I arrived in Jaipur on March 4, having volunteered for three months with Global Crossroad. I was very excited to be back in India after two years and my host Ms. Manju made me feel at home. Manju worked hard to make sure I found the kind of work environment I was looking for as a volunteer and did a good job showing us volunteers around Jaipur and keeping us informed.
"Manju Ji" was a very good host; she cooked really nice meals and has taught herself English, so she is able to communicate very well with anyone who knows Hindi or English. I appreciated the fact that Manju treated us like friends, checking up on us every few weeks or so. If you find yourself volunteering in Jaipur and you're working with Ms. Manju, don't be afraid to let her know about your needs and expectations; she works very well with volunteers of all dispositions.
Overall I really enjoyed volunteering in Rajasthan. I got to work with a lot of wonderful children, got to know some of the locals, ate wonderful food, and got to speak a lot of Hindi, which I've been learning slowly for years. I would definitely recommend volunteering with global crossroads in Rajasthan, but I do suggest going in the cooler months--between September and April.
Global Crossroad
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8.7 / 10
after 115 Reviews
Based on overall, support & value average ratings
Program website: http://www.globalcrossroad.com/
I had always wanted to go to Africa, and after much researching I chose to head to Moshi, Tanzania and work at an orphanage through Global Crossroad. Our housing was simple, but more than adequate and Hannah, the coordinators wife always had a nice, hot meal on the table for us. The orphanage was well maintained and the children were absolutely beautiful. Communicating simply through facial expressions and touch was an easy way to bond and give love to these remarkable toddlers and young children. Also, navigating around Moshi was fairly easy, there were days I travelled to and from the orphanage by myself and felt completely safe. I also would go for runs along the dirt roads of our village after my shift, and while I may have gotten a funny look or two, I always felt safe. I will briefly mention that our coordinator in Moshi ended up leaving us abruptly; however, the head of Global Crossroad quickly had a coordinator from a nearby city come and reorganize everything as soon as he was informed of the situation. Global Crossroad was very prompt in assessing the situation and responding and that was very reassuring . I loved my time in Tanzania, and hope that I can return in the near future!
Program:
Location:
Posted: May 13, 2012
Overall:
8
Support:
9
Value:
9
By: emjohnsn
Age:
22
An amazing experience – Global Crossroads was both very organized and professional. Everyone associated with Global Crossroads and the Orphanage was very kind and accommodating. The other volunteers were great, and my host family was wonderful – especially Maria, who was thoughtful and funny and concerned and warm. Speaking of warm – definitely warn the volunteers there is no heat in the houses and it got quite cold at night! Loved the hostel in Guatemala – those people were amazing and I will go to that hostel again for whatever reason I find myself again in Guatemala city. Just the most decent kindest fascinating most accommodating people – great stories too! I really felt at the orphanage that I was helping and allowed to make a difference. I think volunteers are needed there and I felt needed and appreciated. I especially liked my teacher, who was in charge of the special needs students.
PS Be warned if is cold at night in Xela and there is no heat in the houses of the host families.
Program:
Location:
Posted: May 9, 2012
Overall:
9
Support:
9
Value:
9
By: kheptexas
Age:
39
During the December of 2011, we participated in one of Global crossroad's volunteer abroad programs to serve at an orphanage located near the small town of Atenas in Costa Rica. As we started talking to Mr. Mohan, the director at Global crossroad, and his staff about our desire to participate in a such a program, they worked with us patiently and tirelessly, addressing all our concerns and questions, and planned an affordable program for my group, that included me, my 17 year old daughter, and her friends. The program met our goals, budget, and timing requirements . Mr. Mohan and his staff promised us a trip that would be gratifying, safe, and fun, and at the end of our trip, we definitely felt they kept their promise.
I was very impressed from the very beginning, as Mr. Mohan chose a very appropriate host family for us who had young daughters, just about the same ages as the girls traveling with me. From the time we landed at the San Jose, Costa Rica airport, the trip was executed perfectly. The Global crossroad’s representative met us at the airport, and took us to the host family’s home in Atenas. As soon as we arrived at the host family’s home, the host mom and her daughters made us feel completely at home. The host daughters took the girls out for a tour of the town, where everything is within 10 minutes of walk.
Atenas is a beautiful and amazingly safe town. There is a park at the center o f the town, and many shops, restaurants, a community center, a church, are all around that central park. Majority of the town people hang out in that area. The park and shops were always full of people, so Atenas felt very lively and fun all day long. There also is an ice cream place, called Gelly’s, by the park, and Gelly’s became the girls favorite hangout place in the evenings, after we returned home from the orphanage. Since the park was 5 minutes walk from the host family’s home, the girls felt very much at home in Atenas.
At the orphanage, we performed various tasks including cleaning and drying clothes, but majority of our time was spent keeping the children busy. We had packed materials for art and crafts, bead making, tote painting, and puzzle works from America. We used all this to keep them occupied, making personalized totes, creating paintings, and greeting cards etc. We also spent time teaching them English and Math, and doing many brain stimulating puzzles. We helped children with extracurricular activities such as rope jumping, playing soccer, and games. Overall, working with the orphans was an emotional experience, but also rewarding as we were able to touch their lives, even if, in a small way.
