Volunteer Maldives

Without trying to sound to cliche or cheesy, volunteering in Milandhoo was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Complete strangers let you in whole heartedly into their homes, their families and their lives, which allows you to experience the Maldivian way of living in some of its rawest yet richest moments. The children adore you and their innocence is truly heart melting. Teaching in the school was incredible. Every class I taught always contained a room full of beautiful smiles and brightly faced children awaiting. Class time was always lively and the children's energy levels were always sky high. They were always eager to learn and absorb every piece of information that came towards them, especially when it came to the volunteer's lives and differences in culture, which I was more than happy to share! Time spent in Milandhoo was never dull. We were always taking the dingy out to the reef, visiting picturesque uninhabited islands, spending countless hours grazing on short eats in the cafe overlooking the lagoon, fishing with the locals, hanging out with the kids at the beach, watching dance rehearsals, attending island weddings…the list goes on and on! I would, without a doubt, recommend that anyone volunteer in Maldives. Within the first few days, I had fallen in love with the country and the people, and would go back in a heartbeat.

Volunteering in the Maldives was one of the most unique, challenging and rewarding journeys I've ever experienced in my whole life! I'd never lived on an island the size of a postage stamp before. I'd never lived on an island where everything, other than tuna and coconuts had to be imported. I'd never had the opportunity to apply so many of my professional teaching and facilitating skills in such a short period of time. My volunteer assignment was professionally very demanding, which is just the way I like it! Highly challenging and even more highly rewarding. I could not have asked for a better combination in an assignment! Thank you Volunteer Maldives! My skills and experience were ideal for the needs of Meyna School . The school wanted a mentor teacher to provide professional development to all of the staff. After observing classrooms, I designed and facilitated 19 professional development workshops for over 60 teachers - local and expat. Following these workshops, I conducted a series of model lessons for the English teachers. Last... I had the fantastic opportunity of designing and facilitating Meyna School's first five year strategic planning workshop. This strategic planning workshop brought together all the stakeholders . I had excellent support from the Volunteer Maldives staff. Almost every day I'd get a text message, checking in on me. I'm pretty much of a self starter, and as such developed the activities with Meyna School, once I arrived. It was good, however, getting the ongoing feedback from the Volunteer Maldives staff. I knew that if I needed assistance, the staff would support me immediately. Holhudhoo Island is really densely populated, and as such the school placed me in one of the island's guest houses. The room was large, and met my needs. Very basic, but that was okay. Initially the school provided me with meals through a local restaurant. However, this arrangement was changed so that I ate all my meals with a group of Indian expat teachers. This worked out very well for me since in addition to eating some excellent home made Indian meals, I was able to use the opportunity to develop rapport with the Indian teachers. I should note that I really did enjoy the Maldivian local dishes. The breakfast was one of my favorite meals.... the chopped dried tuna with chapatti. Excellent way to start the day. The only addition to my meals, which would have been the icing on the cake, would have been freshly brewed coffee. On the island, only instant coffee was available. I'm not a great fan of instant coffee.... however, in the overall scope of things, not having fresh coffee in the morning, was a very, very minor inconvenience! The management staff at Meyan School took very good care of me, right from the time the ferry arrived on the island, until the time I left. In some ways, because I was unable to stay with a Maldivian family, the two principals met with me frequently, whether to discuss my living arrangements or my professional activities. Their door was always open for me to talk with them. This was one of the most challenging and rewarding volunteer assignments I've ever experienced! The Meyna School management staff quickly realized the skills I was brining to the mentoring assignment, and they worked me very hard. Let me add... working hard is something I want to do when I volunteer! Not only was I able to provide over 60 teachers with hands on training in multiple instructional strategies that were new to them, I was able to help the Meyna School develop its first ever 5 year strategic development plan. One of the very best parts of my volunteer assignment was interacting with the students. Through my teaching classes, attending a variety of after school events, as well as just chatting with individual students, I was able to develop a rapport with the students that was very rewarding and fun. Teaching teenagers is a challenge, that is really exciting. Every time I'd walk into the classroom, my challenge was to engage the students and teach them something new. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching the students and having fun with them. I would definitely recommend to anyone, their working with Volunteer Maldives for a volunteer placement!

