August 2017 - Affordable Volunteer Abroad

Iko Poran was value for money and I received ongoing support from Felipe, the project co-ordinator. I took part in 3 programmes, 2 with children and 1 helping prepare for carnaval; it was great for me as I expressed my interests and skills and the programmes were then matched to my specification.

The cultural change and language difference, can at first be daunting, but if you are willing to take advantage of the language lessons you receive as part of the programme and you embrace the culture, I believe you will get so much more out of the projects.

Warmth and Positivity of the Children and Workers

The children and workers I worked alongside were amazing and I was humbled by the warmth and positivity they showed, despite having very little material possessions.

Explore the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro

As you are not working every day, you have the opportunity to explore the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro and learn about the cultures of others. For me, Brazil is an amazing country and I hope to return, to see more.

The accommodation provided is basic, but the staff were friendly and so helpful that after 5-months, they became like family.

If you go with an open mind, respect the cultural differences and put in what you get out, I can assure you, you will have the time of your life. I didn’t want to leave, but I have amazing memories and friends for life.

Go for it, I say!

Lucy Foreman

A two-weeks program in a day care center in Cambodia – Albane

I spent two weeks (I know, definitely too short) in a day care center in Phnom Penh in Cambodia thanks to Iko Poran association. And it was such a wonderful experience!
I took care of a class of 7 children (5-6years old) from 9:00a.m to 4:00 p.m, from Monday to Friday. Sometimes I picked them up in their shanty towns at 8 a.m with the staff. It was very hard and sad to see where they live and in such poor conditions, but it was part of the experience and I simply loved their face, their excitation when the association bus (that we used to pick them up at Home) arrived in front of their living place (we can’t call it “a house”).

A Day in The Life of a Childcare Volunteer in Cambodia

When they arrive at the day Care center around 9 a.m, they sing and pray with a Kmer teacher. This was so cute to see them so happy to be there and to take pleasure to sing and pray (even if they lost sometimes their concentration rapidly when they saw the volunteers next to them and they guessed that they will play games after ahah).
After that, it was “shower time” for all children. So we had to make them take a shower, put soap on their body, shampoo on their haïr, and dress them up with the association “uniform” (too cute).
Then, I taught them English until lunch time (around 11 a.m). As school facilities, I had a board, some books, pens, and thats it. I regretted not to have brought with me school support for the class when I see how much they were happy to learn. Some days, when they were very excited, I had time to do some games (often drawings) after the lesson and before the lunch time. When they ate, I helped to clean the dishes, and other little tasks to help the staff. From noon to 2p.m, it was rest time for children, so we could take our lunch break and even also take a nap ahah. When they woke up, we make them take a new shower, before starting the afternoon games. I was completely free to choose wich games I wanted to do with them. They loved dancing (I learned them how to dance Macarena, it was so funny), but they were satisfied whatever the game was. Sometimes I made them watch some Disney videos on my phone (like Frozen, or Mickey) and they became focused and quiet during a short moment which allowed me to recover from the dancing time !

Building a Water Well and Pit Latrine in Uganda – Ratner Family from Israel

The Ratner family finishes the construction of a water well and pit latrine in Uganda.
Thank you very much!! People like you make us believe that another world is possible!!

As a family of 5 people, kids ages are 25,22 and 19 years old we went to Uganda to build a water well and pit latrine for the Kahangi village near Fort Portal for two weeks. The application/bureaucratic/fundraising/decision making process was intense, but worth it. We had an amazing time. We felt completely taken care of before and during our entire trip. We worked with Africa Sustainable Tourism and they also organized with our input a 10 day touring trip for after our volunteer period. The country is beautiful and offers a rich variety of activities. The people were extremely grateful, helpful and kind. Our special dietary needs were accommodated too. We will never forget our experience and the relationships that we made during our Uganda trip. It was a life changing experience. Iko Poran prepared us and Africa Sustainable Tourism took care of us. We highly recommend this kind of cultural/volunteer/tour experience. – Ratner Family from Israel