Volunteer Abroad Stories: In Our Volunteers’ Own Words

More than 25,000 people have volunteered with us since 2007, and over the years many of them have sat down and told us, in interviews, how it actually went. Not the version on the brochure: the bucket showers, the bus that did not come, the moment a class finally understood. This is a selection of those interviews, in the volunteers’ own words, with a link to each full story. We have edited nothing except length.

If you want the aggregate picture, our volunteers have left around 1,460 reviews on Reviews.io with an average of 4.8 out of 5. But the individual stories say more.

Sean Lee, 17, Ghana

Sean is a Korean national who was at school in New Hampshire when he first volunteered in Tamale. He went back a second time.

“I guess you can call my first journey to Ghana a leap of faith. Two years ago I had this sudden urge to make one of my dreams come true, which was to volunteer abroad in Africa.”

“What made this volunteer abroad experience so unique and special is the integration of the volunteers into the Ghanaian culture.”

Read Sean’s full story · Volunteer in Ghana

Jill Torrance, 60, Ghana

Born in Glasgow, living in Hawaii, Jill had volunteered with young people at home and in South Africa before she looked at Ghana. She taught at a girls’ school.

“My host family, in Tamale, Ghana was terrific (TOO much good food). After breakfast I would be picked up, in a very timely fashion, and transported to a school for girls.”

Read Jill’s full story

Irene Dolan, teaching, Ghana

“I always wanted to go to Africa. I felt that Ghana was different. I always heard of people going to Uganda, Tanzania etc, but not Ghana.”

“I would get up at about 7 am, have my breakfast and head to school for 7:45.”

Read Irene’s full story · Teaching programs

Tanusya Murali, teaching, Cambodia

Tanusya had volunteered at home in Malaysia and wanted somewhere close by for her first placement abroad.

“I was assigned to teach English at a school, morning and afternoon for a group of kids age between 5 to 15 years old. It felt really good to teach them and even better when they understand it.”

Read Tanusya’s full story · Volunteer in Cambodia

Claire Moynihan, childcare, Tanzania

A primary school teacher from Cork, working in Dubai, Claire used her summer holiday for the placement and climbed Kilimanjaro to raise money for the center she worked in.

“Tanzania was my choice because while I was there I intended to raise money for the childcare center that I would be based by climbing Kilimanjaro.”

“Personally, it can’t but teach you about the value and the importance of life.”

Read Claire’s full story · Volunteer in Tanzania

Julia Tzeng, elephants, Thailand

Julia took time out between five years in New York finance and an MBA at Georgetown.

“In the elephant village, we woke up around 7 or 8, had breakfast, and went about helping our host family take care of the elephants.”

Read Julia’s full story · how the program works today: ethical elephant volunteering in Thailand

Lucia Merino, street children’s center, Delhi

Lucia is a psychotherapist from Barcelona, based in California, who chose Delhi specifically.

“We would get up around 8 and have breakfast. Over breakfast, we volunteers would decide what to do during the day. I was in a placement (child care center for street children) with three other volunteers.”

Read Lucia’s full story · Street children program, Delhi

Kirstin Wingler, medical placement, Nepal

Kirstin is a nutritionist with a PhD, at Maastricht University, who spent three weeks in a hospital placement.

“The support before the trip was excellent. I received very valuable information before my departure, which allowed me to prepare well, e.g. what to take, what not to take, how to get a visa, etc.”

“Working in a hospital, I started early in the morning, usually around 7 am.”

Read Kirstin’s full story · Volunteer in Nepal

Sharon Umayam, nurse, Peru, Thailand and South Africa

A registered nurse from Guam working in San Francisco, Sharon volunteered with us three times in four years.

“I chose Volunteering Solutions because they had received many positive reviews from past volunteers, they were affordable, and their projects were sustainable.”

“The people were friendly and, even as a female who traveled alone, I felt very safe.”

Read Sharon’s full story · Volunteering abroad as a nurse

Jenaya Smith, women’s empowerment, Delhi

“My daily activities at the program included: teaching English classes, teaching computer skills to the women, engaging with the women during beauty culture sessions and the embroidery workshops.”

Read Jenaya’s full story · Women’s empowerment programs

What these stories have in common

Read them together and a pattern shows. Nobody describes a perfect trip. What they describe is a routine that started early, a host family or coordinator who was there when it mattered, work that was real, and a shift in perspective that outlasted the placement. Several of them came back; a few have now been three times.

Some of the specific projects mentioned above have changed since these interviews were recorded, as programs do over nearly two decades. The country pages linked under each story show what is running now.

Tell us yours

If you have volunteered with us and would like your story here, email the team at the address on our contact page. We publish interviews in the volunteer’s own words and never edit for tone.

Frequently asked questions

Are these real volunteers?

Yes. Every quote is taken from an interview published on this site, linked under each story, in the volunteer’s own words. We have shortened some passages and changed nothing else.

Can I contact a past volunteer before I book?

In many cases yes. Ask the team when you enquire and, with the volunteer’s permission, we can put you in touch with someone who did the same program.

Written by

Luni

Luni Chhochoon writes for Volunteering Solutions, a certified B Corporation, covering volunteer abroad programs, destinations and tips for traveling with purpose.

LinkedIn · View all posts