GVI

I have now volunteered with GVI twice - in Seychelles and South Africa on wildlife conservation projects, both experiences were genuinely life changing. The staff are incredible, providing support from...Read more

I have now volunteered with GVI twice - in Seychelles and South Africa on wildlife conservation projects, both experiences were genuinely life changing. The staff are incredible, providing support from the very beginning, and the people that you meet become life-long friends because they are all like-minded individuals looking to make a difference. I had very little knowledge and no experience of wildlife conservation before volunteering with GVI but that didn't affect my contribution and experience. GVI have provided the tools I need to start a career in conservation if I want to. 10000% recommend to anyone looking to give back while travelling, have a career break and learn something new, or gain valuable experience for a career. I am now receiving regular job updates from GVI and I am planning another trip with GVI next year.

I participated in the construction volunteer program based in Pokhara, Nepal and had an enlightening experience. From the moment that GVI Nepal representatives met us at the airport in Pokhara,...Read more

I participated in the construction volunteer program based in Pokhara, Nepal and had an enlightening experience. From the moment that GVI Nepal representatives met us at the airport in Pokhara, I felt safe. This stood out to me mainly because when first looking for volunteer organizations I read that: "GVI's number one priority is safety". This was reassuring and true throughout my time in Nepal, thousands of miles away from my home. One of my favorite aspects of the program was that it was structured. Each day we had an agenda that the GVI representatives and our team had come up with based on respect for the community and environment we worked in. GVI's influence in the town we visited was not abrasive or controlling, nor was there any savior mentality attached to the work our group was doing. In no way did working for GVI feel like a mission trip, and that's what I valued the most about my experience. I knew that working with GVI was promoting a long term sustainable development project, that relied very heavily on communication and collaboration with the community where projects were centered. Every day was a new adventure. Our project lasted for roughly two weeks renovating a government school. When we first started, the classrooms had old paint jobs, huge spider webs (and kind of enormous spiders!) on the walls, cockroaches on the floors, and most of the benches designed for students to sit on were broken. We painted all the walls of the classrooms, deeply swept and washed all of the walls and floors. Some of the adults in our team worked on fixing the seats. Throughout each day on the project, I became much closer to my team. I formed lifelong friendships and relationships that I value and maintain today. I fell in love with the parts of Nepal that I was exposed to. The rooftop of the hotel we stayed at felt like a second home, the endless fields of glimmering rice paddies along all of the roads, the delicious vegetarian meals, the kind greetings we received everywhere we went, the luminous mountains you could see from anywhere. Participating in this program through GVI allowed me to experience Nepal safely, respectfully and mindfully. After this trip, my view on global travel drastically changed. Our GVI representatives emphasized the importance of respectful visitation and having a constant awareness of your impact with a person, environment, or community as a whole. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to spend time in Nepal and learn about Nepali culture while experiencing some aspects first hand. Going to Nepal and experiencing its intense beauty lit a fire inside of me. Through this volunteer trip with GVI, I learned a lot about my passions and future career ideas. So much so that I registered for another program for a longer duration of time, teaching in Nepal this summer. Overall this was an incredible experience with no bumps or mishaps; My time in Nepal taught me many valuable lessons.

Hi! I’m Ryan Kennedy, and I spent ten weeks volunteering in GVI Elephant Project in Huay Pakoot, Chiang Mai. I was currently studying at university and off for the summer,...Read more

Hi! I’m Ryan Kennedy, and I spent ten weeks volunteering in GVI Elephant Project in Huay Pakoot, Chiang Mai. I was currently studying at university and off for the summer, so I decided very early on that I wanted to do some volunteering abroad and experience the culture. I was conceivably nervous as it was my first time travelling solo. I went ahead after some research and found GVI when I decided to book.

On arrival, all my nerves were quelled as soon as I met up with staff member Myles and two other volunteers. Immediately I felt welcomed and excited to arrive at the village. On arrival at the village and after getting settled in time passed so quickly and every day was so enjoyable. It was such a pleasant experience ethically seeing the elephants and getting to interact with the volunteers/staff and the local villagers. The village itself was hard to describe. I believe all the volunteers agreed we would miss it dearly. The elephant hikes where the reason I came, and they did not disappoint. I felt I learned so much more with the data collection and local biodiversity hikes.

After many weeks it was nearing my time to return home. After spending so much time there it began to feel like a second home, and I began to get very comfortable there. Had it not been for University starting again I would’ve extended my stay without a doubt. Overall the most fantastic experience I’ve ever had, and I can’t thank GVI enough for the great staff and friends for life that I’ve made.

On returning home, my entire mindset had changed. I am more aware of how I can promote change at a local level and continue work in conservation. I still feel very connected to the village. The whole experience was an absolute blast and I cannot wait to return this June!

During my holidays I chose to go 3 weeks in Thailand including 2 in a "useful" way by being a volunteer for GVI Phang Nga. As a nature lover, I...Read more

During my holidays I chose to go 3 weeks in Thailand including 2 in a "useful" way by being a volunteer for GVI Phang Nga.
As a nature lover, I opted for the Conservation program, this experience allowed me to learn about the various species on which we work: green turtles, birds, butterflies, coral ... but also, to make nice meetings with people with different life projects. The members of GVI on site are really passionate, listening, it was a pleasure to be with them and help them in their projects.
I think that beach cleaning has made me even more aware of my environmental impact and the really negative impact of plastic on our Earth.
And I also discovered the UN Sustainable Development Goals shared by GVI, which I did not know and which gives hope for our future.
These 2 weeks were very rich in terms of learning, relational, discovery, today back in France I want to get involved and help GVI to be known and I know that GVI will be again a choice for my next vacation!
Thank you for this amazing experience GVI.

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