I will always treasure the six months I spent volunteering in the Maldives as six of the most important, beneficial, enjoyable months of my life. I worked as an English teacher on two different islands (Alifushi in Raa Atoll and Velidhoo in Noonu Atoll) and I had no idea that teaching would be so rewarding for both myself and the local children, who are rarely given the chance to hear English spoken in a native accent. Just having finished high school last year, I was nervous to go in as a teaching assistant without much experience, but I quickly discovered that a willingness to help was as valuable and instrumental in making a difference as any amount of training. My students were adorable and very appreciative of all of the volunteers, I can't wait to go back to see how they are growing up. Not that volunteering is by any means all work and no play! Thanks to the magical powers of the Volunteer Maldives team, I was able to join many of the amazing volunteers I worked with on special weekend trips to luxury resorts for a fraction of the original prices - for the volunteers taking a short time off from busy full-time jobs the short personal retreats were especially ideal and well-deserved! Although the local islands themselves are definitely beautiful enough with plenty of things to do to keep busy; there were lots of locals sports teams that roped us in to join games as well as environmental initiatives to start or get involved with, not to mention snorkelling on the gorgeous reefs. The local communities were extremely welcoming from the get-go and I got to visit a variety of islands- from local to uninhabited to pre-complete resorts - with local friends as well as attend sports matches and parties and even a wedding! From the minute I decided I was interested in volunteering right up until my last second in the country, I received the first-class support from Volunteer Maldives - Michelle and the team were never further away than a phone-call or email with answers to whatever questions we might have and they were always ready with generous gifts or surprises for the volunteers. It is absolutely commendable how much effort the VM team puts in, constantly taking out of their personal time and resources. They, along with competent locals, ensured that we were always well-fed and staying in very comfortable accommodation so that after a short while the Maldives really felt like home. It has been almost two weeks since I left now and I am already missing my Maldivian friends, my fellow teaching staff, the other volunteers (all of whom I will never forget) and naturally the VM team. It is certainly simply a matter of time before I return to volunteer in paradise! Thank you so much Volunteer Maldives!!!!!

I would like to thank you for letting me come out to the Maldives. It has been a real privilege working with the children. So much so, I am now thinking about a career in teaching, something which I never really considered before I came to the Maldives. For the country as a whole, it is such a beautiful and unique place and it is a place which will be always close to my heart because of the beautiful scenery, great people and delicious food I have become more of a cultured person because of the experience. Not only that, I feel more confident in myself, more hands on and has more patient than I used to be. I feel that I could have contributed more in the fact that at times, I wasn't utilized properly. To be fair towards the end of my time there, we ran some conversation classes for the teachers and the amount of PE classes I taught went up slightly, better late than never. For the children that I taught, I felt that their English improved so much from the time I was there so I felt I contributed to that effort It was such a privilege teaching an amazing bunch of kids that were not only eager, but willing to learn. There was also a cheekiness and a talkative nature that made then like that to teach.

I had a fantastic time volunteer teaching in the Maldives, it was one of the best things I have ever done. It is humbling to experience a very different way of life and to meet so many people who are kind, generous, and genuine. The islands are very beautiful and where better to volunteer than in paradise! I found the support given to me by Volunteer Maldives to be excellent, with frequent contact before, during, and after my stay. I would happily recommend this to anyone looking for a special experience. I found the experience extremely beneficial personally and it has helped me to re-evaluate my career options. I received very positive feedback from the school and the islanders. Michelle provided outstanding support to me, always happy to answer any queries and arranged a fantastic day out for me and the other volunteers.

