To be honest, entering the program I was very nervous because I had never traveled abroad with an organization outside of my university. However, there was nothing to worry about. My host family was very welcoming, ABV coordinators were very informative. All the staff at the clinic were also friendly and helpful. I learned a lot through my experience and it was interesting to see the differences with the US.
I had a unique experience since my family lives here in Guatemala, but my host family was very welcoming. Since I have such a big family, different relatives would go out with me, and I felt bad not being able to share as much time with my host family. However, the little time I did spend, they were extremely nice. I felt safe in their home, and meals were great.
Donations are always much appreciated in Guatemala. My family and I made donations to the clinic with medical equipment. However, I wish I would have had clothing donations and hygiene equipment like nail clippers, q-tips etc, to give to children that had dirty ears, dirty nails, or ripped clothes or clothes that didn’t fit anymore.
A Broader View Volunteers Corp
We arrange short-term international mission trips and long term volunteer projects in South America, Africa and Asia. Designed with flexibility and customized attention with volunteer options in African orphanages, teaching English, medical and dental volunteering, HIV awareness projects, conservation in national parks, animal welfare, environmental and community development.
I wanted to volunteer through a nonprofit organization based in the USA, Abroaderview was such an organization. They had a program in Nepal a country in a part of the world & had never visited & always wanted to see.
Nepal is a fascinating country. I enjoyed visiting the different sections of Kathmandu. I traveled to Lumbini and Chitwan & saw mountains, rice paddies, forest, and interesting towers.
The program that I chose was the teaching/Education and library programs. My Nepal coordinator, upon meeting me changed my school assignment to a more challenging one; I got to interact with more students both able-bodied & physically challenged. The teacher I was assigned to was most welcoming & allowed me to use the techniques I used as an ESL teacher in the states. The library program was a lot of fun. It gathered together children of different ages from the local community. We did many creative activities.
The accommodation was comfortable, clean and neat. It was near public transportation, a restaurant, and convenience store.
The host family was wonderful, a father, mother, 4 yrs old son, grandmother & grandfather. They did everything possible to make my stay a pleasant one. I felt very safe.
Roads & Traffic may not be what you’re used to. People have different ways of doing things. Go with the flow.
The weather was hot but not hotter than NYC. Cools downs at night. I slept comfortably. It was the beginning of the monsoon so be prepared for rain & mud.
We volunteered for 10 days at the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica, and we felt like family after just one day. The volunteer coordinators are so knowledgeable, the facilities are basic but fun, and the job is the most fun work we've ever done. We feel like the rewards we got from our work far outweighed the effort we put in. No matter what we asked, the answer was "Yes"! (Maybe not right away, but we got to try everything we wanted to while we were there.) Everyone on staff there is thoughtful and available to help volunteers. They even have staff who sweep and mop the dorm rooms every day or two.
They did accommodate all food issues: allergies, gluten, kosher, vegan!. We felt very secure and was happy to let my daughter move around the center property independently after the first day or so. Animal interactions were our favorite time. I also really enjoyed learning from the coordinators and going on the tours with our fellow volunteers. Every day was So Exciting!.
I choose Nepal because I wanted something out of my element. It’s a beautiful country and the people are amazing. I love special needs work and these kids are just amazing to work with!. The disable center is worth the 25-hour flights to get to Kathmandu. These kids are just everything to me now. They’ve impacted my life and I am so so sad to leave. It is the most fulfilling, fun experience I’ve had volunteering. They were worth every can.
The whole ABV program experience in Costa Rica was a little challenging, but also VERY rewarding. I didn’t take the Spanish course but wish I did. Although I have a very basic understanding of Spanish and was able to get by, it was difficult not being able to fully listen to others or express my thoughts. However, I did learn to use physical cues and phrases that I did know to understand what was going on, which really improved my communication skills in general. I enjoyed my time at the hospital, where I got to hold babies and entertain children whose parents were out. It was fun communicating with the kids, and they seemed to love the fact that they could help teach me Spanish while I was there. The other volunteers were very passionate, and I admired the work they put in. After each day at the hospital, I loved exploring San Jose and checking out the area. I had plenty of time on the weekends, each weekend was a three day weekend, and I took advantage of this by traveling to other areas. It was really nice staying with a local host, which allowed a full immersion experience.
