IFRE Volunteers

My time in Kathmandu within the photojournalism volunteer placement was a fulfilling experience. My instructor, Ram, had detailed knowledge of photography and the city's culture. All coordinators were accommodating and helpful making for a great support group. I highly recommend for those looking to embark on international experience as Nepal is an exciting and welcoming country for tourists. There are other volunteer options available which I'm sure are just as impactful, however, I'm partial to the photojournalism placement as it allows for travel access to city's main attractions and newly equipped photography skills for which to store lasting memories!

Pros
New skills and experience
Accommodations and 3 meals/day
Building relationships and learning of culture

Cons
Accommodations are very basic.

It's great to hear that you had a positive experience exploring Buddhism and basic living, and that you found the experience to be eye-opening and rewarding. The lack of luxury and basic hygiene may have been challenging, but it seems like it allowed you to appreciate the small things in life and gain a new perspective.

It's important to keep in mind that cultural experiences can be very different from what we are used to, and it's important to be open-minded and respectful of local customs and traditions. In some cases, this may mean adjusting our expectations and being prepared for different levels of comfort and amenities than we are used to.

Pros
Different world, different views
Very cheap
Breathtaking sceneries

Cons
Poor hygiene
No luxury

I'm really happy I selected this program for my volunteer project. It was a wonderful opportunity for my personal development. Everyone I've met has been so kind and helpful, and I'm so grateful for the help and support they've given me. I definitely recommend this program to those who are willing to change the life of disadvantaged while also experiencing a new culture from a different point of view than that of a tourist. Although we had an awesome time in Costa Rica, we would be more happy if our project locations were a bit better.

We enjoyed our time in Costa Rica and had good experiences, but we felt that the coordination of our volunteer sites was a bit lacking. It seemed as if the site was not 100% prepared to have us there to help, and we ran out of tasks to help with on all of our volunteer days. It also would have been nice to have a more set schedule for our volunteering hours with more of a description of what we would be doing before we left. While we absolutely appreciate our time in Costa Rica and made the best of it, we felt that the money we paid to participate in the experience was a bit too much for what we really received.

It was a wonderful experience. Helping people and being exposed to a different culture is so valuable. I wish that our tasks as volunteers in the volunteering site were more specific and clear, and more related to our educational background (pharmacy), so we can be more helpful and involved.

Staying these past two weeks with Michael and his family has been absolutely wonderful! This was my first time in Sri Lanka and he made it feel at home. He would always ask how we were and if we needed anything. He also always made sure we were feeling safe while we were here, and he would always check up on us. His hospitality was great. They would make home made traditional meals for us which were delicious! His home was beautiful and right by the coast. It was also in walking distance from the town so it made it very easy to be able to do things. Michael took us on so many different and fun tours around Sri Lanka, while teaching us about history and culture. The volunteering part was also amazing. I loved being able to work with the kids. I really enjoyed Sri Lanka, and it would have been a totally different experience if it wasn't for Michael.

The best way to experience Nepal's distinctive culture, a sense of true family, and a glimpse into daily living is to volunteer to uplift the lives of disadvantaged children. It was indeed my greatest experience being around with amazing children. I love them and yes, this is my home away from home and they are my second family. I had a great time with them by playing around, doing homework, cleaning, and washing clothes. I miss their happiness and smiles when I was around, and I am already planning to come back Nepal, again. Instead of calling me by my name, they called me brother. It saddens me to hear their sad life-tales and I feel great sense of achievement that my little effort helped them lead a happy life. I was traveling after finishing my program and project staff often contacted me to see how I was doing and if I was safe.

I, one hundred percent recommend you join IFRE's childcare program in Kathmandu if you are looking for a way to volunteer travel Nepal. The staff were great, the food was amazing, I have no complaints. My experience with the IFRE program had been fantastic. U.S. Based operations and Nepalese field personnel were professional on their work. The Country Coordinator and The Field both responded quickly and efficiently! They were great that to make sure the volunteers had everything they needed for the program.

I miss beautiful Nepal and its children. Had a great journey.

Suggestion
Be in touch with the coordinator before your arrival, so that you can manage perfectly for the program.

