Saira Khan – Review


Why did you want to volunteer?
I am studying for a PGCE and thought it would be a good idea to get some teaching practice in a classroom.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
Yes, at the girl’s home in particular there was a girl I got close to who was having problems at school and I was able to help her with some basic maths.

What did you do for fun?
Went to the ruins at chichen itza which was amazing. Not like anything I’ve seen before. It was super hot.

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?
The children were adorable and so friendly when we arrived each day. They really looked forward to us coming. I took some colouring pencils and glitter pens which were appreciated which was nice.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
With the other volunteers you can’t not make friends. I am still close with a couple and we meet up every so often.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?
I want to visit Africa but not sure about the jabs and everything I would need to organise for a trip like that, Mexico was easy to organise, I did everything in a week.

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?
Insect repellent – I used lots.

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?
Try a few projects before deciding which one you want to do. Although I chose Mexico to teach, spending time at the girls home was a real unexpected surprise so I went a few times during my time there.

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Ffion Brooks – Review


Hi guys, here’s my review as requested…

Why did you want to volunteer?
The most amazing thing? Making friends with the children in the shanty and giving them lots of support. Some really need it and come in a terrible state each day.

Best memory?
The birthday party we organised and seeing the children’s faces.

Best bits about free time?
The beach at Mar del Plata. I was lucky to be in Argentina during their summer and took full advantage.

Tell us about the people
The Argentinians love the English although that isn’t what people told me before I went. They love to practise their English on you, we were never without company on our nights out.

Would you consider volunteering again and where?
Yes. I would like to go to Peru as I had no time on this trip.

Tips for future volunteers?
Bring some ideas or you will run out after a few days.

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Craig Russell – Review


Why did you want to volunteer?
I just finished my degree and wanted a break before work.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
Some of the projects don’t have as many staff as at home so I think we helped just by being there.

What did you do for fun?
Trekking and the otovalo market, although it’s a bit touristy and you can get the same stuff for less in Quito the atmosphere at Otovalo was special and made a nice day out.

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?
For me day one was the best experience, just taking your new surroundings in and so many different experiences and new friends in 24 hours.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
I made friends with one of the staff at a nursery I was working at. They invited me to a family party which was great fun.

What were the names of the best places to hang out and socialise, why was this?
There were too many bars and cafes to mention – there wasn’t one in particular and there was a good crowd of foreigners and backpackers around to make friends with aswell.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?
I wanted to fit in Peru this time but my budget wouldn’t stretch, maybe next year.

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?
A jumper and waterproof jacket as it can get colder in the evenings and it does rain a bit sometimes.

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?
Make friends with local people and invite yourself, they are all so friendly but you can’t be reserved. That way you get more out of the experience.

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Aisling Fletcher – Review


Why did you want to volunteer?
I always wanted to visit Mexico and thought volunteering would be a good option.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
I worked in a few different projects so not sure how much of a difference I made to the children, but it was great doing different things in totally different places.

What did you do for fun?
Evenings in the city centre listening to the street music.

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?
Not really, although it was funny teaching English when you can’t speak Spanish but I managed it okay in the end.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
There were twelve of us in the volunteer house so it wasn’t hard to make friends as you all live and work together.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?
Yes I would definitely do another project, probably Thailand or Cambodia if I can save the money.

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?
Clothes for hot weather! It gets really hot there, everything sticks!

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?
Teaching is the best type of work even if you’ve never done it before, maybe playing outdoor games a close second.

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Rebecca George – Review


Why did you want to volunteer?
I wanted experience Argentina and what it;s like for the children living in the shanty town and try and help in any way I could.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
Yes I think we made a difference. Two girls changed their behaviour in the time I was there just because we had enough in our group to spend time with them and play skipping and some word games. I hope with enough volunteers that every child gets some attention so the same can happen again.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?
I am considering Cambodia because I have heard some great things about the place and some friends have been already.

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?
Activities for the children because you don’t want to rely on what the charity has as they can run out.

How much money would you suggest you take per week?
£150 should be plenty, I spent more but I ate out more. And you need to allow £20 a week for your project transport.

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?
Be prepared to see children affected by really poor ugly conditions in a city. I met one girl who was only thirteen and pregnant, it was very emotional but we tried to involve her as much as we could because she still wanted to do everything the others were.

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Vero Musitano – Review


I spent 4 weeks in Paraguay living with the family and overall I would say it was a life changing experience.

It made me stronger as a person and more able to handle things on my own. The family were wonderfully friendly, far more than I had expected and went out of their way to help me. They even offered me their only electric heater to warm my room up at night!

I spent the first 2 weeks just hanging out with the family and trying to practise my Spanish, my parents speak Spanish but never with me so it was a good way to finally learn some! Then week three I started teaching some english to the neighbour’s children which was new to me. I did the alphabet and some other basic phrases and they learnt really quickly and seemed to enjoy my visits. I would recommend planning some things and getting some materials before you come out as internet is problematic and does not always work in town when the electricity goes off and it’s just easier to have everything already in your bag.

I did a weekend at the falls on the brazilian border. I did both sides and would recommend the brazilian side if I had to choose one! You can go up to the bottom with a speedboat but my budget unfortunately didn’t stretch to extras.

If anyone wants to really get into south american culture and live like a local, this is deinfitely the project to choose!

Lots of love and luck to everyone!

Veronika M

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Connor Lane – Review


Why did you want to volunteer?
I wanted to be able to travel on my own and make friends at the same time. I have travelled around Europe before Interailing but it’s hard to make friends when you are at different hostels each night.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?

