Volunteer Reviews her time in Kenya


Cheap Volunteer Prices for Volunteering in Kenya

Being able to volunteer with us for a short time, and at a fraction of the cost of Charity organisations appealed to University student Cassandra Badham.

Cassandra, who is studying for an English degree, wanted to spend 3 weeks volunteering in Africa before returning to her course. However, she found that many charity organisations spent months assessing as to whether you were suitable or not, wanted you to volunteer for a minimum of 6 months, and charged you an extortionate amount to do so.

She said that a friend at her church recommended Original volunteers to her, she discovered that we offered a wide range of projects at a very good price, and spent 3 weeks in Mombasa, Kenya as a result of this.

Subsequently Cassandra described her time there as ‘great’ and ‘fantastic’, and has recommended us to other people as well.

Cassandra said that she had been to Africa before, but that she had seen an item on the news about Mombasa and wanted to help.

While she was a little bit surprised to be teaching classes of children she adapted well, as she had a background in Education. She hopes that she was able to teach them things that will prove to be useful in life, and she left behind lesson plans for future volunteers

She said giving the children care and attention, and playing games with them made them smile. She enjoyed getting involved in all sorts of things from football and playing games, to working with the street kids, and digging potatoes. The key, she felt, was to be ‘flexible’.

She said that she felt very welcomed by the children, teachers, and the cook at the volunteer house where she stayed who gave her a great big hug when she returned at the end of each day.

She felt that her time in Mombasa gave her an insight into life in Kenya, and was amazed at how happy people who have so little can be. She felt that it put life in the U.K into perspective, and that the experience has taught her a lot about fending for herself.

We wish Cassandra well for the rest of her degree, and are very happy that we were able to help her to volunteer abroad for a short period of time, and at an affordable price.

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Student Reviews her time in Morocco


UNIVERSITY STUDENT WAS SAD TO LEAVE VOLUNTEERING PLACEMENT IN MOROCCO

A University student was sad to leave her volunteer project in Morocco as she made so many new friends, and loved working with the children.

Rosie Martin, who is in the final year of her English Literature degree volunteered for 2 weeks in the summer of 2009 at Orphanages in Marrakech, Morocco. Despite only being there for a short while she quickly made new friends, felt that the ‘group gelled’, and worked as a team, and has kept in touch with many of the people that she met.

Equally she was sad to leave the children at the Orphanage behind as she felt that she had got to know them well, really enjoyed playing games with, teaching English, and Arts and Crafts to, and ‘entertaining, and educating’ them.

She was full of praise for Original volunteers, and our coordinators. Rosie was impressed by the variety of projects that we offered, that we were very reasonably priced, and that you could take part in projects for as little as a week. Equally she was impressed with our coordinator in Morocco saying that he helped them to arrange days out, told them about good places to go to on days off, had an amazing amount of energy, and was happy to listen to the volunteers.

Rosie had become acclimatized to the temperatures, and the culture by the time that she left, and described volunteering in Morocco as ‘brilliant’, and ‘amazing’. Rosie hopes to volunteer with us again.

We wish Rosie well with the final year of her degree, and look forward to arranging for her to volunteer abroad again in the future.

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Volunteer Reviews Marrakech


VOLUNTEER DESCRIBES TIME IN MARRAKECH AS ‘BRILLIANT, DIVERSE, EXCITING, AND MAGICAL’

Susannah Moss was a volunteer in Morocco in November 2009, and described her time in Marrakech as ‘brilliant, diverse, exciting, and magical’.

Susannah thoroughly enjoyed the variety of working at a number of different Orphanages during her stay, and the flexibility of being able to teach a cross section of subjects to the children. She described the children at the Orphanages as ‘Great, fun, friendly ,and polite’.

She found her fellow volunteers to be ‘friendly’, and ‘easy to get on with’, and described her accommodation as ‘really lovely’. She said that she loved having a Roof terrace to ‘chill out on between volunteering’, and added that it was in a great location situated in walking distance to both the old and new parts of the town.

Susannah was full of praise for our coordinator in Morocco saying that he went out of his way to help people to get the most out of their experiences in regards to volunteering abroad, and visiting the Country, and to make everyone feel ‘safe and happy’. She added that it helped that he understood Morocco so well, and that his spoken English was perfect. She was also pleased that with his help they were able to explore the Country, including a visit to his own Village.

Susannah said that her time spent in Marrakech was ‘a great experience’, and added that she would ‘highly recommend’ it both to people who are travelling alone, or with other people.

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Volunteer in Ghana Praises Original Volunteers


A woman from Yorkshire who was a volunteer in Ghana with Original volunteers said that she chose to volunteer with us because we were ‘Kind, helpful, and encouraging’, and had a wide variety of placements.

