Kenya

GVN are simply in this to make money.... The Orphange El-Shaddai Hope Centre ( where I was placed) is run by corrupt and cruel people. I got not support from GVN when I raised the problems I had there nor did the children get ANY benefit from the huge amount of money I paid to GVN. The host family mum was a religious Zealot and we were subjected to sermons on TV from as early as 6am to 10pm each day...
I was given a list of things to do at the Orphanage yet when I got there the children were away six days a week , toys I took to play games with them after they returned were taken away and the Pastor said the kids can only play on Sundays after a five hour sermon... all the while VICDA the on the ground support group said they could do nothing except offer me to go somewhere else.... I couldnt leave these poor little children and for the rest of my stay I was treated poorly by the owners... I have asked GVN to look into my allegations and they have replied saying all was justified !!! What a sham !!! do not volunteer with GVN , they are simply no help what so ever.... the only people who benefit from our money paid to GVN are GVN and the VICDA staff..... look into other organisations or just go there your self as you will be welcomed by any of the DPC's or orphanages so long as you have money to give them...but dont hand over cash , purchase medicines and food etc and be sure they are used in your presence.
I am now seeking legal advice to sue GVN for misrepresentation....
God bless

Experience was absolutely wonderful. The organization answered all my questions in a very timely and professional manner. The program coordinator at the site was very accessible, friendly, and accommodating.

I went to Kenya with IVHQ for 6 weeks this year. They were very helpful up until I left for my trip, answering all my questions quickly and efficiently, and then it was Fadhili Helpers who looked after the volunteers.
Fadhili were brilliant. I was picked up from the airport on time and taken to a temporary homestay. Then we had orientation and I found out where I would be placed. I went with one other volunteer to a smaller, rural town. My hostmother was amazing. She cooked lovely meals for us, helped us with our washing and walked us to our placement. The house was small and cosy. At times there was no running water or electricity but that is all part of the experience. I volunteered in a local primary school, doing teaching. We were given lots of responsibilities and were able to teach whole classes by ourselves. The behaviour in the school was excellent. The teachers were so grateful to have us there and made us feel so welcome! Fadhili also give you lots of opportunities to do extra things at the weekends. Ours included a trip to Hells Gate National Park, another volunteer programme in an IDP camp, a 4 day safari (organised by Fadhili staff so it was cheaper) and on one free weekend we took a trip to Mombasa (the coast).
IVHQ was the cheapest organisation that I found and it was well worth the money. I also really felt like I made a difference in the school. Don't hesitate to go with them - you will have a great time and be well looked after! I really recommend Kenya too. The people are wonderful and Fadhili are simply brilliant.
=)

The program and everyone I met there was incredible. The ELI staff are helpful and took the time to show me the city. When working in the hospital you need to be independent enough to make your own relationships and find your own places to work because there is no coordinator there to hold your hand. This is a good thing though because it allows you to become friends with the doctors and the staff and see and do some incredible things. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to volunteer and work abroad.

I worked for 3 weeks at Gabriel Learning Centre, which was founded two years ago by an Australian woman of great vision and spirit. Volunteers may help doing everything from kitchen work at the Centre to building latrines in the Kaptembwa slums of Nakuru, but as I am a teacher, I spent my days teaching basic reading and math to the "nursery" age children and conversational English to the adults who were learning to sew. Gabriel's staff carefully chooses its adult students, who learn tailoring (on a treadle machine) and business skills so that they may later support themselves and their families. The program is run through Susan Saleeba's rigorous fund-raising back home in Australia, and under the careful on-site direction of Christopher Makokha. Volunteers are encouraged to do what they do best--whether they prefer working with the adults (sewing and embroidery experience are sought-after), or the children (ages 3-7). Christopher says we must "go with the strength that we have."
Many of the other ELI volunteers chose to work at the hospital, but came to the Centre to be with the children in the afternoons, and to help support the families in the slum. Last year, one American volunteer raised money and sent (by new volunteers) four iBooks to the Centre. I used these to teach English vocabulary and beginning computer skills to the adults; the possibilities are endless if you are a computer adept.
Your time at Gabriel's will be rewarding and appreciated. Rosemary Njenga Wangui is the volunteer coordinator and will guard you like a bulldog (her real dog is also great!). All of the staff are sympathetic and kind-hearted. Boundless energy is not necessary; compassion and open-mindedness are better tools to carry. Those, and picture books for the children if you're going. The children also need chalk, white boards, dry erase markers, pencils, erasers, and sturdy composition books (there are twenty children currently and about 75 adults).
Go. You will make a difference to many, including yourself.

