I am a Clinical Psychologist and I was looking for a short-term international volunteer experience to give back. My spouse was also traveling with me and was also interested in volunteering as well. I did quite a bit of searching of international volunteer programs and most of the programs that I contacted did not have any direct contact with the international site nor any means for me to contact the host organization. From the beginning, Ann McLaughlin was responsive and had personal experience with my host site. It was important to me to have direct contact with the host and/or host organization. Ann spent considerable time communicating with me and my spouse. Ann was professional, informative, and very knowledgeable. We felt very prepared for our experience and Ann had visited the host site where we volunteered so we felt very comfortable. It was very inexpensive as volunteer experiences go and the flight was the most expensive part of the endeavor.
We had an amazing experience even for being in Kenya for a short period of time. I enjoyed doing presentations and providing psychoeducation to mostly high school students and also to their teachers. I also provided education and training in an orphanage. My spouse gave talks on business and being an entrepreneur. We enjoyed direct contact with children, adolescents and the teachers. We had indicated that we were open to roughing it and being in less luxurious housing. It was very much a real world experience and we were immersed in the culture of the rural Kenyans. I would highly recommend Ann and NGO Abroad for a cross cultural experience.
Program:
Volunteer Abroad
Location:
Africa
Posted:
Nov 9, 2018