Samarie Giles, who works in a midwifery department at a hospital  spent almost a month teaching basic Maths and English to, and making Arts and Crafts with children at 3 school placements in Ghana.

She described the experience as ‘absolutely amazing’, adding that it was a ‘fantastic placement’.

Samarie was full of praise for Original volunteers saying that she had looked at other companies, but that we had the widest variety of placements, and that Original volunteers had given her lots of information, and had been ‘kind, helpful, and encouraging’.  Indeed, she enjoyed her time so much that she is hoping to volunteer abroad with us again in 2010, but this time in Brazil.

Samarie urged any volunteers going to Ghana to take a supply of pens, and paper with them for the children as they desperately need them in the schools.

She said that she had made friends with people that she hopes to keep in touch with from ‘Middlesborough to Barcelona’.

Samarie added that the experience ‘makes you realise how small your life is, and how big the world is’, and that her time spent in Ghana had put her life into perspective. She added that she was moved by how warm and loving the children of Ghana were.

It was a pleasure to arrange for Samarie to volunteer in Ghana, and we look forward to arranging for her to volunteer in Brazil in 2010.

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Volunteer Reviews her time in South Africa


My Volunteer Experience in South Africa

So I arrived to start my new position as a volunteer in South Africa, having been picked up at Pretoria airport by the sanctuary manager, blissfully unaware of what the week was going to entail. There were six other volunteers working on a shift system when I arrived. The plan of action to get the monkeys fed and cared for every day. If we weren’t there to do it, no-one else would.

My first shift I was given food prep and observation. I was glued to the monkeys and realised that some of them knew what I was going to do before I did it. I made loads of friends in my first week, and with the other volunteers too!

I learnt so much and hadn’t realised quite what an experience it would be. The monkeys were so sweet and loved a cuddle and to play. It was quite easy to spend a whole afternoon with the monkeys rather than taking the afternoon break.

The highlights of my two weeks apart from the monkeys was the evening barbecue and the weekend trip to Kruger Park. I arrived home full of enthusiasm to get back to being a South Africa Volunteer and can’t wait. Thanks to everyone at Original Volunteers for all their help in creating this experience.

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Eleanor Bushell-Jones Morocco


Co-Ordinator’s name

Abs

What members of staff do you remember?
Rashid, Fatima, Abs, cleaner

Why did you want to volunteer?
Expand my experience of working with children, experience working in a different environment

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Do you feel you made a difference, how?
I felt the children had fun during the time I was with them.

What did you do for fun?
Sahara trip, waterfall trip, eating out

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Alex Dobbing Ghana


Names of staff involved in your programme

Rebecca, Fred, Dominic

What members of staff do you remember the most?
Dominic, who was a local and lived at the house. He was helpful and really made me feel comfortable.

Why did you want to volunteer?
I wanted to experience a difference culture and help people at the same time

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
I feel that I made a difference as I helped with the building project.

What did you do for fun?
We visited the waterfalls, bead market and the national park, which was amazing. We also went out and had drinks and meals.

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?
The most amazing experience was the treetop walk, it was beautiful and extremely rewarding.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
Everyone! Everyone was there for the same reason and wanted to enjoy their time and meet as many people as possible.

What were the names of the best places to hang out and socialise, why was this?
Freds Café, mainly because it was the only place with internet and computers! Other than that the volunteer houses held some pretty good parties.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?.
I doubt I would go to Ghana again, simply as I would want to try something new. I probably would choose original volunteers, because they are so cheap to book with.

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?
TORCH IS A MUST. And probably some food to have in the morning and a blow up pillow!

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?
I’d say make sure you’re up for anything and everything, take a torch, a raincoat and make sure you know what YOU want to get out of it.

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Alex Goldring Ghana

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Names of staff involved in your programme

Rebekah, Fred, Richard, Appiah

What members of staff do you remember the most?
My housekeeper Richard as I saw him the most and he was always friendly.

Why did you want to volunteer?
As I wanted to gain life from another perspective and so that I could help people that are less fortunate.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
Yes as I could see the school building going up and up construction wise.

What did you do for fun?
I went to Cape Coast, Kumasi and Kokrobite on separate weekends with a group people. I also went to the local waterfalls and bars on the nights.

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?
At Kokrobite where you could just relax and soak the culture in.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
I made friends with everybody as everybody was in the same boat together and all wanted to make a difference.

What were the names of the best places to hang out and socialise, why was this?
Vibes café, internet café, premier bar, Atibie volunteer house!

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?
Maybe, as they are really helpful and the co- coordinators are amazing!