Absolutely everything was incredible but one of the best aspects for me was seeing a change in the children from when we arrived to when we left. It was definitely encouraging to see some of the children who wouldn't do anything at all in class at the start, coming and asking us for help at the end, and seeing the little preschoolers try to express words in English after previously talking to us constantly in Dhivehi. It was so rewarding to see some positive changes! And also just the friendships that you develop with the children and the islanders, it was so lovely to walk around the island and be greeted by so many children and adults it was quite touching! It was definitely beneficial to me personally! It was so rewarding being able to help others. I am unsure as to whether it helped the islanders as intended but I guess one of our main goals was to just make English that little bit more enjoyable, and for them to want to speak in English. It was quite hard trying to teach the preschoolers and work with them as they do not speak much English at all bit it was nice to see them at least try by the end of our trip! Mohamed and Nudjma were incredible. They actually became our new set of parents! They were very welcoming and were always making sure that we were comfortable in where we were sleeping. They were absolutely amazing to us, and we wouldn't have had the time that we did without them! The experience was absolutely incredible! Michelle and Shakila were very friendly and kept in constant contact to make sure we were settling in and everything was going ok! It was also lovely to be able to meet up with Michelle in Male and just have a chat about how everything was going! We couldn't have asked for a better support team :) The program is such a unique opportunity and we absolutely loved it and are looking at our next ticket back!

Here comes a cliche, but it really was the experience of a lifetime. We definitely feel we helped the islanders - some with their English, some with their attitude to school, some with working independently, and some with their volleyball. We feel though after a month we haven't finished helping, like there's still more to do, and going home is tortuous for that! We did lots of recordings of our voices for their English listening classes, so it's nice to know our effect goes on helping them even after being there. Cannot even start to describe how amazing it was… Bonding with the people of Huraa and learning to enjoy every moment and every experience. Especially special was communication with the kids - sometimes them standing there thinking so hard for 10 seconds just to come up with one or two English words, sometimes with the older ones being able to talk freely in English, and sometimes having a whole conversation without using any words at all. They are beautiful 'Miss! Come! Come play volley!' and then watching their improvements in class as they implemented strategies we taught them. I could go on and on. The Support from Volunteers Maldives was perfect, right from being met at the airport to ice-cream with Michelle. The team does everything they can to meet your needs - for us (after having one broken phone and one phone go missing from the beach) that meant lending us a phone for the rest of the time (thanks again Michelle!)

My time with Volunteer Maldives has been truly unforgettable. From the moment we arrived off the plane, we we're greeted with open arms by a local who showed us the sights of Male. The next day we headed off to our island- Velidhoo, on the Noonu Atoll. Here we worked in the primary school, helping the children with their English and PE classes. Both the teachers and students were extremely welcoming, going out of there way to make us feel like we were at home. We spent about a month on Velidhoo, all the while learning more about the culture of Maldivians and at the same time contributing to the education of many young children. Having never travelled overseas before, let alone to an island community, I found my volunteering experience extremely beneficial. Being in the minority of the population for once, it was strange to be such an attraction for the first few days. I feel that my time in the Maldives has helped me to grow as a person; I feel much more able to interact with those of very different cultures and religions. The differences between 'us' and 'them' seemed so minor by the end of our stay; we felt at home in the community, feeling just like a local. Having spent this time with a different culture, I have come to appreciate much more the way they conduct their lives. Seeing the locals having so little, yet always willing to give so much, was truly humbling. I was continually amazed by the generosity of the locals, and the lengths they would go to in order to help a friend, and the volunteers. Even though the month felt like such a short time, I felt so appreciated by the locals I can only hope that I made some sort of difference to their lives. I felt that we contributed to the community in a positive way, especially in terms of the sports teaching as we brought new ideas into the area. Hopefully we left our mark, and our work will continue to have an effect on the island well into the future My interest in volunteering in the Maldives began when a lecturer at university showed a 2 minute slideshow of another company offering volunteer projects in the Maldives (Antipodeans). I began to investigate their program but when I realised I wouldn't be able to afford the placement I began to search the internet for other volunteering companies/ projects that I could do. That is when I stumbled across VM, simply in a Google search. I got in contact with them and felt instantly at ease and so my volunteering experience went from there. I felt that VM provided an amazing volunteering experience and I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Thank you Volunteer Maldives for giving me the opportunity of spending 2 fantastic months on Milandhoo Island. I really enjoyed teaching there because kids were very nice and I liked teaching them English and Italian. I also want to thank my Maldivian family: Shakiba and Suman who welcomed me and made me feel at home. I really miss the hot food Shakila cooked every day. I also miss the lovely people on the islands who enjoyed seeing me walking around wearing Maldivian clothes!!! I really hope to come back soon and I know I will. Yvonne and Shakila thank you very much for your great support, your kindness and friendship. This made me feel safe and welcome. Lots of love.

