Nepal

I have one piece of advice for anyone thinking of volunteering with i-to-i: do NOT do it. Here is an honest account of my experience with them in 2008.
I booked 4 weeks' volunteering on a women's empowerment project in Chitwan, Nepal for a total cost of 800 pounds (not including flights). The support before I went to Nepal and when I arrived in Kathmandu was reasonable, but when I got to Chitwan everything disintegrated. It turned out that there was NO project. I had been promised several times that there would be 7 different women's groups that I could meet and decide which one to work with, but it turned out that there was just 1 which only met one afternoon a month (and I had just missed it). No alternative activities were provided by i-to-i and I only managed to arrange anything at all through my own initiative. I had also been promised that there would be many other volunteers in the area but there were only none, leaving me completely on my own as an 18-year-old female. The staff at the hotel i-to-i placed me at were thoroughly unpleasant, trying to rip me off, ply me with alcohol and put me into dangerous situations. My host family, whom I stayed with for a little while, were not much better. I eventually left the project 2 weeks early because I just couldn't stand it, despite the fact that I had been eager to help people through volunteering.
The problems continued when I got home. I tried to claim some money back because i-to-i had taken a lot of my cash (which I had carefully fundraised over 6 months) and had broken all their promises to me in return. They flat-out refused to give any money back or even apologise. Instead, they viciously attacked me and my character in their reply letters and made up many things which I was unable to disprove.
This company was absolutely shocking in almost every way. They just want your money and are not interested in providing any meaningful volunteering. You only have to Google 'i-to-i complaints' on Google to find many other people with similar experiences to mine. I wish I had found that out before I booked with them. Do yourself a favour and book with a project through http://vaops.com (which I can personally vouch for, having had a great volunteering experience through them for only 10 dollars a day) and AVOID greedy companies like i-to-i.

Hello Everyone,
I’ve spent two months in Nepal and my time here is almost up. I didn’t imagine I’d find leaving so hard. I’ve never imagined Nepal would get to me so deeply.
It’s been almost a perfect volunteer travel for me. It started when I choose to inquire with Global Crossroad. They immediately called me in London from US and explained the whole thing to me over the phone. From then on, I had no doubt who I was choosing to volunteer with.
In Nepal, a Global Crossroad representative was waiting for me at the airport. We chatted all the way up to the hostel. In there, the country representative explained about the program very nicely. Initially in the hostel, I missed the food from back home. But I was with a group of other volunteers from US and being able to participate on a cultural immersion program together was an incredible experience. I enjoy the village stay where I learn to cook Nepalese food and trekked around to nearby villages. I encountered incredible sceneries and the warm sun seemed to never leave us, that was specially nice.
I taught English for 6 weeks in a government school and stayed in a teacher’s house. What warm and friendly people. My stay with the host family is probably the most memorable part of the tour. With them, I went on a picnic, toured different villages and enjoy great Nepalese meals (I almost forgot about those lovely hot meals I enjoyed in London). The students in the school were ever eager, always wanting to talk to me in English. I didn’t realize English was such an absolute necessity in Nepal. I was glad I was able to train the teachers also.
The Global Crossroad staff visited me once every week, for about 10 minutes, and inquired about my well being. That was enough for me. Once, when they couldn’t make it, they called. So they cared and I was comfortable in knowing I was in good hands. In the hostel, I met two volunteers from US and they were very satisfied with their programs also. I’ll ask them to validate my article.
So in all, it’s been one of the best trips of my life. I recommend Global Crossroad to all and next time I travel elsewhere I know I’ll knock on Global Crossroad’s door first.
Cheers

Excellent Experience and service!! I would definitely reccomend IVHQ. Great friendly helpful staff, very well organised, they took all the stress and hassel out of it. I researched many volunteer companies and they we're the best by far!!

I can't say enough about my experience in Nepal. The kids were so cute and eager to talk and play. ELI staff was extremely helpful in setting up the program and continuing to answer questions while in Nepal. I even got a chance to visit there amazing elephant program where you get to stay in a treehouse! I was a little worried at first because they cost so much less than other companies I looked at. But, everything ran smoothly and I felt great when I talked to some volunteers I met there that paid so much more than me. Most of the money I saved ended up being spent on gifts for my family and friends. I also was able to purchase some things for the orphanage. Hopefully I can work out a way to go to another one of the countries they send people to in a year or so.
Highly recommend!

I volunteered at an orphanage in
Nepal - a beautiful country full of wonderful people. The program was amazing. I learned alot about myself as well as about another culture. The work was full of challenges, but was incredibly rewarding. Overall IVHQ offered great support and is connected with a very strong program. If you are considering, just go!