Oggy Oggy Team

Getting set up with the volunteer program in Palawan with Team Oggy Oggy has been an amazing experience. From inquiring, planning, to post traveling, the team has been exceptional with communication and very helpful with every single travel detail. Every question I had answered in such a quick response. I received a packet prior to the trip that pretty much answered every question I had.

When getting to the Philipinnes, it is very safe and easy. I'm a female solo traveler and felt very safe in everywhere I was. Filipinos are actually very good at English so it's easy to communicate. The team set up a taxi van for me, making it really easy once I landed. Everyone onsite from the coordinator to the volunteers we're so helpful and easy to get along with, that it was an amazing time to work there.

The volunteering itself impacted my life knowing that I helped with the education of the children in this town. The team onsite is also very flexible where they allow you to volunteer in other departments while there as well. The village itself is right on the beach where the sunsets are like no other. The village is HUGE into basketball, so every night there are basketball games that you can watch and get to know everyone in the town. It is such a unique and heart warming experience to volunteer in a rural village like Palawan.

Overall - Nick, the founder of Team Oggy Oggy really does go above and beyond to make sure your experience is flawless. I've done my fair share of volunteer programs, and no company has been as cost effective, personable, and easy to work with. I get hesitant with big volunteer organizations, which is why I chose Team Oggy Oggy - as they personally work with every local village for their programs. It was such a great experience, I'm already looking into other programs to volunteer through Team Oggy Oggy, as your 1 year registration fee gives you access to unlimited volunteer programs within their capacity.

I had an amazing 2 month backpacking and volunteering thru Sri Lanka.
From day 1 I knew I would fall in love with the country. Srilankans are kind, amicable, very polite and curious about foreigners. It is a Budhist country which makes it a very noble one.
From my arrival to my departure I learnt something new every single day. I had the opportunity of both backpacking and volunteering. I traveled to the beach of Ambalangoda and volunteered with the turtle conservation program. I also volunteered in Kandy teaching english to young monks and assisting in an orphanage.
The staff are all amazing and always ready to help and guide us through everything. The accommodation is simple but clean and spacious. The country's culture can be shocking and intimidating but in a good way. You get to see the world through the eyes of a completely different civilization.
My time there was full of purpose and meaning. Volunteering for orphan children or teaching monks meant learning both for them but I also learnt a lot about myself.
I didn't want to leave when my time there came to an end. The happiest I have ever been, would do it all over again every single year.

Thanks to the Oggy Oggy Team for introducing me to beautiful Nepal! It was a destination that I thought I would never attempt on my own but the Oggy Oggy Team looked after me every step of the way. The introductory week in Kathmandu was amazing. I learnt so much about the country and the people. I also met some incredible likeminded people from many different countries, all on their own journeys. Gaining confidence in the language was invaluable as I feel I was able to get the most out of my trip.

During the first week I took part in a Nepali cooking class. The food we created was delicious and since my return home have made attempts recreate the magic and share this with my friends.

By far my favourite aspect was when I volunteered to teach children English. The kids were so excited when I arrived and they all wanted to chat with me. I volunteered to teach them English and I was amazed at how much they picked up in the short time I was with them. Despite this language barrier I never felt communicating with them difficult. Laughing is universal!

I was also able to indulge in my passion for yoga for a few days before heading home. This was a perfect end to my two week adventure. I will definitely be back for more after this short introduction to this incredible country.

One of my lifelong aims was to visit Vietnam and now I am retired I found the perfect opportunity
through the Oggy Oggy Team. I thought it was just for young people, but how wrong I was! The team talked me through all I needed to know and I felt very reassured as I so wanted to do some
volunteering and be part of a useful project. The idea of working in a soup kitchen really
appealed to me and you don't need masses of qualifications for it! The team organised everything for me and when I arrived I was met at the airport and made to feel very welcome
and all my fears and anxieties just disappeared. From then on I had such a wonderful time and the first week where you are introduced to the culture, local customs, history and sightseeing was
so helpful and helps to ease you into a new and exciting way of life.
The food kitchen was great fun, very manic, but you feel that you are doing something really
worthwhile and the cuisine was very interesting. In the accommodation I hadn't shared a dorm
since school days but it was such a lively mix of different nationalities - it just opens up a whole new world. I can't recommend this enough.

Where to start with Vietnam. Amazing country, and even more amazing people.
The college where I was volunteering was walking distance from the accommodation, so not difficult to get to every day. The students were so keen to learn English from a 'proper English Lady'. First time I've been called that for a little while. For the first couple of days, I helped the teacher with reading and conversation, then as I gained a bit of confidence, he encouraged me to design my own interactive exercise, which was great and had all the students laughing. When class was over, they all wanted to stay afterwards and practice their English. The accommodation was reasonably basic, but I met lots of other volunteers from other countries who were doing all sorts of different activities. It was great to swop stories at the end of the day. Just a pity there's no beer allowed in the dorm, but we found a couple of lively bars ( recommended by the hostel staff) where there was plenty of action going on.
Great value for somebody like me on a teeny budget. Would definitely do a longer programme next time and travel out of the city.