There were two reasons I chose to volunteer with ELI as opposed to the plethora of other programs I looked into. First, ELI is affordable. It doesn't take a lot of research to see that ELI is much cheaper than other programs that offer the same experience. Second, the support staff was incredible. As soon as I showed interest in going to Kenya the staff (in the U.S.) called me, talked thoroughly to me about the program, and were honest with their evaluations of the program I was about to join. I felt so much support before I left and was relieved to find out that my host mother was there to offer me the same support once I was in-country. During my two month stay in Kenya my host mom and my coordinator back in the U.S. were frequently on the phone calling each other to check on me and make sure I was comfortable and safe. I felt like I had two moms!
Some things. First, it is true that ELI had little to do with the school that I taught at. But on their website, ELI specifically says that they are a PLACEMENT organization. They PLACE you in a local organization that does not have the means to advertise themselves for volunteers. ELI is upfront about this so it is not supposed to be a shock when you realize your school/orphanage/hospital is NOT an ELI institution. ELI simply helped get you there. In my experience though, ELI was in good contact with my school and my school was expecting me, were grateful to have me, and were very, very kind to me.
Also, ELI was very upfront before I left. They told me that once I got to my school I would have to initiate things. I would need to decide which part of the school I wanted to work in, where I wanted to put my energy, how I wanted to spend my days. As adults, I don't believe we can complain that much about not liking our placements. They really are what you make of them. If ever there was a day when I felt like my time was mismanaged or my energy not used to it's potential, I would go in the next day and make changes...put my energy in something else or change my job a little so that I felt more useful. What made my experience so pleasant was that I was able to decide how I wanted to spend my time at the school - I got to decide where I thought I could help the most. Had the program been strict with me about this, I probably would not have enjoyed my stay as much. Part of the beauty of my experience was the flexibility the program offered.
Overall, I loved ELI to Kenya. They gave me enough support to feel confident about going to Africa but also gave me enough space to explore on my own. They were there to help me know how to set up a safari and to recommend the vaccinations/visas/prescriptions needed before I left, but flexible in their expectations of me and let me decide what kind of trip I was going to have. And I had a great one!

Volunteering through Abroaderview has been great. They were very supportive and very affordable as well. I requested to have a volunteer position in Mombasa Kenya with a host family for 4 months. Abroaderview sent me a very large instruction booklet that outlined everything about my trip; how to be safe, what to bring, the details of the area and many other subjects. I felt very prepared before I left the United States for Kenya.
When I arrived in Mombasa, I met the project director of ABV and Destiny Garden School, Jacob Boaz, at the airport and was taken to his home to meet his wife and baby daughter. I would be staying in their house with them for the next 4 months.
I found the living accommodations to be safe and comfortable. I very soon noticed the family's emphasis on safety which I found very professional. They really want to create a professional working environment in their home as well as the school.
Working in Destiny Garden School, my placement, was also very rewarding. Getting to know the kids and being part of another culture was an unforgettable experience.
Abroaderview supported me throughout my placement, checking in and communicating with my host family. They were very professional and I would definitely recommend them to anyone that is interested in working abroad.

Travelled with i-to-i twice, and these are some of my earliest travel experiences.
In Kenya, I found the accomodation to be very poor, ie dirty, cold water, unreliable electricity etc, but put this down to the general living standards in Mombasa. The staff seemed supportive at orientation, but in reality, seemed to go back on their word alot, mostly due to lack of communication between them in the field, and head office in the UK.
My project was really good though, clean and good food and staff.
In Vietnam, I realised just how different I-to-I projects could be on the ground from what the website advertised, for example, a project that was supposed to be rural being in a reasonable sized city, and even info I was given in orientation was misleading, for example, I was told that I would be teaching english at my orphanage project, but when I arrived, it seemed nobody there spoke a word of English, and they weren't even expecting me, and therefore, we couldn't communicate what I should be doing, or could be doing, to actually help. Accomodation where I stayed was fine, hot water and one computer with internet and satellite tv etc, but I was alone there with a male housekeeper, which I would have thought I would be informed of before arrival, and he also did not speak english, which was frustrating. Orientation did not include even a basic Vietnamese language/culture session, and anytime I tried to ask for help with the language, the in-country i-to-i staff just wanted to practice their english. overall, I left feeling I did not received the support I paid for, and that I had not contributed in any worthwhile ways to the projects I worked on.
I would still recommend i-to-i, but I would not travel with them again, the core point being that what you get in-country is very different from what the main website advertises, and that standards can vary alot from country to country.

I volunteered at a local primary school in rural Kenya with Madventurer and I had an amazing time. The organisation was brilliant before I had even got to Kenya I knew what to expect and what was going to be happening such as emergency contact details, a complenetary airport pick-up from the Mad staff so you knew you wouldn't be alone when you arrived. The organisation once I got there was just as good and they really let you know how things were going to work. The staff were so friendly, hard working and we all had so much fun.
I didn't want to leave after my 2 weeks were up, I wish I had chosen the do a longer project as it was incredible. You do volunteer work, meet incredible people and have immense fun at the same time. I recommend it to anyone, you feel so looked after especially if the trip is the first time you are going to be travelling far away.

I called the office of IFRE at Dallas yesterday to schedule a volunteer trip to Kenya in June. I was appalled at the conversation that followed with the person named 'Alex' that picked the phone. His language was heavily punctuated with racial undertones and he tried his best not to enroll me into the program. He insulted my country of origin (India) by asking why I wanted to visit a third world country when I myself belonged to the third world, adding, "Our programs are for people from the 1st world that want to help people in the third world".
I asked him why he was being so hostile just because I didn't have a US passport. He responded saying "You people come into America as immigrants, illegally. And now you want to do charity?"
When he asked me why I wanted to do volunteer work, I explained that I was going to join a graduate program at Oxford University (in the UK) in the fall of 2010 and wanted to specialize in social enterprise. He responded "I'll give you a piece of advise from the heart and the brain - There is no need to go to Oxford if you cannot remove your heavy accent. All your money will go waste".
I was aghast. I warned that I would publish a transcript of the conversation in the New York Times, upon which he hung up.