Volunteering Solutions

( 19 Reviews )

Activities: Multiple Program Types
Location: Multiple Destinations

Volunteering Solutions is a global volunteer placement provider with projects in more than 30 destinations across the world, including the likes of Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and Latin America.

You can join volunteer programs throughout the year and some of the most popular program destinations are India, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Peru and Costa Rica. There are volunteering programs available which you can join from a period of 1 week to over 6 months. We are accredited by WYSETC and all our programs are fully compliant to the WYSETC guidelines. Our programs start at $200.

There are lots of placements where you can make a big difference, you could apply to work at an orphanage and help children, join educational programs like teaching English, working on skilled placements like medical and healthcare electives, helping communities and street children or working towards improving conservation efforts around the world with animals and the environment. There are also a wide range of internships and volunteer work experience placements where you can gain hands on work experience in different areas like media, journalism and medicine.

These programs are very popular with students, graduates and people looking to make a different on a holiday or career break. All nationalities can apply; you don't need any previous experience but just a desire to help. Popular volunteering programs include travelling to Sri Lanka and working with elephants, helping local NGO's in Kenya and teaching English, working for a magazine in Thailand and working with impoverished communities in India. These are just a few of the opportunities but there really are inspiring projects all around the world which you could join.

Volunteering Solutions is reviewed as a highly credible placement organization and the programs are really rewarding and allow you to have more than just a holiday. You will be able to interact and really help local people whilst you'll be able to understand the culture and atmosphere of countries all around the world. To join you will need to pay a low program fee which includes a donation to local projects and covers your accommodation and food. There will also be lots of free time to travel and see more of a destination and Volunteering Solutions can help you arrange tours and excursions.

Volunteering Solutions are one of the most popular volunteer sending agencies in the world and thousands of people have already participated on programs. For a really meaningful international volunteer experience abroad choose to volunteer with Volunteering Solutions.

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Amazing elephant care facility volunteer experience

I spent three weeks at Thai Elephant Home's nursery and loved the experience. The caretakers put their elephants first and loved their animals. Volunteering Solutions was very supportive throughout my whole stay and really helped me make the most of my trip.

By: Katie
Nationality: USA
Age: 24

Once in a lifetime experience

Last February I went to India (Delhi) with my mom. We worked at the street children program. The accommodation was good, nearby the shops. Shankar (our host) is an amazing man!
We saved some money (1100 euro's) so we can actually do something for the children and the school. I've had an amazing time with the children and Kushboo (the teacher).
For the kids I will definitely go back again. But for India I won't. My lungs were full of dirt, what gives me breathing issues.
I'm still in contact with the teacher and kids!

By: Melanie
Nationality: Dutch
Age: 23

Unforgettable experience in India

My experience in India was an EXPERIENCE. Not only I felt useful by helping children but I visited the golden triangle which includes tan mahal. I made amazing relationships and friends from all over the world. I met people from my age and people who where finishing their medicine career which was very interesting as we shared moments in which I learnt loads. India thought me that happiness is not an asset, it’s a way of living and being!

By: Alejandro
Nationality: Spain
Age: 17

Thailand

It was an amazing trip, full of awesome people which taught me really important things about life. I met there really good friends, also taking care of elephants has been an incredible one-lifetime experience.

By: Patri
Nationality: Spain
Age: 17

Learning by doing

I decided to go to Arusha and wanted to work in an orphanage. I've traveled a lot on my own and I've been to Africa before, but it's always very strange to be forgotten at the airport, although I reconfirmed everything a few days before. After arrival I waited a long time for a transfer and tried about 4 times to reach someone via the contact number with minor luck, it finally worked out.

The volunteer house is a bit off the beaten track and I had to change rooms three times during my 2 weeks stay. Which was really weird. The food (and I am not picky) was very boring and actually always consisted of the same and was hardly spiced. Breakfast too. I learned on the first day of my mission where I was going to after getting twice different information. Which was very irritating. First it said I was going to go to an orphanage 20 minutes away, finally it was one about one hour away. This made me wonder who benefits of your payment.