I spent 6 months working as a volunteer English teacher on a tiny 2km Island called Milandhoo. Before going into this experience I never anticipated it would have such a positive and amazing impact on me, but it did. It has been over a month now that I have left and not a day goes by that I dont think about the friends and my Maldivian family that I left behind there, I miss them so much. It is very difficult to sum up my experience as I feel not even 100 pages of writing can do it justice but I will try my hardest. The first couple of weeks there were understandably difficult for me because of the language barrier and cultural differences but that was soon over as Ii grew to understand it and love it more and more each day. What I learnt from the Maldivians more than anything was that family and love came first. The amount of love they have for each other and their families is something that I have never seen in any culture before. It was overwhelming at times but it reaffirmed the importance of family for me and made me appreciate my 2 amazing brothers more than ever. For that I will be forever grateful to them for. I worked at Milandhoo school which was conveniently located less than a minute from the house I was staying at. I think when they told me that, I felt like I won the lottery! That meant I could come back and forth from classes to have breakfast or for a chat with my Maldivian family if I had any periods freed up. My classes would start as early as 6am and finish at around 12. yes, it was very difficult to wake up so early but after a few days I realised that sleeping in did not exist in their culture. Everyone is up at that time so you get used to it and just the fact you know your not alone in waking up so early makes it so much more easier! Plus it meant that I had so much time after school to do as I pleased! My days teaching at the school was incredibly fun! I was teaching grade 1,2 and 3 and to be honest after a couple of months I became more like a fellow student to them rather than a teacher. I wanted them to think of English as a really fun subject, that you can have fun and learn at the same time and because I was lucky enough to be given full authority in my classes I completely took advantage of it and made the classes as fun and exciting as possible. Not for one day did I feel like I was 'working'. Seeing the smiles on the childrens faces when they knew they had English the next period was what gave me the energy and if I could have stayed in school for another couple of hours I really would have! After school I would do private tutoring. It filled up my time and It gave me the chance to get to know children from the higher grades too. I would say that after a month or so I pretty much got to know everyone on the island. It was such a great feeling to walk around on Milandhoo and just be able to feel like I was excepted and made to feel like I was one of them. It didnt take the people on Milandhoo long at all to except me and by no time I was invited to different houses for breakfast, lunch and dinner! They are incredibly humble and kind people, more than i can ever explain. At no point in the 6 months that I was there did I feel alone, there was no time to feel alone! After school and tutoring was over it was time to enjoy the sea! I would round up some of the local kids, at one point more than 100, and we would all go swimming and snorkeling. I would do that at least 4 times a week, if not every day! I don't think all the parents appreciated the fact their kids would go home covered in sand and sea water everyday so the number of kids would drop off every week right up until the last few weeks when it was me and 4 others. We would spend all of our time together. I considered them my family, my brothers, and still do to this day. Zidhan, Zimam, Viyam and Raif. While in Milandhoo I formed so many close relationships with people that I never thought I would ever meet in my life. So many wonderful teachers and staff at the school, so many amazing parents who would go out of their way to make me feel welcome and most importantly my Maldivian family. I truly believe they are my family and will always be so greatful of the time I spent in their home. They never made me feel like an outsider, not for one day and I can only hope that I can return the favour for them one day! I also met a wonderful shop owner and teacher who opened up his family and life for me, I will always be greatful of our friendship Rashid! This experience has changed my life so much. It has made me focus more on my goals, opened up my values in life and over all made me want to be a better person. This wouldnt have been possible without the help and hard work of the ladies in Volunteer Maldives! You three are such special people and you will all be very close to my heart! Thank you again for this amazing experience and if I could do it again, I'd do it in a heartbeat!

