Ecuador

I started with 3 weeks in Peru, where I helped to build a water tank to provide a water supply to 200 families in the pueblos jovenes surrounding Arequipa. The work was hard, but there was such a sense of achievement at the end of each day. We also got to spend time in the local school, where GVI teaches, and it was great to meet some of the kids who might be helped by the water cistern. My host family were also very welcoming, not to mention hilarious!
I then went to Quito for a week of Spanish lessons, organised by GVI, before heading to the Galapagos Islands. I lived on San Cristobal at Fundacion Jatun Sacha for a month, helping with their reforestation of the jungle there. There was such a range of activities - from washing trails to be repainted to hacking down invasive plants with machetes. Living in the depths of the forest was an experience that none of us will forget (I've never had so many mosquito bites in my life!), and we all made some firm friends that I think will last a long time. The beaches were also pristine and beautiful, and a great reward after a week of hard work.
From June, I spent 6 weeks in Laos teaching English to all different age and ability groups - children, teenagers, novice monks and adults. Although every class was very different in terms of what we would teach and how, all the students were very enthusiastic. GVI provided invaluable support in terms of training, and throughout the project whilst we planned and taught lessons. Joy, who owned our guesthouse, became like family. I was really surprised at how quickly I became confident about teaching.
Lastly, I spent 6 weeks on the Nepal Volunteer Adventure programme, working in a daycare centre in Pokhara with the most adorable kids I've ever met. I did some teaching with them, but the real fun was just playing games and singing songs with them. Outside the volunteering, I got to see a huge amount of Nepal and do a breathtakingly beautiful trek next to Tibet!
Overall, I've spent about 5 months volunteering with GVI and it has been the experience of a lifetime. I would highly recommend them.

I found GVI while google searching and signed up 20 days before leaving for a 6 month program. GVI did an amazing job at making sure I fully prepared for my expedition in the short amount of time, advising me on my packing list, answering questions about what to expect, and making sure my medical forms were completed. Because I was staying so long, I need to get to the country a few days early and take care of some visa things- during that time I felt a little unsure if I was doing things right- but all it took me was emailing the country director, and she immediately got back to me. The program did an excellent job of teaching volunteers of all ages and professional backgrounds how to do the research projects we were conducting, and it was meaningful research as the information helps the reserve remain protected and any new species we discovered in the area went to a university partnered museum in Quito. The program is great because it mixes conservation with community interaction. We would go to the local village a couple times a week and do TEFL classes in the primary school, and the kids are beyond adorable and appreciative.
Honestly, the program is demanding, the terrain is hilly and you are in the tropics. You will be walking a lot and have early mornings. But, it is definitely worth it. The program does a great job of balancing different types of service as well as allowing downtime in the hammocks. The staff is qualified and very familiar with the area and species.
As an internship program, I was very impressed at the weekly meetings, feedback, and extra responsibility you get from staff. The three month work placement can be done at a few locations, but the staff consider you preference and you skills when making a decision on where to place you. Contact is maintained throughout your work placement and at the end, you are expected to turn in a presentation of work completed while on work placement. The typical opportunities involve conducting conservation research in other reserves or doing community work.
I had the time of my life, and gained a lot from the experience personally and professionally. I highly recommend this program to anyone who may be interested.

My ultimate aim was purely to learn more of Ecuadorian culture, which I feel I did a little in my short month there. I expected there to be SOME English which there wasn’t on my project. This in itself limited me a little (unable to ask many questions) but there were other ways in which I communicated. There were many small practices that they did differently to myself at the project but I wasn’t there to teach them my culture, I was there to learn about theirs. This I feel I did and have brought back many more thoughts of appreciation since my return. However, I now feel I am a little more intolerant of my own people as we have so much to be thankful for in Australia and yet so many people constant complain!! Humbleness I repeatably feel in doing volunteer work, even in my own country. There is nothing like working with people who are far worse off than yourself to bring you back to base camp so to speak! Overall I feel I gained much from my project, I am 52 and wasn’t profoundly surprised by what I found but continually enjoy doing something different and meeting people that have so many different life experiences to my self. Another added bonus is the other volunteers you meet along the way. Also my host families complete a huge portion of my cultural learning, I think this is my favorite part of my time at volunteer work. This was my second volunteer project my first being in Africa 2006 which I also loved.

The US staff matched me with the project that best fit that what I wanted to accomplished and provided with me information I needed. My host family was extremely kind and accommodating.The airline lost my luggage and my best mother took us to various stores in order to buy new things. she also made sure I always had best and enough food that I wanted. she treated us like her children. the family also took us on trip to several beaches around Santa Alana and to the villages. Jose the ground coordinator made sure that we are OK and was constantly checking upon us. He made arrangement for a car to take us back to the airport to get our missing luggage. Over all we had excellent time in Ecuador. We recommend global crossroad program to all.

I wish I had read many of these posts before deciding to pursue an internship program with ELEP. It was perhaps the biggest rip offs!!

I completely agree with some of the other posts. The only way I can describe Patricio Parrales and Jonnathan is as scammers! I have set myself as a goal to denounce as much this organization so nobody falls in this trap anymore!