Our experience in Guatemala was incredible and so impactful! We had the opportunity to work in an 'orphanage' (truly a shelter for girls) with teenage moms and their babies - victims of rape or abuse. We held babies, changed babies' diapers, consoled mothers and in all ways helped these young women with their babies. They needed our help and we greatly appreciated the opportunity to be of assistance. The second week we made 2 cookstoves for two impoverished families who now can cook safely for their families. (One family was cooking all meals in the rim of a wheel and had previously scarred/burned a child from the cooking method). The work was very labor intensive and involved mixing cement, laying bricks and cement and filling the cookstove with dirt and adobe bricks under the direction and with the help of a local contractor/coordinator.
While in Guatemala, IFRE Volunteers also placed us with a host family and we had the opportunity to 'live like a local' and see firsthand what the living conditions are in Guatemala (this is not a shack like some Guatemalans live in, but a home with electricity and water and a family who provided us with meals in addition to our rooms). IFRE Volunteers also provided us with immersion Spanish lessons for two hours each day which greatly helped us communicate while working on our projects. IFRE Volunteers was great to work with as we prepared for the trip (Kim and Customer Service) and was very helpful in identifying and lining up options for excursions over the weekend (we hiked a volcano and went to a hot springs). Oscar, the in-country coordinator, was also very critical in organizing our activities and providing us with all the opportunities to make a difference.

This is not the 'volunteer tourism' that many people worry isn't really helping others - it is truly volunteering that makes a difference in the lives of the people in Guatemala. They NEED your help and while this is a 3rd world country and you will sacrifice the comforts of home in order to participate, it is affordable and the work you do will make a difference. I highly recommend IFRE Volunteers. I also appreciate that there were no hidden fees or additional costs sprung upon us once we got to Guatemala. We felt and were safe the entire time we were in the country. We had free time in the evenings and were able to take advantage of modern options (i. E., McDonalds) near the main central park in order to have wifi and share pictures with our family/friends back home.

The office is located close to the host family and projects and we were able to safely walk between most activities which further enabled us to see the people and the culture and further enriched our experience.

As a medical doctor, the volunteer organization IFRE placed me at the Soviet Friendship Hospital in Phnom Penh for 2 weeks.

The application was not difficult, and I got a placement very short term (2 weeks) as I had been hoping.

Upon arrival, everybody got an introduction concerning the history of the country and local habits. Some even got an organized tour of Phnom Penh. The local office of IFRE was available almost night and day, every problem was solved promptly and very friendly. They even organized private trips for the volunteers on the weekends on request.

I stayed at a rather basic hostel, together with 8 other volunteers, mostly much younger than me. While the other volunteers were working at schools and orphanages, I was the only doctor.
That hostel already was quite an experience. No A/C. No pool or outdoor sitting area. No toilet paper (you are told to bring your own). The shower is very basic, too. Constant noise as the roads are very busy.

Of the three meals that are prepared for you every day, they wrap up your lunch nicely so you can eat it at the hospital.

I was introduced on the plastic surgery ward and immediately started working.

The work is pretty much organized the same way as in Germany ( and probably other western countries, too). Ward round, then surgery, once a week you work at the outpatient department.

The kind of medical conditions though are really not what I was used to. The Soviet Friendship Hospital, built in the early 1960s, was at some point the largest hospital South-Eastern Asia. It is built in a way that the wards are long balconies and the rooms for the patients are connected to this long balcony and have small openings in the wall facing the central courtyard. The rooms are cooled that way by the little bit of wind that is blowing. A good system, if flocks of birds would not fly in and out all day long.

My ward had 25 rooms with 4 patients each. And the amazing thing: healthcare is absolutely free.
Only the poorest of the poorest go there. The hygienic conditions are not optimal, of course. The materials rather old or cheap.
But staff does an awesome job there!

As most of the patients come from the really poor parts of town or remote vilages where there is literally no healthcare (and they couldn't afford it anyway), they show up with very advanced conditions. Bone tumors the size of oranges, having penetrated the skin weeks ago, infected all over. Weeks old open fractures. Chronic wounds. 10 huge lymph nodes on each side of the neck.

On my third day they started to let me do most of the surgery. The Cambodian doctors and students assisted me and asked many, many questions. It would have come in handy if I spoke French. But some of the colleagues spoke some English, and most of the reports were written in Roman letters, so communication worked quite well considering.

The workload sometimes was massive. The smell was unbelievable. But all in all it was absolutely enjoyable to work in such a motivated and interested environment.
Prepare though to struggle with the fact that the patients get absolutely no after treatment but a few antibiotic pills. Chemotherapy or Physiotherapy are not available. It must be hard for the doctors here to know, which ever effort they make, the outcome will be less than ideal. Most of the colleagues I met were at least partially trained in France or Korea.

At the end of the work day one passes the patients' relatives who live, wash and cook on the hospital premises, and take a TukTuk ( 2 USD) back to the hostel to have dinner with he other volunteers. The food is amazing, by the way.

