Projects Abroad Reviews

I just recently volunteered with the Project Abroad program in the conservation project in Thailand. I have been to Thailand before so I had a picture in my mind of what to expect, not so fancy, low hygiene, small amounts of food, but boy was a wrong. When I got to the airport I was greeted by a projects staff where she took me to my new temporary home.
I started to get nervous because I happened to be the first two weeker to arrive and most of the other voluteers were out scuba diving on the boat. I was also the youngest in the project at the time so I wasn't quite sure whether or not I would fit in with the crowd. And again, boy was I wrong.
Once all the voluteers arrived back at the guesthouse it was dinner time. I was served delicious rice and chicken (like most days) and pad thai for lunch that day. During dinner many of the voluteers came up to me and greeted themselves making me feel very welcome, and I started to forget peoples' names there were so many, around 27!
As the days went on my group and I (the high school specials) goto introduced to Thailand with presentation from the staff and had our assignments in order to prep us for our upcoming scuba diving lessons in a local pool. It was such an overwhelming rush because the staff wanted us to learn as quick as possible so we could experience as much of the open water as we could.
Once we got into the water ready and trained it was amazing. As someone who has never scuba dived before my trip I can say that this is something that everyone should be able to have the chance to do at least once in their lives. Not only were we helping the environment but we got to experience a new world under water.
On the days that we weren't scuba diving we were helping local fisheries, and getting the local school children to help us with planting and cleaning mangroves. Those were our hardest days, but it was still nice to know that once you left the locals will still carry the information and example to keep you world a better place with them.
The rooms were very nice and clean with air conditioning included (which was needed, a nice bathroom with a shower with water pressure and a working toilet. The guesthouse was near town, about a 30 minuet walk or a 5 minuet tok -tok ride. There were many activities to do during the nights there so there was no time during my stay where I was not doing anything. The trip was luxurious! Much better then I expected.
My roommate and I got very close during this trip, and I made new friends all around the world that I will never forget.
Overall I think this trip was worthwhile and I would recommend it to everyone. Im hoping to continue my scuba diving experiences around the world and keep close to my new friends.

I wanted to do something different this summer, something exciting. I was actually looking for gap year programs when I found the Projects Abroad website. I was interested in the High School Special-two weeks volunteering in a foreign country. I really wanted to go somewhere that I had never been before, and I was really interested in Africa. I chose to do Care and Community in Ghana in the middle of July.
As soon as the flight landed, the escort on the flight helped me get to customs and waited for me and fifteen other volunteers to get our luggage. One of the men moving luggage to the tro-tro met us. He was super friendly and seemed genuinely thrilled to meet all of us. The tro-tro took about ten volunteers to the Akuapem Hills and we went to the office in Akropong. The first thing the officers there did was take all of us out to lunch. Then we settled in to our host family's houses for the rest of the night.
The work was somewhat difficult, but incredibly rewarding. We worked in Kokoom Village, not too far from the house, plastering mud houses. It was great. The women would carry water on huge buckets on their heads, some of the men would help mix the plaster, and there was always a mason helping with the plastering. At the end of the day, it was amazing to realize that because I was there, doing my best with something I was unfamiliar to, someone from that village would have a house that didn't fall apart in the rain.
Some afternoons, we went to Mount Zion Foster Home and Orphanage and just colored and played football (soccer) with the kids. A few days we went to Adom Day Care and once we went to a small day care Projects Abroad had restored so that the government wouldn't shut them down. Every day care or orphanage we went to, the kids were thrilled to see us and the staff was helpful and enthusiastic.
By the end of the two weeks, I never wanted to leave but I knew that the flight was waiting for me and I couldn't just accidentally miss the flight. I came home with a new appreciation for everything I have. I also got the experience of a lifetime, and it's something I would absolutely love to do again.

Unlike my peers, I had not traveled all over the world. This was my first abroad trip and it was amazing. The two guys that pickied me up at the airport were kind and spoke great english. I stayed overnight at a hostel in Guadalajara. There I met three of my peers that would be going to the turtle camp. The staff was fun and took us out to eat at an Outback Steakhouse! I thought it was hilarious that my first night in a foreign country we went American!
The next day we set out early for Tecoman. The bus ride was approx 5 hours but the scenery was great. When we got to the camp after stopping in town, i was blown away by the ocean and the two Black turtles. I affectionatly dubbed them Gimpy and Peaches. Even though they only provided lunch there was stuff for dinner and breakfast. Even though the showers were saltwater, no one was really trying to bathe everyday anyway. :)
I absolutly got what I paid for. Everyone on staff was funny and personable. One favorite past time is to get together and play Volleyball. They are nice even if you do suck. lol.
I would recommend anybody travel through Projects Abroad, especially parents worried about their 17 year old girl traveling alone. This was absolutly an experience I will never forget!