Our experience on Velidhoo was more than we could have ever dreamed of, we were so lucky to have not only the amazing organization Volunteer Maldives taking care of us but also the Noonu atoll school, the preschool and our lovely housemates Tegan & Carla. After both taking a gap year and wanting to travel but not sure where to start we stumbled upon VM through a friend and we straight away knew it was the perfect opportunity that we had been looking for and it did not disappoint. With no teaching experience we were nervous as to what the response to our initial email would be but Michelle replied quickly welcoming us and we were over the moon. The Maldives was always on the top of our must visit list; with their culture, friendliness, food and warm island vibe it was exactly as we had imagined. Also the children on the island with their open arms did not fail to melt our hearts. The 7 weeks we spent on Velidhoo was an experience we will never forget. The entire program in our eyes was amazing, the small things that could have improved were things that we ourselves could have improved. I'm sure that many would agree but I feel that our time on the island improved our lives more than we were expecting, the people of the Maldives can't help but steal your heart. I hope that we improved their lives in at least half the amount that they did ours. The best part was everything, the good with the bad made it the experience that it was. But above it all of course were the people involved from Michelle to Tegan to Ali, Nihad, and Nashida down to the amazing children as well as the rest of the island community. Special mention to Junan. We were devastated that we had to meet up with family in Thailand or I am not sure you would have been able to ever get us leave! Thanks Michelle

The summer I spent in the Maldives was amazing. I was made to feel welcome as soon as I stepped off the plane, not only by the Volunteer Maldives staff but by the locals as well. The people were so generous and gave up so much time making me food, checking I was alright and going on numerous fishing and snorkelling trips. I was there as a football coach, taking the schools PE lessons and running a football camp. The football camp ran everyday and I have never coached in a better environment, not only was the weather amazing but the participants were attentive and always gave one hundred per cent no matter what the session. They were eager to get every bit of knowledge about football they could, discussions went on long into the night on numerous occasions. It also helped my football knowledge, it gave me some great ideas that I have taken back home with me and have used in my own coaching sessions, improving both me as a player and a coach. This was such an amazing experience and everyone on the island was so happy and upbeat that you couldn't help but love each and every moment.

As far as I am concerned this was a life changing experience. It has helped me grow and experience life through new perspectives. I still maintain contact with all the people I met so that I won’t forget the ones who helped me be a better person. As for the islanders, I can only hope it has helped them in the way I intended. At least I came home with a sense of a “job” well done. Jose Pedro

