the surveys and hikes. I originally struggled with the hikes, but it became so much easier after a few weeks. The evenings on base were fun with card games, quizzes, and murder mystery games. I made very close friends whilst on base, who made my time in the Seychelles even more enjoyable. Plus I felt like I learnt a lot about myself, and the personal journey was amazing. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, but I'm so grateful for the experience.
I'm hoping to apply the newly learnt skills to potential jobs in the future.

I had the best time with GVI on Curieuse Island, Seychelles over 6 weeks. It became a home away from home. I'm an postgraduate Marine Biology student who graduated during Covid-19, so was unable to experience in the field studies, surveys etc. Therefore I chose to do an internship with GVI to get the hands on experience in the field. I have a passion for turtle conservation so felt very lucky to see two turtle nests hatch. GVI Curieuse also complete other exciting surveys with Aldabra Tortoises and Juvenile Lemon Sharks.
The staff on base were very helpful with assistance during the surveys and hikes. I originally struggled with the hikes, but it became so much easier after a few weeks. The evenings on base were fun with card games, quizzes, and murder mystery games. I made very close friends whilst on base, who made my time in the Seychelles even more enjoyable. Plus I felt like I learnt a lot about myself, and the personal journey was amazing. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone, but I'm so grateful for the experience.
I'm hoping to apply the newly learnt skills to potential jobs in the future.