I paid the equivalent of 30 dollars a day for white toast, 1 egg, black coffee, a late lunch mainly with carbs at 15:00 and Dinner mainly carbs at 18:00 plus a bed in a shared room with a shared bathroom. So moneywise you get what you pay for. On the first day I was picked up by employees of the orphanage, that meant 30min walking, then 30min riding with the local bus, then another 10min walking. After that I was allowed to do this alone, which was frightening at the beginning, because everything looks the same and is not signposted. One hopes not to get out too early or too late.

Later I took the Bikibiki from the house to the bus station. So I could shorten my time to work and relieve my feet. The journey is adventurous. Water and food have to be brought to the orphanage, also toilet paper. It is best to avoid going to the toilet. The time in the orphanage itself was an unforgettable experience. After a week I was given the leadership of the home and was allowed to coordinate teachers, school programm, doctor's visits, etc. The local volunteers make sure you find your way around and are very helpful. The kids are adorable. Nevertheless there seems to be no organisation at all. Not from Volsol, not from Volunteerhouses and not from the orphanage.

So can I recommend Volsol? Not really. Do I recommend to get this experience? Yes, as you really are forced to stand on your own legs and get your stuff done someone. If you are looking for an opportunity to gain some adventurous experience and self-confidence. This could be the right thing. But dont expect too much. Tanzania is beautiful and offers so much more then just this experience.. get the african fever and go on safari!

By: Mama Maarifa
Nationality: Swiss
Age: 39

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Volunteering in Perú

It was a great experience!
My volunteering was in a health center for 15 days in Peru.
The person who picked us up and showed us the city was very attentive at all times.
The apartment where we stayed was better than we expected.

The work we did was very basic, as a registered nurse I was left wanting to contribute more.
For a nursing student it is the perfect volunteer.

By: Verònica Fontbute
Nationality: Catalonia
Age: 29

Non-medical student medical attachment in Nepal

Awesome experience I had during my 2 weeks attachment at Nepal! To make it short and sweet, very organized, even way before the trip starts. I like their pre-trip resources eg the book which helped me understand the foreign culture better, and a quick run through of the commonly used phrases; very hospitable host during the trip, offering free and realistic advices regarding our attachment as well as weekend trips; a very invaluable experience that is not to be missed! Worth every penny, time and effort in arranging for it (there wasn't even much effort needed to arrange it! The coordinators are very helpful!)

By: Samantha Yip
Nationality: Singaporean
Age: 29

Worst experience

I went to arusha in Aug 2017 to volunteer as a medical doctor. It was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever done. Everything went wrong: volunteering solution (VS) team picked us 2 hours late from the airport, the accommodation they provided was a hostel that’s barely equipped to host human beings! Bathrooms were horrible, cold water, no soap.. mosquitoes everywhere. They said food is provided, but unfortunately, we had to go to a restaurant on daily basis to get proper food as we were sick of the everyday rice/noodles that was not really good, and for breakfast, you have to get your own food or you will eat the same thing for 2-3 weeks which was horrible as well.

Beside the poor accommodation which was the worst thing, working at the hospital was not organized, no one cares if you go to the hospital, no one is really in charge to show you around and make sure you know what to do and not to do, and no one gives you any tasks.

The last thing is the fact that the team tries to take as much money as they can for everything; drives, propped food, even clean water to drink! And the prices of the trips were not reasonable at all.

I was really disappointed and I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go on a trip with VS.

By: Ashraf
Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 26

One of the best experiences of my life

Volunteering in Kenya at Makimei Childrens Home , was one of the greatest experiences of my life
Sharing time with 52 kids is something i would recommend to anyone who likes children and share love.

By: Mariana Rohe
Nationality: Mexicano
Age: 27

Volunteering in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

I was volunteering in Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam for two weeks and it was an incredible experience, one of the best while we were in Vietnam! The staff was amazing and the house we lived in became home with all the lovely people there. Quickly fell in love with all the children and they gave us so much life experience!

One thing- it was quite expensive with Volunteering Solutions compared to so many other places and I see that a lot of other people say that as well.
If money isn’t a problem for you, I’ll definitely recommend them, but maybe do some research first to compare prices!

