As an international volunteer with Cross-Cultural Solutions, you're making a meaningful contribution, working side-by-side with local people and sharing in the goals of a community that warmly welcomes you. You're experiencing another culture like never before and really getting to know its people. You'll gain new perspectives and insight into the culture and yourself. It's an exciting and personally inspiring experience, and you'll develop memories that will be with you forever.
WOW! I worked as a caregiver in an orphanage and the experience was awesome! The children were kind, wonderful and precious! They looked forward to me arriving each day and I looked forward to seeing them, too.
Three years later I still think about them and marvel at how those 3 weeks changed my life.
Kudos to the CCS corporate and Ghana on-site staff, too.
If you have an opportunity to contribute in this manner, GO...NOW...quickly. What are you waiting for?!?
I want to say that I had an amazing experience in Ghana but none of it was related to the CCS program. I think there are many things wrong with the CCS prgogram, however I think that for a first time international traveler it was appropriate. I would however not reccomend to people who are serious about volunteering. If you want to experince volunteer-tourism and do minimal volunteer work than its the right program for you. I I spent my free time at my placement. I emerged myself into the culture in ways that CCS could not have done. I could have done without the rules and forms and long introduction to the program.I missed meals, program activites and trips to spend time at my placement. I took full advantage and really did not spend time with CCS staff, volunteers or particpate in their activites.I think that CCS Ghana is corrupt and mis-informed. The resource center was mostly emptyThe staff does not follow the donation policy. They take food from the home base, they take donations from volunteers and they take unwanted clothing for themselves. Ghana CCS does not support community inititives and refuses to work with HIV groups, the Deaf school and organizations that promote sustainability and community outreach. The staff herds you to where they want you to spend your money. There are a few places they specifically urge you to go. Places like Devine Seamstress, the quilt maker at Wli waterfalls, the art shop and certain fabric shops in the market do not need the continuous income. The staff refused to give us other places in which we could spend money. They made no reccomendation. There is profit exchange going on. It is un-exceptable and clearly unfair and obvious to members outside of CCS community. People who are not directly supported by CCS have no good things to say about it and look badly on volunteers that come through the program.
Eventhough the breakdown of money is listed on CCS website there is NOT a realistinc and detailed breakdown of the money. I dont care so much except that CCS was not supporting the community and if I pay so much for someone elses pocket change then the flight should be included and the money should support the local community (sustainability). I wouldnt do CCS again. I dont regret it but there are better programs out there.
I signed up for a 7-week program with Cross-Cultural Solutions, but left after 2 weeks of working with them. Much of what I didn't like about the program is exactly what others praise it for. There was too much hand-holding, too many structured activities, and too much "volunteer-tourism" for what I was looking for. (I think the review of Costa Rica below mine captures the vibe of the program well.) But one thing completely ruined my experience with CCS, and that was the irresponsiblility and complete lack of support that I found defined the Salvador, Brazil program.
I left first and foremost because I was unhappy with how the program was run, and very disillusioned with the staff running the Salvador program. The staff had no respect for the concerns, opinions, and even safety of the volunteers. From the beginning, I felt pressure to become CCS's new English teacher, first on the part of Megan, the US pre-departure staff, and then on the part of the in-country staff. I was open to the idea, even though I am skeptical about foreigners teaching English in the third world in the first place. Naturally, I started to ask questions about my class: the class demographics, where the last teacher left off, what I was to be teaching, what the level of the class was, where the class took place, etc. But whenever I brought questions to Grace, the in-country program director, she got defensive. The consistent feeling I got from Grace, and the rest of the staff for that matter, was, "What? You don't want to teach English?" Rarely did I feel like my questions were answered. The program was suspended for two weeks during Carnaval, and afterwards I was supposed to start the class. I left for the break before Carnaval feeling as though I really had no idea what I was supposed to be doing in the English class.