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

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?
Chocolate, portable shower

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Fiona Brown Ghana


Names of staff involved in your programme

Fred, Rebeca, Apiyah, Sam

What members of staff do you remember the most and why?
Sam was excellent as the volunteer co-ordinator in Asaka house and as there was so many of us he stayed actually in the house which was really useful as we could talk to him about our concerns but he was also really fun to be around and was really knowledgeable about the Ghana itself and where we should go on weekends.
Fred was very useful to have in charge of the project out there as it seemed he controlled even the police! When some Ghanaens tried to stop us passing down a road one phonecall from Fred was all it took and we were away!

Why did you want to volunteer?
I had a long summer and I wanted to do something productive with it and as I have worked with children before I thought I could use my skills to help disadvantaged children and discover a different culture and see (some of )the world

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?
I really enjoyed going to do the outreach project where we took a water filter, food, clothes, stationary and other resources to a remote village. It was like something you see on children in need and it was amazing knowing that families were fed for the next few nights and that these people were thankful for the gifts you were giving.

What did you do for fun?
On the weekends we travelled with people from our house which I really enjoyed. All the people in our house got on really well, so that helped! Kokorobite and Lake Bosomtwe were my favourites, athough the canopy walk at cape coast was something not to miss too. During the week going out to Kaabs was a social event or going to Fred’s bar and meeting with the other houses which was fun.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
All of our house got on really well while I was there and as we were all there for a similar amount of time we didn’t have any new people for 2 weeks so we all had time to bond. I have made some proper friends who I am going to meet now we’re back and there’s lots of people I’d like to keep in contact with.

What were the names of the best places to hang out and socialise, why was this?
Kokorobite was a fantastic weekend as the food and drinks were amazing (and cheap) and it was full of white people! It was a nice change from being the only obrune about! The music and bonfires were good and sunbathing on the beach and looking round the stalls were great.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers? Please explain why.
Yes. I’d love to travel somewhere different but go with a purpose (eg, helping street kids/teaching) Original volunteers placements are more affordable than some others and if you have any problems there is a good network of people who are there to help.

What would you say/recommend to a friend who was interested in volunteering?
I would recommend that they go and experience it

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack?
Torch – powercuts are frequent
British food – eg, tins of tuna, cereal, peanut butter, nutella, chocolate, crisps (you will really miss what you caan’t have) DVDs- if we had been told that there was a dvd player I would have brought some…instead there were only 3 in the house which we had to watch over and over again!

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?
It is great to go in the summer as there are plenty of other volunteers to socialise with and it isn’t too. Keep an open mind, take every opportunity as it comes and enjoy yourself. It is a once in a lifetime experience!

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Louise Hawkins South Africa

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Why did you want to volunteer?

I wanted to work with animals and travel, meet new people and experience Africa.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?

I feel we helped out a lot yes.

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What did you do for fun?

We played games most nights where everyone got involved, that was fun! Also, there was a pool next door where we were allowed to go so went there on our days off to sunbathe. The ‘work’ we did was fun, playing with monkeys isn’t hard! There’s also a bar next door where drinks were cheap so we’d all go there often. There are different types of safaris, we did one that cost around £30 (travel included) which was amazing! Also a shopping centre nearby which has an internet café and there are some good shops – a shop like primark! There is an airport about 30 minutes away which we used to fly to Cape Town for a few days, an incredible place that I would recommend anyone doing this project to visit.

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

Playing with the monkeys was so much fun, they are very entertaining and had lots of fun. The most enjoyable experience I had in South Africa was in Cape Town when we went to Robben Island, it’s such an interesting place! When we went to the safari, we saw an elephant. The park ranger told us to be really quiet and not to startle it. The elephant then crouched down and went to sleep – something the ranger had never seen, he was astonished that it put itself in such a vulnerable position when we were only about ten metres away from it. I turned on my camera and it made a loud noise, it does this every time it’s turned on but I forgot this! The elephant jumped up and started coming towards us. Me and three other young girls were terrified! The ranger told us to stay still and not make any noises – it’s not easy to stay still when in an open top car and an elephant is angry with you! It then gave the car a warning stomp so the ranger slowly moved the car up the road, he said he didn’t want to move away completely because the elephants hadn’t lived there long and he had to stand his ground and make them know we’re not scared of them. A few minutes later, another elephant appeared out of the bushes with a tag around its neck. The ranger asked if that was the one that had given the warning stomp but we assured him it wasn’t and he let out a sigh of relief, telling us that she is the ‘Matriarch’ (the leader) and if she gives the warning signal, you’re in trouble. Two minutes later, she gives us the warning. The next thing we know, we are being chased by around twenty elephants, speeding over bumps and through bushes to try and escape them. This lasted for a good ten minutes. Eventually getting away from them, our hearts pounding and absolutely petrified! Such a scary experience but a very funny memory when we think back on it!!