Besides our volunteering, we went site seeing to Sarchi, Manuel Antonio national park, Lighthouse Animal Rescue home, beaches and rainforest.
Even when we were in Atenas, I knew that Mr. Mohan had not forgotten us, as we heard from the Global crossroad representative about his phone calls to check upon our well being. I have almost found a friend in Mr. Mohan, as I found him to be a wonderful and caring human being. He is very professional, and at the same time, very easygoing, friendly and helpful. I will absolutely recommend Global crossroad's volunteer abroad program to anyone hoping for a meaningful and affordable volunteering experience, as I myself intend to plan soon for my next trip with them during the summer of 2012.
Program:
Location:
Posted: March 18, 2012
Overall:
10
Support:
10
Value:
10
By: ashimak
Age:
The accomodation was way better than expected! When we arrived, we had thought we would be living in the orphanage with the kids so at first I was a bit disappointed but having our own place actually ended up working out so well. It was nice to have some space to ourselves at the ed of the day, especially since we didn’t know each other before the trip. We could unwind and properly reflect on the day as well as bond with one another. The AC was also a very nice treat. Also, when some of the older kids started to come in during the evenings I really liked that we felt like this was our home and we were inviting them in. It further reinforced the feeling of camaraderie we had as well as made it a home base for any kids that wanted to come over.
The food was amazing (!!!) thanks to Reine. She is an amazing cook and person in general. It was a perfect mixture of western food/food Americans were used to eating and some African/Togolese dishes that they certainly were not used to. Having Togolese dishes at least once was incredibly important because even though she was cooking for us and very receptive to what we did and did not like, experiencing the food is definitely part of experiencing the overall culture of Togo and something I think that everyone appreciated. Something that people should be aware of though is paying for water and drinks- it really adds up!
Support-wise, Benjamin and Franklin were absolutely remarkable. These two men held our entire experience together. They were our friends, authorities, diehard advocates, and confidantes all at once. There is literally no way to thank them enough for what they did. They complemented each other so well: Benjamin is more reserved and pensive and had a lot of one-on-one conversations with each of us, while Franklin is more outgoing and outwardly open and danced and joked around with us. Benjamin and Franklin felt like our peers, which made a huge difference because we felt comfortable doing and saying anything with and in front of them. We knew that no matter what circumstance we are in they would take care of us and were always looking out for our wellbeing. I cannot be more grateful for both of them.
CTM on the other hand was bittersweet. Lucien is a remarkable person in that he sacrifices so much for CTM and in founding it he changed the lives of so many children – literally, they could have ended up on very different life paths, some of which would be dangerous/negative – and CTM itself is an amazing place. Seeing how much passion these children have for the performing arts is inspiring. They also love each other so much. In a world in which there is a real dearth of genuine love for thy neighbor, seeing how loving the CTM kids are with one another renews my hope and faith in the goodness of people. It is this type of all encompassing love that makes a difference in these children’s lives. Everyday we came home feeling inspired and having gained an even newer perspective on our own lives and Africa and the world in general. Now for the bitter part…there were several instances in which Lucien expected us to pay for activities that, according to our correspondences with Global Crossroads, we had not planned to do at ALL. I believe this is because of a communication error between Global Crossroads and us. Lucien had sent several revisions of the schedule to Global Crossroads over a month ago, but we only got a schedule from Bharat after having sent the $473. These confirmation emails from Bharat were received only a few days (some the day before) we left. As you can imagine, we had no time to look over or edit the schedule before landing and once we landed it seemed there was a lot on there that was totally different from what we had expressed that we wanted to do, to Global Crossroads. GC made it seem like their program with CTM was very flexible and that everything was based on what we wanted to do; thank God for Benjamin and Franklin because if it were not for them negotiating with Lucien we would have ended up paying for and doing a lot of things we did not plan on or particularly want to do. For example, there were 4 “promotions on National TV” scheduled, for which we would have had to pay transportation there and back. This was not a priority at all – considering we came here for the kids – and the director of CTM pressured us sometimes which was uncomfortable. I also don’t appreciate being solicited for money after having paid Global Crossroads registration AND program fee. There was a specific incident in which I was solicited for money and felt pressured to give which made me uncomfortable and put a sour taste in my mouth about CTM, even though I love the kids and think Lucien is doing a great job. I just think that for us as students, Global Crossroads is already on the pricey end and then arriving in Togo to be further solicited was both unexpected and unappreciated. It would be nice if GC made sure the volunteers were better informed – about hidden fees on the ground, about possibly being approached for more money and how to handle that, and about where exactly their money is going.
Program:
Location:
Posted: March 18, 2012
Overall:
9
Support:
10
Value:
9
By: elsiesowah
Age:
20
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