My 17 year old daughter and her friend thought this volunteer company and its turtel camp in mexico would be a great opportunity..how wrong they were. The problems started with their transfer to the camp from the airport in guadalahara. It was meant to take 3 hours but took almost sxi hours on a public bus with every other person going that way that day!!!
Once in camp they realised how basic things would be....hygiene was not high on the list, running water was limited and the camp was infested with mice. They were to be given one meal a day, not made at the camp but brought in from local village, and never warm.
Cereal was provided for the mornings but as you can imagine was not really a choice the girls considered due to the mice!!
Friends suitcase which had some dried food in it got ravaged by the mice...obviously they were hungry too!!
Although the trip was meant to let them experience protecting , rehoming and counting turtles and their eggs they actually only got ot see this happening once in the whole trip which was meant to be 13 days but they came back three days early because of the conditions.
My daughet got scratched by a local dog and only got medical attention 24 hours later as no one was equipped ( now as a nurse this really concerned me) and her friend fainted three times because of dehydration and lack of nutrition. It took my daughet who is only 5'3" some time to drag her friend who is 5' 9" inot the shade and 30 mins to get assistance as no adults were available.
When they decided to leave early the were taken to the local bus and advised that they would have to pay the bus fare as the camp had no money to pay it, no what if my daughet had had no money on her?? would they have had to walk?? ..thankfully she did but it took several calls from me to the camp to make sure she would get the money back.
All in all I would NEVER EVER...recommend this company Projects Abroad to anyone ever again. My daughter has travelled all over the world on her own to visit family, friends and to volunteer elsewhere including Russia, America the middle east and has never had such a disappointing trip.

I volunteered to teach English for one month om Nadi, Fiji. This was my first abroad experience. Overall I can say that I am glad that I went with PA. My placement, accomocdation and support were top notch. Even the gatherings where you meet with other volunteers was good. They doa good job of ensuring that you are happy with not only your placement but your living situation as well. I had the best host family ever. They keo the home immaculate and ensured that I never missed a meal. Always provided me with nutritious and tasty menu items. From what i gather this program was one of the more expensive ones. However, if its your first time out I highly recommend you go through PA.

I`d say that if money is not an issue with you & you`re not experienced with world travel, sign-up with an organization like Projects Abroad. It guarantees a bit of safety and organization in some countries that can be overwhelming.
Unfortunately, money is an issue with me (I`m a university student) and I have travelled all over the globe, so I found that Projects Abroad (P.A.) took complete advantage and profited a LOT from what I paid them.
They are very quick to ask and receive your money, but every P.A. volunteer I spoke with agreed that once they get your money things (correspondence)slow down a LOT.
My teaching placement AND accomodation details were not kept up-to-date and I actually didn`t know exactly where I was going until I arrived in India and the staff took me there. This was extremely unprofessional and prevented me from preparing adequately for my project.
There were staff there to pick me up and take me to my accomodations. I did not have to worry about taxis or buses to get to my placement.
Other volunteers that had done more than one placement with P.A. told me that there are the SAME project fees from country to country, even though the cost of putting someone up in India in someone`s home is significanly less than having your own flat in Shanghai.....and yet we paid the same cost.
The in-country staff communicate almost exclusively via cell or mobile phones and expected me to pay for an Indian cell-phone plan once I arrived so they could keep in touch. Another volunteer there had no phone and basically had NO communication from the P.A. coordinators unless he found an internet cafe (good luck in rural India) to email them. I think it`s unacceptable to take so much money from volunteers and not have solid communication methods set up for them.
Almost ANY time I was told that my P.A. coordinator was going to call me for a phone meeting or come to my placement for a check-up meeting they did not show at all or were extremely late. I had a mobile phone and they wouldn`t even call to inform me that they weren`t going to make it. Again, for such a high price, I find this unacceptable.
I contacted the director of P.A. India enquiring about the allocation of the funds I paid to P.A. After a month in India I knew exactly how much accomodation and food cost. It was a matter of a few dollars per day. After calculations, there was about $1200-$1800 unaccounted for and P.A. could not give me any details about where that money could be. Apart from the costs of the staff, administration, etc. and what little community work they do, there is a HUGE misallocation of funds.
Most saddening is that I`M trying to do something good, but P.A. was profiting. My classroom had no electricity. The students had almost NO resources. There was no paper, pictures, books, teaching aids to work with. There were just benches and a blackboard. I didn`t mind that AT ALL! The children were fantastic. But more could be done to help the school.
There is SUCH opportunity to put my money to good, but Projects Abroad is clearly just profiting from the funds paid to them.
After travelling throughout India I found numerous volunteer opportunitites (especially in DHARAMSALA) where you just need to show up and you`re good to go. Also, Lonely Planet travel guides have a `volunteer`section with resources. If you`re comfortable with travel, can book your own travel insurance (I suggest `World Nomads`), and are going to have to pay for your own flight anyway: I`d suggest looking for an in-country volunteer program that has little/no administrative costs for you to pay.
BUT if you have the money and want the comfort of having things taken care of for peace of mind, I`d go with Projects Abroad...just don`t count where your pennies go because they`re a business. And businesses like to make money.