The week before I arrived at CCS Home Base, a man climbed the wall into the home, and climbed through a window into a girls' room (where a group of volunteers were sleeping), and stole some things. Obviously, I wasn't there. But I was there in the aftermath and saw the way the staff handled (or mishandled) the situation. The week after the break-in, the staff installed barbed wire around the wall. Great, I understand that was to help reinforce the safety of the house. But I also saw that the nightguards slept every night. The guard was apparently asleep when the man broke into the house. And EVERY guard hired continued to sleep on the job in the weeks after the robbery. The girls who had been in the house when the break-in occurred said in two different feedback meetings, on their forms, and in casual feedback with the program staff, that they would feel much safer if the guards stayed awake throughout the night (after all, that is what they are paid to do.) The guards still slept on the job. I don't think that Grace or any other staff member even addressed what we all had talked about with the night guards. To me, this shows a blatant disrespect for the opinions, feedback, and-- most importantly-- the safety of the volunteers. For a program that "prides itself" on and advertises itself as developed on and appreciative of the feedback given by volunteers, it was clear to me that something was going wrong. My overall experience with the staff made me feel as though if something were to happen to me that was of real concern, I would have nobody to turn to. I didn't trust the CCS staff to help me out. To me, this shows a flaw in the non-profit. If these are the people the organization is paying to run its programs on the ground, something is wrong with the organization as a whole. I didn't agree with the way CCS was run, and I couldn't stay on with CCS.
When I left for Carnaval (and was still planning on coming back for 5 weeks,) the program site manager, Vinni, told me I could leave anything at base. So I left some clothing, toiletries, books, class materials, and medications neatly in a closet at the home. When I came back to the house, Vinni was very rude to me. He was cold when he spoke to me and shot daggers at me whenever I was in site. It was completely unprofessional, and I felt uncomfortable even being in the house long enough to pack.
Then, when I went upstairs to collect my things, they were gone. They had been scattered around the house. Most of my books were in the materials/ donation room, and I salvaged some of my clothes from a bag in the office. But other than that, my personal belongings had been thrown away. This included some books, my medications and birth control. I'm a little confounded that my personal belongings, especially ones relating to my health, would be thrown-out, especially since I was assured by the staff that my things would be perfectly safe left at the house.
I hope this gives you a good look at my perspective on CCS. I personally would not recommend CCS to anyone I know, or to anyone on this website. Your money is better spent in a non-profit that is run well, run for the people it claims to serve, and run by responsible staff.
I just got back from a week in Costa Rica with CCS and reread all the reviews because I was curious how they would read post-trip.
Surprisingly i thought both the positive and negative reviews all had valid points.
First of all, I think this is a program I would call volunteer tourism, set up primarily to give the participants a good experience. This is an important point, and anyone who goes to CCS expecting to make a significant difference in the lives of the people at the placement will probably be disappointed.
This is not necessarily a criticism of the organization. AS you can see from many reviews, many of the volunteers loved their experience, and even extended their stays, and when I get to my experience you may see why. But I don't believe any of the fee you pay goes directly to the placements. That doesn't mean they don't benefit in a small way from the volunteers. I am sure that overall they are grateful for them, but from reading the positive reviews, and from my experience, the deeper relationships in this program come from the other volunteers and CCS staff. I am sure there are better programs if you really want strong relationships with the people you are supposed to serve, or if you want to see some truly long-term meaningful or measurable accomplishments, I would suggest another program, probably one with a significant long term relationship with the placements you will be going to.
I have been in other experiences where you share a week with strangers in an intense work experience (like Appalachian Mountain Club work crews) so in some ways this was similar. You really do have a bond with people who shared the same experience, and sometimes these develop into friendships.
The program is set up, I think for people whom want a taste of the volunteering experience and the culture of the country. The positive reviews emphasize the support, the security staff, the good meals, the extra programs, and I might add, in my placements, bed linens that were changed daily, This certainly helps you feel comfortable as a SHORT-TERM volunteer. Adjusting to and working in a strange culture is hard at the beginning. CCS recognizes that.