It would take a lot longer than three months to tire of waking up and walking less than one hundred meters to see the stunning turquoise water I was greeted with each morning. The beauty of the Maldives really cannot be expressed - you have to live it. Because more so than the ocean, or the white sand, or the palm trees, its in the people. I taught English at the preschool to children as young as two years old, and even from such a young age Maldivian people seem to have this inherent desire to learn and to laugh. The parents also, and even the teachers, had a keen desire to develop their English and get as much out of the help they are given as possible. Having only just left high school myself I freaked out when I arrived and was told I would be teaching the adults as well, but Maldivian people are so grateful and respectful that I was soon anxious to do more to strengthen our bond. By the time I left we were all playing netball together every afternoon, and I spent every evening enjoying the teachers’ company. Their culture was so vastly different from any I have witnessed and although arriving was a great shock I soon adjusted and learnt to treat everything as a learning experience. I’m so grateful for the challenge though, my experience was much deeper and I grew so much more within myself. On such a small island (only 300m long) the people on Komandoo taught me a thing or two about how to have fun, and in particular how to laugh at myself. I quickly made friends I will stay in touch with for a long time, and together we learnt a lot. I taught them that McDonalds was known more commonly as a fast food restaurant than the man “who owned a farm”, and that in western countries all our money is held on a piece of plastic the size of your palm. While they taught me that chocolate cake cooks far quicker in a frying pan, and that to them, swimming with dolphins and turtles is no feat but a mere weekend activity. As hungry as the people and the children were to learn everything I had to teach, I could never have taught them a fraction of the amount that I learnt about myself and their culture in my time on Komandoo, and I can - without a doubt - say that those three months were the most enlightening and rewarding of my life. Maldives, you have not seen the end of me!

It was a fantastic experience from all points of view. I did not think people were so special. From day one all the people of the island have proved friendly and full of humanity. They taught me something important, you can always be happy with little. I designed a multi center building for the local Youth center and also designed homes for 5 families during my voluntary program. It was great to see and feel their happiness as I showed them the drafts of their new home. Thank you for everything. I will never forget a fantastic month spent on your island.

Being a volunteer in Maldives is definitely the most incredible, meaningful and unforgettable experience in my past 18 years. At the beginning, Children acted so quietly and they were too shy to speak English to a foreigner. However, only after one month, they couldn’t stop talking in English both in the classroom and out of classroom. I have spent a long time to learn English as it is also not my first language, so I know exactly how important to become willing and fearless to talk in English when trying to get improvement. Happily, they made it! Additionally, I also had a great fun in playing netball and mini beach volleyball with them every day after school. They regarded me as a “big sister” or a friend instead of a teacher. One of the students wrote a letter to me when I was about to leave and it is said that we are forever friends. I am so glad with these words. I was so lucky that I spent Eid Festival with the islanders. There were so many events during Eid week, like Children Party in the beach, Coloring the Face and Traditional Dancing in the street. You will never imagine how friendly and enthusiastic the islanders are unless you truly live on a local island For me, I am pretty sure that this volunteer experience has helped me to grow up, to reset my attitude to the world and find myself. So, I would say being a volunteer is absolutely “one stone, two birds”. It not only helped the islanders, but yourself. Wow, my experience there is incredible. If I have to choose one best part, I would say was playing games and chatting with children on the beach after school. It helped me to know more about themselves, their Culture than in the classroom. And you know, the view by the beach is just beautiful! I would definitely recommend Volunteer Maldives and I already plan to do a blog to share with everyone in my home country and when I head back to Australia for studies.