Although my 1.5 month experience with Projects Abroad was expensive, I would recommend volunteering with a well-established organisation such as this one especially if it is your first time travelling abroad alone as it was for me. The experience of volunteering with the local children and living with a Peruvian family was an eye-opening and pretty humbling one. I think the home-stay is probably the best way to really get to know the culture of the country in which you're living as you can share (however much you want to) with the every day reality of your host-family. I found that Projects Abroad in Peru was good at organising social events to bring the volunteers together with monthly and weekly events such as the weekly Pub-Quiz although when it came to socialising in smaller groups I was just given a sheet on th day that I arrived with all the host-family's numbers on it for me to contact the other volunteers on my own. If you go for a placement with Projects Abroad you're mostly paying for the social side, the experience of genuine Peruvian life with your volunteering as well as your host-family and the comfort of the fact that it is a big organisation so you don't feel like you're alone. However, when on the placement, you're not given too much guidance for example, working at a nursery, you're expected to make up activities and games yourself for the kids rather than have it mapped out by Projects Abroad; it's a good way of building confidence and putting your initiative into practice but you can also feel a bit lost when you're at the school and you don't know where to start. Also - try to learn at least the basics of the language before you go as this will really help with your volunteering as well as maybe making you feel a bit less like a tourist. For first-time volunteers abroad, Projects Abroad is a good option.

Projects Abroad was my connection to Espoir de Demain, the care project in Senegal. Espoirs de Demain threw me into a completely different style of work than i have ever experienced, hand in hand with Senegalese people my own age. My eyes were opened by the wonderful Senegalese volunteers as well as the little talibes we worked with. I learned how to not only look at the problem but deal with. Projects Abroad was helpful and always available. And I only experienced one of there many many programs but im sure that the placements and the staff around the world is just as caring and kind as in my new home Senegal.

Everything about my experince in Peru was insanely good! The system was soo easily set up and basically the only problem I had the whole time I was there was my Spanish wasnt that strong! Projects abroad staff of Peru (Urubamba) were so nice and really flexible. Their door is always open and always are willing to help you. They were also really organised when it came to things like the schools shut for the Swine Flu epidemic, so I got moved to community work with a bunch of other volunteers untill the schools re-opened and ofcourse.. Salsa time was always the best! I miss everything already about Peru and it most definatly wouldnt have been the same without the support of the Projects abroad staff :)

I graduated in the spring of 2009, worked as a waiter throughout the summer, had plans fall through in autumn, and ended up almost by accident volunteering with Projects Abroad. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Projects Abroad was extremely receptive to my schedule and my desire to leave immediately. They made sure I was ready to go as quickly as possible but they still made sure I was ready. They provided support every step of the way but the freedom and independence this organization guarantees means that the Project and the experience remain mine. The staff in Tanzania were fantastic. They placed me with a great host family, helped me settle into living and working in Africa, and most importantly made sure I had a Project that needed doing. Projects Abroad is in my opinion and based on my experience one of the best organizations to volunteer with abroad. I was able to have an adventure that combined travel and service and I was able to have it because of this great organization.