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Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?

Everybody! All the people there were lovely and easy to get along with. The girl I went with, who I met through Original Volunteers, and I made good friends. We also met a girl there who we are going to see in Australia sometime this year!

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers? Please explain why.

I wouldn’t go to that one again but would 100% use original volunteers again! I think there are so many places to visit in the world, it would be silly to go there again!

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?

Definitely take a raincoat! We went in their summer but it rained quite a lot. Also take socks and long pants for the morning feed because there is long grass and creepy crawlies. A head torch is essential as you feed the monkeys before sunrise. They do sell UK brands like Cadburys bit it’s not the same at all. So chocolate and biscuits would be good to take. I took hot chocolate which was great on cold nights by the fire.

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Jerome Yin Tanzania


Names of staff involved in your programme:

Willhard Mbogela, Bernadetta

What members of staff do you remember the most?
Co-ordinators (Willhard and Bernadetta) What were your impressions of the accommodation? It’s much better than I could ever expect. I lived in the town house, whilst the other one is a little far away. Mine is generally decorated well, and the location is quite convenient.

Why did you want to volunteer?
Volunteer projects provide great opportunities to build wider knowledge, make new friends, and enhance team-working skills at the same time. It not only does good for myself, but also enables me to make an effort to contribute to the society. In particular, to be in Africa has always been a dream since I was still a little child.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
Yes. I taught English and Maths at a local primary school where I took care of the kids, gave them presents, and played games with them. I’m happy that the kids liked me, and I’ve also introduced some new teaching methods to cheer them up and make them feel more interested in their studies.

What did you do for fun?
I went to the safari in Ruaha National Park with many other volunteers. I took lots of fantastic photos and made many new friends, too.

When was your most enjoyable experience, do you have an interesting story?
I really enjoyed my teaching experience at Star International School. The kids there are just cute and smart, and the teachers are friendly as well. I felt especially touched when my students said “Thank you and welcome back again” on my last day there. It was a truly nice feeling that I will never forget in my whole life.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
Karen, Conniba, Derry, Sam, Robyn, Anna, John, Chris, Abbi, Jeff, Hannah, Georgie, Zoe, James, Stephen, Anil, Kelly, Kirsty, Emma, Alice, Sita, and many other volunteers and local people. The reason is simple – they are the nicest guys I’ve ever met.

What were the names of the best places to hang out and socialise, why was this?
I would recommend Neema’s Crafts Cafe, Shooter’s Pub ’n’ Cuisine, and Jewellery Store. They are the best restaurant, bar, and handcraft store in town, respectively. Shooter’s, in particular, has been a great place to watch football that we went there almost every night and had a nice time watching EURO 2012.

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?
Please explain why. May well. I appreciate the cultural diversity and want to travel around the world. OV is reliable and has a good reputation in its industry. Next time maybe Southeast Asia.

What would you say/recommend to a friend who was interested in volunteering?
You can give a shot with Original Volunteers who’s professional and has been run for years. As far as I know, its projects in Africa are not bad and some are free of charge (exc. registration fees).

Could you offer any tips to future volunteers?
If you would like to give any gifts to the local kids, try not to buy them in your home country but in your destination. This not only makes your luggage less (and hopefully spending as well), but also does better for the local economy.

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies

Emmanuelle Lipski – Ghana


Names of staff involved in your programme:

Frederic, Richard and Rebecca

What members of staff do you remember the most and why? Fred took us around on our first day and was always available to answer our questions.

What were your impressions of the accommodation?
The house was very nice!

Why did you want to volunteer?
I have always wanted to visit a country “differently”, not as a tourist. Working with the local people helped me to feel like one of them and taught me a lot.

Do you feel you made a difference, how?
Everyone makes a difference. I was teaching in a school that had been built by previous volunteers. If they hadn’t been there to make the difference, the school wouldn’t have been there

What did you do for fun?
We used to travel at weekends, and on week days go to the market and the nearest towns.

Who did you make friends with and for what reasons?
Mainly the people I was sharing my house with because we were together all the time, but people I was working with as well. Teamwork strengthens friendship

What were the names of the best places to hang out and socialise, why was this?
Other than the project places, we used to go to Vibe’s café, Sam’s café to have a drink or a meal

Would you considering going again or perhaps to another project with Original Volunteers?Please explain why.
Maybe go to a different place, to experience something new. For a first time it was great but I would hope to do something a bit more “active” next time

What would you say/recommend to a friend who was interested in volunteering?
You don’t need to have any experience to go volunteering, for a first time Original Volunteers is very relaxed

What items would you suggest future volunteers pack? Mosquito nets, snacks, sun cream and a camera!

Read more about our: Volunteers in African Case Studies