In our placement at an orphanage I got exposed to a real-life Costa Rican social institution, got to organize activities and enjoy them with some wonderful kids, helped beautify some of the homes with gardening and pruning palm trees, and sand and paint a playground. I was enriched a lot..The orphanage was enriched...a little bit. But I don't believe CCS has the kind of deep relationship with the placements that would allow big changes...and maybe that is not a bad thing.
For me, the non-work structure was a bit too much. I didn't need the long orientation lecture, the endless forms to sign, and the many structured cultural activities, I enjoyed most the wandering around the town of Carthago on my own. But without CCS I probably would never have spent ANY time in Carthago, which is anything but a tourist town,nor at the orphanage. For me, it beat doing the tourist thing.
And there were little things which I chose to do, like help out in the kitchen so i could try out my Spanish on Sylvia the cook. And the staff were friendly and helpful. And at the end, I felt glad I had done it, and realized what I had gained from my week there.
Though I thought the program was good for what it was, I personally would only do another CCS program to get a taste of a different culture. Will I do that? Hmmm. I probably want a longer term relationship which would give me more than just a taste.
Hello, my name is Liza, and i have volunteered with CCS for 4 weeks in Salvador, Brazil.
My overall impression is amazing, i loved the programme, the way it was organized and my placement in particular.
Sometimes we need to take a break from our busy lives, open our eyes and see how the rest of the world works.
I have chosen CCS cause of the high quality of programme information, pre-departure support and materials provided on the relevant web-resource.
I was very much satisfied with New York office staff, who advised me during the whole trip preparation period.
Brazil is certainly a country you must visit, and Salavdor is definitely an amazing city to be.
Home-Base is located in a safe area of Graca district, the meal was provided to us three times per day, plus such things as water, fruits and cookies are available on the kitchen during the whole day.
I did really enjoy the activities arranged by CCS local director and manager: we used to have very professional lessons of portugese, dynamic capoeira classes, all-around outdoor tours and very interesting lectures with the professor from one of the local universities.
I will be always greatful to the help and support of local Home-Base staff. Although, i would like to point out that i felt a lack of communication and interaction with the programme director, who never attended our feed-back meetings and various discussions. The schedule was arranged by the programme manager, who was always there to reply all necessary questions and help out.
I will never ever forget the wonderful people who are working for the Home-Base: Maria (chef), Ivan (driver), Lulu (house-keeper), Fernando (security-guy), for me they are THOSE who made my stay at Home-Base safe, interesting and comfortable.
Unfortunately, very little information (well, NO information at all to be honest) was provided by local administrative staff about extra volunteer hours. But i was so much happy with my placement - LAR DA CRIANCA orphanage. It was a bit tough at the first days, but later on the ice with the placement staff was broken and i loved the job i was doing.
CCS local staff didn't make any detailed introduction about the placements and how should we behave there, but at the same time at Home-Base you can easily find lots of albums, books, photos, evaluation forms from fellow volunteers about the place you are gonna volunteer at.
I loved the small library they had there, full of books in ENG and portugese, and of course it was so great to meet other voluneers from all over the world and share with them thoughts and ideas. We did lots of travelling together outside Salvador on the week-ends.
I have shared a room with 3 more girls, which was not a big a problem, although only one bathroom is available for 8 people (if the room is full).
My experience was great, i was safe, i was free and i believe i became a better person.
Would definitely volunteer again. Probably, with CCS...It depends on programme fee :)) Cause CCS fees are a bit higher on the market, BUT when you get to the place you understand that the money spent was worthy. Food was excellent, Home-Base is very safe, they drive you to the placement and back, plus you can use a free-drive option every friday after lunch time.
What i liked is that the Director gave me a permission to invite my portugese teacher to Home-Base for extra private classes, which saved my time a lot.
I suggest you to choose Brazil as your next trip destination, to choose Salvador, to full your heart with love, to smile widely and volunteer with CCS!