You have to be flexible of course. Things don't go your way all the time. You sometimes have to search all operating rooms on all levels of the hospital for scrubs. There will be no change of scrubs, and after the first surgery everything is wet with sweat. The sterile gloves have to be handled with care, the material tends to tear. You cannot do the same surgery twice back to back, they have each set of instruments just once.

Bring a white gown or 2, and blue T-Shirts, as well as toe covering shoes. You will need the shoes in the operating room, as special shoes are not provided. Bring a small bottle of hand sanitizer, as it is not always available. Bring a lock so you can lock in your belongings at the hospital while you work.

So, this exoerience is not cheap, but very well organized and vey rewarding and interesting.
It was my first time volunteering abroad, and I can absolutely recommend it!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Try to get away for the weekends, see the beautiful countryside of Cambodia and Angkor Wat.

Susanne von Toerne

I volunteered at the Upendo orphanage in Arusha, Tanzania with IFRE. My experience at the orphanage was incredible. My in-country coordinator had prepared a room for me, she welcomed me with open arms and always made sure that I was well taken care of even though I was supposed to be there helping them. It was amazing to see how happy and loving they were even though some had little more than the shirt on their back. It was truly a humbling experience.

I am happy that I used IFRE Volunteers for my first experience in Africa because it provided me with the security and reassurance I needed. There was always someone there to help me. I was picked up from the airport and taken to my host family without any hassle. The country coordinator also did all my paperwork to get a work permit, took me for a few tours around the city to familiarize myself, organized a safari for me, and even took me to the hospital when I wasn't feeling very well. I found IFRE cheaper compared to some of the other companies I researched. Therefore I agreed to volunteer with them.

From all angles it was absolutely an amazing experience. I would definitely recommend the experience.

Our group had an excellent time staying with Michael and his family while in Sri Lanka. Five members of our group stayed at Michael's house while five others stayed with his daughter. We stayed two weeks all together learning about the language and culture of Sri Lanka and volunteering.

Michael is very knowledgeable and was able to share with us a great deal of history on Sri Lanka and help us speak useful phrases.

At all times, whenever our group needed anything, Michael was always quick to respond. He helped us make changes in our volunteer schedule as needed, move students around in the two houses, and was very attuned to our needs. I want to thank Michael for all of the work that he and his family did to help us feel welcome in his home and in Sri Lanka.

I wish our experience with the IFRE office was as great as it was on the ground with Michael. I understand that they are a large organization in many countries, but we had significant issues dealing with them. In the week leading up to the program, our main office contact went on medical leave. As the new person took over communication, they made changes to the total cost we agreed on, then the payment was demanded upfront (before we had agreed to pre-pay half and then pay half at the end). After months of planning, we were told that the program would be canceled unless we met these stipulations.

We were worried about how the experience would be when we began because of our experience with their office, but as soon as we met Michael, his willingness to work with us gave us confidence that it would be a good trip.

I don't believe that IFRE is a bad organization, and perhaps our experience with the office was unique. I recommend being very clear early on about payments especially if volunteering with a large group.

IFREVolunteers a non-profit organization had organized volunteer abroad programs in my school & I had also participated in it. There I enjoyed too much even through their volunteer & humanitarian trips abroad, I enable to spread love and compassion to poor children & improving the lives of destitute children. They offered me a great opportunity to explore new countries get to know about different shades of nature. I am so thankful to IFREVolunteers who has given me this grand opportunity.

DO NOT GO THROUGH IFRE! They will try to ask for more and more money! They do not communicate and after 3 days of missed calls, they will tell you that its more money than originally planned. IFRE is a scam company that is not what it appears! The images that they have posted on their Instagram account are FAKE! I crossed referenced those images to google search and they are some the first images that come up for searches such as mission or volunteer abroad. This is a scam company that will try to ask for more money! Get out while you can! I do not want anyone to be scammed by them like we almost were. I started a club to go on a medical mission trip as high schoolers and IFRE seemed too good to be true. Until our contact started acting shady and losing communication. The very first time that we talked to our contact we took detailed notes of everything. From where we would be staying to the cost of the trip... down to every penny. After a few weeks, our contact told us we would not be staying with host families but in hotels changing what he had originally said, and that the price was $200.00 more than what they originally said. Looking back at our notes we knew what they were saying is not what they told us before. However he claims that he had already told us this. Placing the blame on us even though our detailed notes were proof of him lying to us. Looking at more reviews we found out that IFRE was indeed a scam. PLEASE do not book with IFRE! They are a SCAM! And will take your money without delivering and always asking for more!