My friends were promised Spanish lessons but what they got were lessons from a teacher that did not even know how to speaks English! Practically the blind leading the blind!! When we told Patricio about it he just made them feel bad about themselves, basically telling them that it was their fault that they were not learning.

On top of that, he did not pick us up from the airport, did not reimburse us for having to pay for a hotel bc it was his fault of not picking us up at the bus station and we had nowhere to go.

The accomodations were just awful too! No toilet seats, food primarily consisting of rice, a cheap filler with little fruits and vegetables. As a European or North American you might think these are things that are not cheap, but in Latin America is dirt cheap. An avocado is 40 cents, a banana 5 cents, just to put it into perspective!

The experience itself of my internship were terrible too. As someone else said, he practically organized things the day before the starting date of the program. I think what I learned the most of my experience was to stand there useless in the ER of my medical internship without proper guiding and doctors not even knowing what to do with us. Doctors there even recommended us to go somewhere else, because the location where we were at was just terrible!

Please, please, please, do not trust this organization. I feel it my duty to help others not get scammed as I did with my friends.

I read a post from this some people speaking wonders... Beware!!! It might be them posing as a past intern! Go by what most of the comments from DIFFRENT people say. You will find out this organization is not worth what they charge and is a scam.

I didn´t know what to expect joing the GVI Ecuadorian Rainforest expedition, but any expectations i might have had were all exceeded. The whole experience was just incredible. The staff were brilliant and the impeccable schedules and planning really enhanced the experience for everyone. From walking streams at midnight searching for frogs, to 5am misnetting and bird counts, there was no experience that outweighed another. I took part in the 5 week option, but i wished as soon as i started that i´d opted for the 10 weeks. I had no prior experience in the field, but the training was great and i learnt so much so quickly. It was great to be so hands on and involved, i felt like i really made a difference, i´d recommend it to anybody, of any age and from any background, you won´t be dissapointed.

i signed up with the organization with the help of my assistant. we found that all questions and information was answered or delivered in a timely manner. we were made aware of deadlines for registration and accommodations. we were offered support for understanding travel arrangements, vaccinations, and all pertinent information for the trip.

my accommodations were very comfortable, supportive, and welcoming. my host family were available for my questions about the orphanage and supported me in special errands to make purchases for the orphans, have photographs taken, and to see the city of Quito lit up at night for christmas.

the orphanage was very well run and, though the circumstances of the childrens' lives are sad and unfortunate, at the orphanage they were all cared for to the full extent of the staff persons' capacity.

i felt welcomed by most of the staff, in spite of my spanish skills being less than optimal.

the experience of being with the children is really quite life-changing (and over-used term perhaps, but fitting in this circumstance). we realize how much privilege we have in our own lives. but more than that, there is a deep understanding of the critical nourishment of love, connection, and consistency in life.

at times i felt overwhelmed by the childrens' circumstances. at other times, i felt hopeful that we at least shared a day of play, connection, and "normalcy"...

I spent 5 weeks in the Ecuadorian rainforest, and it was without doubt the best ( and shortest) 5 weeks of my life so far! I gained a great amount of knowledge about the Rainforest, and the species that live there. I also gained a lot of confidence from the TEFL part of the trip, teaching English to local children was something I enjoyed a lot more than I expected too, and learned some Spanish myself too. I also gained a lot of good friends, and a life experience that I will never forget!

I had an amazing volunteer experience with volunteer abroad. The level of support they provided was incredible. They were the only agency that allowed me to speak with my field coordinator before I paid them any money. The program fees (I paid 2995 for 8 weeks in Ecuador) seemed steep to me at first - but when I compared them to similar organizations I found that they were the cheapest by far. I got 4 weeks of language training included, 7 days of orientation, which was really fun, and helped my when I was trying to do things on my own in Quito and when I went to Banos. There are a number of full time staff who are available to help with anything you need, and living at the BaseCamp center in Quito was amazing. If you are thinking about volunteering overseas, I would suggest at least chatting with Volunteer Abroad and their overseas staff. At the very least you can get some good free information from them. I have since volunteered two more times on my own, and neither of them matched my experience with volunteer abroad.

My experience with ELI was fantastic! When I got to the airport, my family was there waiting for me and they were the nicest people I've ever met. They truly welcomed me into their home as if I were their own daughter. They took me to family events (which gave me a unique cultural experience), helped me plan my travels, showed me around Quito, and even took me on the bus to my first week of work so that I wouldn't get lost. If you're lucky enough to be with Maria and Enrique, your experience will be excellent!
At work, too, I was extremely happy. My inital job placement wasn't what I had in mind, but Mariana (the on-site coordinator) helped me navegate the hospital to get me into the exact position that I had wanted. I was doing a soial work internship and some of the things I've seen and people I met will never leave me. I am so grateful for these opportunities because it helped me to learn about myself, social work, and Ecuatorian culture. Words cannot express how much I appreciate this internship!
ELI was also great because I was able to meet other travelers in the program. I went on weekend trips and city explorations with other volunteers/interns that were similar to me in terms of interests and ideas. It was really great to have that connection when Ecuatorian culture was overwhelming.
Basically, I would highly recommend this course to anyone. ELI has the lowest cost I found of all the programs AND it provided the best experience I could hope for!