By: Naja Ciarrocchi
Nationality: Danish
Age: 22

Good and Safe Organization

I went to India in 2014 with volunteering solutions. I really enjoyed my time there in Maranda, Himachal Pradesh. The trips they organize on the weekends are cheap and safe. However, our drivers were sometimes hard to understand since they were not fluent in English.

When I arrived in my village, the program coordinator made sure that we had all the information for transportation, for our volunteering jobs, markets in town, etc. They changed my program last minute for working in a kindergarten instead of teaching but it was fine for me. Besides that, I enjoyed my time there and the organization is trustworthy.

By: Maude Benoit-Dupont
Nationality: Canadian
Age: 23

Great Experience

At 17 years old , I truely hesitated before deciding to travel to Nepal with volunteering solutions for a medical internship. I am joining pre-med next year and although I have such a no experience in the medical field yet, the hostpital staff and in-country coordinators helped in optimizing this opportunity by assigning me correctly to specific departments. I learnt a lot and had so much fun too. My in-country supervisors were so nice and friendly and they helped with arranging things and finding solutions to problems. For example I and another volunteer were stuck in Chitwan due to elections in Kathmandu and we couldnt go back. Uma - the supervisor- called the hotel and they gave us an extra free night. I think visiting Nepal as a volunteer is the best way possible, people there have so much respect for volunteers . All in all, Nepal is a breath-taking, beautiful country which must be visited and I recommend doing so through Volunteering Solutions.

By: Ahmed Farghaly
Nationality: Egyptian
Age: 17

Great way to experience India

I participated in the medical program in Delhi where my friend and I got to attend a private hospital helping indian doctors in their dutties and having a very direct contact with local people.

Every afternoon we had time to go around the city, breakfast and dinner are provided at the volunteer house where you experience local food and share time with volunteers from different countries who are working on various projects so it is very enriching. There is a person in the company's team in charge of arranging travel plans, so every weekend we made trips to other indian cities and everything was so organized we didn't have to worry about anything at a reasonable price.

The members of the staff are really friendly, open to any questions or suggestions, and are always thinking on your safety and best interests.

I definitely recommend experiencing projects like this one, since you get to travel and immerse yourself in the culture while being useful.

By: Carolina López
Nationality: Colombian
Age: 24

Life Changing Experience with Volunteering Solutions

During 2014 I decided to take part in the “Thailand Summer Volunteer and Adventure Program” with Volunteering Solutions. It was very well priced and also involved amazing experiences. I would very much recommend the programme for anyone looking to experience a new culture while helping local people, also this is definitely right for you if your unsure of where to start a trip around Thailand as the transport was fully taken care off, as were many of the meals and hostel/hotel stays.

All of the staff we met were very welcoming. Amazing people who I will never forget. They were very informative, fun and mingled with the group a lot which was great to get into the culture and location.

Included in the programme there was airport pick up,
tours and trips of Bangkok, Trip to Khao Yai National Park, Homestay at Mr Lee’s, volunteering with elephants, school children, building work as well as many meals, accommodation and transportation. Your first morning there is a meeting held with one of the representatives so you are fully aware of the upcoming weeks.

My favourite part of the trip would easily be the homestay at Mr Lee’s as it was a fully authentic experience of living with a Thai family. Although the whole trip was very memorable and I would encourage people to do this.

By: Debra
Nationality: United Kingdom
Age: 23

Needed More Organization

I was in New Delhi for the month of August of 2016. My first week I did the Language & Culture Week and the next three weeks I volunteered through the Women Empowerment Program. My accommodation and stay was good. Rajiv, the host, was great and the assistant coordinator Dheeraj was also extremely sociable and helpful. I also met some really great volunteers and had an amazing time with them.

As far as my volunteer experience, I was actually really disappointed. There was some miscommunication about my placement and what I would be doing. I also was traveling to and from the location alone, which made me really uncomfortable with the staring, the environment and the groups of men always standing around trying to talk to me. I didn't find out where I would be volunteering until the morning I was supposed to volunteered, 15 minutes before I was supposed to go. My placement booklet also listed a different volunteer location than where I was actually placed (I was at the Vidya Usha Silai Center in Munirka). I definitely had an expect the unexpected attitude but I would've liked a little more warning and preparation for what I was going to get myself into, rather than finding out very last minute.