I have joined the program of volunteer in Thailand by IFRE volunteers and I really felt that my life is changed because the work which I did is the work which will always give me pleasure and I will cherish this through out my life. All this has become possible due to IFRE Volunteers so a big thanks to them.

I am writing this review because I got scammed and I don't want to happen to anyone else. I paid a lot of money believing that I was going to help by volunteering in the less economically countries that i went. The truth is that they did not only take advantage of me by taking all my money but they also take advantage of people which leave in a less economically developed countrie and are really poor!

They are just asking for the money, its so bad, if you got lucky you will do the program but if you have a problem no one is there to help you.
For I stoped them when a girl asked me to sent 1100$ via western union in the same day, rushing me all the time to pay, pay and pay, but may placement was in June.
They are crap very bad company and no proffesionls at all.
Now I am no getting may money back, no one reply to my mails.
But I am going to review in every single page I can.

Volunteering abroad ethically, has been an aspiration for my wife and I and we took a chance after a ton of research. Unfortunately we didn't get what we paid for in IFRE's Kenya placement with Boundless Loves, which didn't match their online description of Cultural Conservation. On top of that, communication issues, cost overrun and lack of direction made us leave our project early.

IFRE didn't communicate costs well, and the money we paid for our program placement didn't have a portion go to the project there as the IFRE website claimed. Boundless Loves' projects didn't have a lead or any actual projects for us to join, and we had to create our own. They put us in front of cute children, trying to make us feel sorry for them so that we would donate more, and "coordinators" were constantly asking for more money. For any project we wanted to start, we had to make our own plans, fund and direct help for them--which from everything we've read is not very helpful because we're simply forcing our biased fixes that may not fit the local needs or culture. Without leadership or proper oversight, and not receiving useful information, we were left bewildered, frustrated, and unable to help in a meaningful, long-term way.

Finally, IFRE or known as Global Crossroads in EU isn't a volunteer organization, they're a volunteer placement group, so if you can connect with a group on the ground, you can save $300+ per person. Additionally, extra services come at a premium, for example our safari cost twice the going rate in Kenya with no difference in experience for the other safari goers who paid half the cost.

Hello,

I would like to share the experience I had with IFRE in India. I have recently come back from a one month summer volunteering project where I worked in a slum school in Faridabad. Overall, I had an incredible and very positive experience in the country. However I also experienced a couple critical points with IFRE:

1) According to what I had to pay for this four week volunteer program, I realized during my work experience that certainly not a lot (if any) of the money reaches the school. There are no proper tables, no exercise books and few reading books in the school. For this reason I am wondering how the 1,899$ that I paid for this trip has been used by IFRE.

2) I noticed that IFRE does not require any background checks of the volunteers. Anybody, whether with good or bad intentions can work with the children in the school. This could be a potential danger for the students.

3) Volunteers do not need any teaching experience to work in the school. Additionally, no lesson plans or instructions on what to teach the pupils were given to me when I arrived in India.

4) I had difficulties with the payment of the trip; I was overcharged on one occasion and asked to repay the entire program fees on another occasion. Also, I had to email IFRE for an invoice.

5) Unlike mentioned on the website, where it states that "IFRE's staff also visits each volunteer every 1-2 weeks", the other volunteers and I got no such visits within my 3 week stay in the school.

6) IFRE (or Global Crossroads who IFRE works with) did not follow the program mentioned on the IFRE website accurately. For example I did not get to visit the city of Ranthambore at all. Unfortunately no alternative excursion was proposed to me.

7) On one occasion, my parents contacted the country coordinator in India and he gave them incorrect information about my location in the country.

8) During the time I was sightseeing, I was asked by the local IFRE/Global Crossroads contact to give extravagantly high tips to the drivers and guides.

Therefore I do not recommend traveling with IFRE Volunteers.

My volunteer experience in Sri Lanka was an amazing adventure and challenge. Nothing could have adequately prepared me for the culture and lifestyle differences between 1st and 3rd world countries. Honestly, my initial response once I arrived in Sri Lanka was "What have I gotten myself into?"

However, after I recovered from the initial cultural shock, I was able to appreciate the warm hearts of those who made my stay in Sri Lanka an experience I will never forget.

During my volunteering, My host family accepted me and made me feel a part of their wonderful family. They taught me the most about Sri Lankan culture, customs, religions and the Sinhalese language. Although the children and staff at the orphanage were absolutely amazing, I know I will never forget the kindness, laughter, love, and happiness that I experienced at the orphanage. I will forever remember each and every child who opened their arms and heart to me. It was heartbreaking to leave the children, but I hope to return in the future.

I am grateful for everyone who assisted me during my Sri Lanka experience. I don't know what I would have done without them.