I traveled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to teach English to students in Universities and that was done through ProjectsAbroad, having coordinated the venture with staff in the Toronto office and the local branch in Cambodia.
The entire experience was challenging and remarkable. Through ProjectsAbroad I arranged to work for an organization that was assisting rural students in Cambodia attain university education in Phnom Penh. As it was I taught at three different facilities each working day so there was no shortage of work and a great deal of satisfaction. ProjectsAbroad enabled the task to be undertaken by giving consistent support and offering continuing encouragement. Some concerns about the cost of working through ProjectsAbroad had been read about, but, being assisted by and working with the staff there in Phnom Penh was a significant and positive element of the volunteer process. Members of the team were always helpful and ensured the essentials of room and board as well as transportation to work sites were provided in such a manner as to suit the needs of individual volunteers, in particular, our cook and housekeeper, Danei, proved to be a remarkable person and a continuous source of support, friendship ... and good food! As well, activities of interest were promoted and made available for volunteers to participate in. Overall it was the confidence engendered and knowing the sense of having a home away from home that proved to be the greatest benefits provided by Projects Abroad. Having no worries about the situation enabled the concentration of effort to the tasks at hand which helped to make the teaching such a wonderful experience.
I recommend working through ProjectsAboad.

I had the most wonderful time in Ethiopia with projects abroad. They were incredibly supportive and gave me tons of information before my trip. They found me a placement and a host family based off of my specific needs and abilities. I was met at the airport and introduced to my host family--who were absolutely fabulous and welcomed me as their "Canadian sister." The other volunteers were wonderful, and the staff ensured that we could all keep in contact in order to explore Addis to the fullest.

I have just returned from my amazing Medical Mission trip to Mongolia and I would like to thank Projects Abroad. The trip was everything I hoped for, though a little surprising in some aspects, and your help enabling me to have this experience means a lot to me. From the very start, with my 36 hour “delay” and over night stay in Beijing, I knew this would be an interesting experience and a trip I would never forget.
Apparently Mongolia has certain wind drafts that make it difficult to land airplanes in the Chinggis Khan Airport, so flights from Beijing to Ulaan Baatar are frequently delayed. Fortunately for me, my flight originally scheduled for 7 am Saturday was delayed until 7pm the next day. This meant I was only a bus, airport train, and underground subway away from spending an entire day in Beijing. I was able to see the Temple of Heaven where emperors prayed each year to the heavens for a good harvest, Tiananmen Square , the Forbidden City, and the Lama Temple Buddhist Monastery…all without a visa for China. Having seen a city I never expected to visit on this trip, I was then ready to begin my two week mission in Mongolia.
I don’t really know how to start talking about Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia other than to say it was interesting. The first day I was there I saw Mercedes, Land Cruisers, BMW’s, Hummers, and Lexus cars that I never thought I would see in Mongolia, but the rundown, rusted apartment buildings the cars maneuvered through quickly assured me that I was indeed in the right place. However, the apartment I lived in was fairly nice and clean besides the fact it was on the 7th floor with no elevator and had some mold lining the stairway walls all the way up. I noticed this all my first day there and once I had a feeling of what the city looked like, I was ready to go to work in the hospitals.
With my previous experience I was able to help a lot, including removing sutures from a man’s eye. I was also able to observe many interesting things in various hospitals and clinics. To start, due to a lack of money, the Shastin’s State Hospital of Mongolia only has one Stryker drill for a neurosurgery department that has nearly ten surgeries every day. But as if this isn’t bad enough, the drill was broken. So the craniectomies I observed were either done with a hand saw, a hammer and chisel, or just cauterization through the skull. Once the surgeries were then completed, the skin flap was sutured closed directly over the brain tissue without a patch or other protective material. This is because a skull flap/patch costs about $800 in Mongolia, and the average annual salary is only about $1000. In addition to brain surgeries, I saw a tonsillectomy with only local anesthetic, many cholecystectomies, hernia repairs, heart surgery, vaginal births, a couple of c-section births, and a premature baby die helplessly on a table in front of me. I am very fortunate to have had so much experience at Little Co of Mary Hospital because that offered me many chances to make comparisons to western medicine/surgery that I would have otherwise been unaware of.
In addition to my medical work during the weeks, I went with several other volunteers and our supervisors to spend the night in a “ger” in the Terelj National Park on the weekend. The wide rivers, endless mountains, and actually fresh air (completely unlike Ulaan Baatar) was incredible and the whole trip would have been worth just going to this national park. We ate cooked beef with a nomad family for dinner in a ger, I got to ride a yak , and then at 4am the next morning me and another kid decided to climb on top of the biggest mountain for sunrise. We could see forever in every direction and after several hours of sitting on top, we returned to camp and then headed back to the city.
Overall, visiting both China and Mongolia made this an amazing trip and again I really want to thank you very much for helping me have this experience. I feel I have gained much insight into the ways of a completely different culture, lifestyle, and style of medicine very unlike our own, and I will carry this awareness forward with me as I embark on my life’s journey into the world of medicine.
Sincerely,
Alex Seyferth