I didn't know I would be teaching English, something I have no experience doing, nor the qualifications. I wasn't prepared to teach and lacked the proper resources to even prepare myself to teach the classes, PERIOD. It was hard teaching English when nobody but the center's teacher spoke it (even her English wasn't that great). There was also a lot of disorganization at the center. Oftentimes I would come in thinking I would be teaching to only find that the students wouldn't be coming for class that day, which left me just sitting there looking clueless for the entire time. I didn't feel as though I was actually empowering anyone. Of course I didn't come to India expecting to change the world within those three weeks BUT, I wanted to at least leave some seed of knowledge. Most of the girls and women at the center will probably forget about me. It seemed as though they had no idea why I was even there in the first place and they all didn't know about my last day until it was literally time for me to leave Friday evening. I felt useless and like I didn't accomplish anything.

I did have a few rewarding moments volunteering but they were short-lived after realizing that I truly had no purpose at the Munirka Center. Most of my good times came from the other volunteers I stayed with and learning from my bad experiences. However, my main purpose being in India was to volunteer, which is why I rated VolSol with 3 out of 5 stars.

By: Ayana
Nationality: American
Age: 23

I would recommend VolSol if you are thinking about volunteering abroad.

I went to volunteer on a community based program with children in Rabat, Morocco with my mum. The staff at VolSol are very helpful and we got all the information and everything needed before departing. I really enjoy every moment of the program and the children were wonderful. My host family were also very nice and made sure we felt at home.

This really was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, the smiles when working with the kids will stay with me forever. The staff in country Ali and Jihane made sure everything went well and they were always there if we needed any help. I feel blessed to have had this opportunity.

By: Madhuri Murlikrishnan
Nationality: United States
Age: 34

Great placements but don’t get what you pay for

Agree with most of the other comments. I had an AMAZING project/placement and the local staff were absolutely amazing, but we simply didn’t get anywhere close to what we paid for. Lack of meals was the key factor here. All meals should be included. In my Thailand Volontour program we basically paid for everything aside from lodging/transportation out of pocket.

By: Nathan
Nationality: USA
Age: 27

The best staff!!!

I participated in the special program for two weeks with street children in Delhi - India. Everyone of The company made my experience unforgettable. the staff is very organized and concerned all the time with our safety and in helping to carry out all our ideas and wishes. I recommended to everyone who wants to join the passion for traveling with the willingness to help.

By: Tatiana Mello
Nationality: Brazil
Age: 30

My Review of Volunteering in Kenya with Volunteering Solutions

I volunteered at an orphanage in Kenya with Volunteering Solutions but I wouldn't recommend them. Here are my reasons why...

First of all I think it is really expensive for the services they offer. It was my first time travelling alone, once my plane arrived in Nairobi I went out and I was expecting to see someone there waiting for me, but nobody was there. My tutor was supposed to pick me up, but he was not there on time. I was really scared, fortunately a girl from the airport helped me.

Another thing, they don’t offer lunch during the week. That’s fine because I signed a contract that said that, but, we didn’t have a kitchen in the apartment so, if you're sick during the week, and you can't go to your volunteer program, you're not supposed to have lunch. We asked for it many times and the answer was "we don’t offer lunch during the week". You live in an apartment that, at least in Kenya, is not that near the programs, actually the orphanage was the closer one and I had to take two matatus (bus) to arrive there.

The tutor took me there on my first day and he told me I was supposed to go there by myself the next day even though I didn't know the name of the neighborhoods. Again, I asked if he could take me and pick me up for the first week and I will pay for the matatus, and the answer was one more time no.

I can say a hundred more, but I won't continue, I just don’t recommend Volunteering Solutions at all. I ABSOLUTELY recommend anyone to volunteer, and also I recommend Kenya and projects like the Makimei children’s home or any other home that needs help. It’s been the best experience I've ever had, I loved being there, I think you can understand life from another place once you become a volunteer. I can promise anyone that goes for a volunteer that you won’t regret, you're going to receive much more love that the one you will give.

By: Milagros
Nationality: Argentina
Age: 23