Yes we definitely made a difference to the children. They seemed to love having volunteers around and they were easy to make friends with from day one!

What did you do for fun?

Bars, cafes and the city centre. I was surprised at the number of bars in the city and we worked our way round quite a few!

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?

Teaching the children at the school new sports and games. British bulldog was quite popular and I managed to pass on some basketball techniques to some of the girls.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?

Yes but not to Merida as I have done this one now!

What would you say/recommend to a friend who was interested in volunteering?

It’s a great way to travel on your own without all the hassle of moving around between places with taxis and buses when you don’t speak the language. In Merida everything felt like home because you have people there to help you out if you need anything.

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?

You have to give it 100% and not holdback because the time goes so quickly, my 3 weeks felt like 1!

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Nicola Fairclough – Review


Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?
I would absolutely, volunteering helps you to learn about yourself and the world around you. I am definitely a better person for it.

What would you say/recommend to a friend who was interested in volunteering?
Just do it. Throw yourself right in and take everything as it comes. All my best times volunteering were the unexpected things, the planned activities were never the same as the last minute ones.

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?
Trainers for running around and casual clothes as you will be working in a really rough area. I wore my project tshirt and a hoodie, jeans and trainers, you really want to blend in. Don’t wear your jewellry either or a watch, you don’t need them and I think it makes the children feel awkward.

How much money would you suggest you take per week?
I managed on £100 a week including the taxi to get to the project each day, all my food and nights out. Other people who were with me were spending £150 a week so I guess it depends.

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?
It’s a massive modern city but the work you do with the kids in the community project is something really special as there are not many other people helping them so go with an open mind and be prepared for extremes each day, on the one hand modern Buenos Aires and then the next minute total poverty and serious problems. It can be quite difficult to take in at times and was heartbreaking to leave.

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Jules Bradford – Review


I arrived in Paraguay after two months travelling around Bolivia, Argentina and Peru and staying in hostels. I chose the project because I wanted to stay in one place and soak up the local life. It was also a more affordable option to live with a family than in a hotel and easier to meet local people.

During my stay I helped with the animals, collected the eggs in the morning, learnt how to prepare the ox for work in the fields and taught a few maths classes at the local school.

The family were great, no complaints at all and I got invited to nearly every event that was going on in the community. The family also arranged a bbq for my last Sunday which probably cost them a fortune as it was whole cow! I did offer some money towards it of course, but I still felt humbled by the experience.

I think anyone who is looking for a real experience of life in another country this is the type of project to do!

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Abigail Popple – Review


Do you feel you made a difference, how?

Yes, we cleaned the stables, observed the mustangs for any problems, helped with the vet visits and prepared the food for the horses.

What did you do for fun?

Went to most of the local attractions, the space centre was for me the best.

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?

Working so close to the horses and seeing how they interact with people and like human company. The lady who runs the sanctuary can actually speak to the horses which was inspiring.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?

Yes I would love to do another project and stay for longer next time as I don’t think 2 weeks was quite long enough, for me anyway.

What would you say/recommend to a friend who was interested in volunteering?

Just do it. You’re not on your own as there are lots of other people doing the same thing and everyone is going through the same thing. When you get there it sounds like a cliche but it does feel like home because everyone lives and works together, unlike hotels where it’s hard to make friends. I am still in touch with everyone who was there with me.

How much money would you suggest you take per week?

You don’t need any if you stay at the sanctuary, it’s just when you do the attractions you’ll need about £120 a day for transport and the tickets for each one which can be expensive but most volunteers when I was there did at least one of the parks.

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Laura Hawes – Review


Why did you want to volunteer?

To make a difference in a poor community.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?

Yes by teaching the children and showing an interest in their lives, many of them had very little and one family still lived on a dirt floor even when it was cold at night! It was very upsetting and I got the family to help me buy a mattress from the local town which we brough back on the bus and some blankets which they really appreciated. They weren’t expensive and they made a big difference.

What did you do for fun?

The best free time trip I made during my stay was to the Iguazu Falls on the border.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?

Yes I would like to visit Paraguay in a few years but just to see how the family are.

What would you say/recommend to a friend who was interested in volunteering?

This sort of project is not for everyone as you may be the only volunteer there, but for me that was the most enjoyable part because the experience was all mine!

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?

Definitely you need a warm sleeping bag and really warm clothes if you go in july as it was freeeeezing at night! But we after a freezing morning on some days we went swimming in the stream and it seemed really hot, there was some vert strange weather!

How much money would you suggest you take per week?

£30 would be more than enough and often the family offer you free meals so it’s hard to spend your money quickly. There was only one shop nearby and that only sold cokes and crisps so you can save a lot of money if you stay with the family.

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Shelley Nicoll – Review


Why did you want to volunteer?

I had been to Florida before on holiday with my family but I wanted to go back and experience Florida as a local.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?

Yes we made a big difference by being there. There is only so much a couple of people can do looking after so many animals. I think we played a vital role in supporting the project.

What did you do for fun?

We sat around in the evenings chatting, having fun, playing games. There’s nowhere local to go in the evenings without getting a lift but we made up for it and made friends with each other!

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?

Learning to ride for the first time. I hadn’t been on a horse before the project.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?

Yes I would like to return to the States but I think I would like to visit another area next time.

What would you say/recommend to a friend who was interested in volunteering?

Definitely go for it! – there’s simply too much to do! I had already done the parks when I was younger but for other volunteers who haven’t it’s a real bonus in your free time.

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?

Old clothes are essential, some of my favourite clothes got mucky so I had to buy some new stuff, but America’s cheap to buy clothes and anything else you need.

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