We signed up our son for a placement in Guadalajara Mexico. He is young and inexperienced, so we were very concerned about the type of placement. We were assured he would be in a supportive environment, with 20-40 other volunteers. When it came time to pay the balance, we were told his placement would be in a small town, 2 hours by bus from Guadalajara, and that there would be only 3 other volunteers. This was not what we agreed to. Despite repeated requests, PA has refused to return our deposit.

The three month business internship program with Build Shanghai and Lister Investment & Management in Shanghai, China was the most amazing learning experience of my life and provided the best eye opening environment for anyone seeking to enter the international business world with strong insight into the Chinese market and developing future industry specific business proposals and networking contacts.

The Projects Abroad team was great at giving me all the support I needed leading up to the trip. If you want to make sure you are secure at all times use this organization. At the airport I was greeted promptly and made to feel right at home right away. My host family was absolutly amazing and everyone in Projects Abroad wanted to make sure I was safe and happy at all times. The materials provided were very useful,and the staff was always available for support at any time. The program itself is a bit expensive and I the only downfall I saw was not enough money from what I paid going into the orphanage I worked at. I feel the price is a bit high, but I am glad I used Projects Abroad for my first volunteer trip to Africa because they always made sure I was comfortable and safe and healthy - so in this sense it was worth the extra cost.

I lived in Accra, Ghana for a month with Projects Abroad after completing a study abroad program with my university there as well. PA was definitely the better of the two programs, and it taught me so much more than my first placement.
The staff is amazing and they offer just the right amount of support - they don't stifle you or hold you by the hand, but neither do they just throw you out there with no information.
My host mother was kind, courteous, and an amazing cook. She worked hard to make sure we were all comfortable and has hosted volunteers for many years now.
If you decide to go, make sure that you travel outside of Accra on the weekends. No one really enjoys Accra, but it is very convenient and easy to catch a tro-tro out of town for a relaxing weekend at the beach, in Volta Region, etc.
Choosing Projects Abroad was a great decision, and I highly recommend it. I'm definitely a better person for it.

I spent nine weeks in the capital city of Togo volunteering at an orphanage known as Mercy Children's Home. Projects Abroad Togo is a small family of staff and volunteers which lent itself to amazing bonding and wonderful weekend trips to Ghana and Benin, for example. The PA staff was on call 24/7 for any needs we may encounter. They were incredibly accommodating in every way. It was a beautiful experience all around. They picked us up from the airport, held Monday check-up meetings, and popped in on us at the orphanage to make sure we were happy and healthy. By the end of our stay we were a part of the family.

I went on a Projects Abroad placement back in 2005, it was amazing! I was working at a care project teaching English to AIDs orphans. Unfortunately I don't think Projects Abroad have the project in Swaziland anymore but as an organisation I would rate them really high. The support I received and the experiences I had while away were so great and will stay with me forever!

I visited Cape Town back in the summer for 2 months as an intern for the Daily Voice Newspaper. I worked closely with Jourmalists in a busy newsroom collecting stories across the townships and Cape Flats and typing up copy back in the office. It was fast paced, lively and very eye-opening into the workings of Journalists and the paradoxical nature of South Africa. I returned with a portfolio of a dozen published articles. Definitely one of the best experiences of my life.

I worked on a Projects Abroad conservation project in the rainforest for 3 weeks. I had the time of my life! Looking after animals on the release programme; conducting observations; protecting turtle eggs and working on the pilot farm were just a few of the jobs I worked on and all were really worthwhile! The sense of adventure was great being based a relatively long way from normal western civilisation and the social side to living with other like-minded people was also a highlight. Throughout my stay I felt sufficiently independent but had the reassuring knowledge that if anything went wrong helo was at hand. I would love to go back if I had the chance!