Prior to volunteering in the Maldives, I had always considered the term “Life Changing Experience” a terrible cliché. Perhaps this is because up until that point, I had never had the opportunity to gain an understanding of what a life changing experience might be. Being 5400 miles from home is an experience. Seeing what you see in glossy holiday brochures for real is an experience. Teaching 8 classes of wonderful children, living on an island you can walk across in 8 minutes, planting trees for a community, going to a traditional Maldivian wedding, snorkelling in the Indian Ocean and meeting strangers who become friends are all experiences. After doing all this and more during our time volunteering in the Maldives, it was then that I understood that these experiences combined to make our trip a truly life changing one. My name is Vicky and I spent just over 6 weeks volunteering as an English teacher on the local island of Velidhoo in June and July of this year. I was lucky enough to share my time there with my boyfriend Marc who also taught English, as well as coaching football in the islands youth tournament. Both of us are studying to be Primary School teachers here in the UK, and a requirement of the course is to undertake an ‘Alternative placement’. After hearing about the Volunteer Maldives scheme through a friend who went in 2010, we both agreed teaching in the Maldives couldn’t get much more alternative! Volunteering in the Maldives was an amazing, humbling and gratifying experience and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who wants to volunteer somewhere ‘outside of the box’. Marc and I already knew how very rewarding teaching is as a job; however neither of us was prepared for just how grateful and receptive the children would be that we taught on Velidhoo. The children we met had such different backgrounds to those we are used to teaching in the UK, yet despite having few material luxuries they were friendly, curious and incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to hear and be taught English spoken in a native accent. The teachers at the school were welcoming, respectful and grateful for the areas of our UK teaching practices we passed on to them for use in their own future lessons. We both miss the school dearly and have lists as long as our arms of those students we would have loved to have brought home! It would be unfair to claim that volunteering in the Maldives was solely a working placement! Volunteer Maldives has fantastic links with a number of luxury resorts which we were lucky enough to visit at exceptional rates. Lounging round a 5 star resort in the Maldives certainly gave Marc and me a taste of the celeb lifestyle! The people living on the island of Velidhoo were warm, hospitable and generous who quickly regarded us as part of their incredibly close community. We felt well and truly welcomed as the list of invites to places became endless; I played netball with the local girls team, Marc joined in football games and watched it on TV in the local’s houses, we had traditional Maldivian food with a local family, planted tree’s alongside the Maldivian army, had a midnight BBQ on a deserted beach, cooked at a local B&B, snorkelled in the fabulous reefs and got to go to a traditional Maldivian wedding and reception! From this we can say that we have experienced friendship in its purest form. To go from being strangers to life-long friends in such a short space of time is rare and we feel so lucky to have been recipients of this. From the initial enquiry email sent way back in October 2010, right through to boarding the plane in Male airport as we set off home to England, Michelle, Yvonne and the rest of the Volunteer Maldives team were with us every step of the way. We were guaranteed a placement together and to work in the primary age range of the school so that our experience contributed to our professional development. We received regular texts and phone calls to see how we were getting on and any questions we had were answered straight away. Both Michelle and Yvonne take it upon themselves to get to know all their volunteers personally, and they are so generous in giving up their time to organise time away at resorts, meet-ups and lovely gifts. The Maldives and its people are like no other place I have ever visited before. Living in paradise, meeting volunteers from other parts of the world, having the opportunity to teach and experience the things I have mentioned, are only a few highlights of the trip. It’s almost 6 weeks since we left and both Marc and I are still telling family and friends about all the wonderful things we got to do during our time there. As for the people, both young and old, words cannot describe just how great they are. Their welcome, their friendliness and their hospitality are an example to us all. Although the people I met on Velidhoo were so different from me in circumstance and culture, I realised that despite all this we were very similar. We had more in common than we had in differences. Interacting with these people made me return to England more confident in my abilities and willing to face situations that were previously way out of my comfort zone. It goes without saying that both of us now have a huge appreciation for what we have and the opportunities given to us in life. I went to the Maldives to teach others, but I have learnt so much from the people of Velidhoo and the Maldives as a whole. “Life Changing Experience” is no longer a terrible cliché, but something I can now say I have had. On Behalf of Marc and myself, Thank You Volunteer Maldives!

The experience was absolutely superb. Importantly, the feel of community on the islandand the ‘nothing is too much’ attitude made the experience an unforgettable one . Essentially, the whole school community made my time on Kamandoo phenomenal. I am definitely going to be telling friends and family of the benefits of volunteering for Volunteer Maldives. The program is superb and the holistic support given to volunteers is wholeheartedly amazing. I was impressed with Michelle, Yvonne and Habeeb’s contributions; they were only a phone call away. I must also give a special mention to all the teachers on Kamandoo and the island council team – unbelievably helpful and accommodating. One month was a short amount of time, but I hope I made a significant contribute insofar as improving the children’s written,spoken and reading in English. Best aspects for me personally: 1. Watching and helping the children in the classroom. 2. Improving the children’s English skills. 3. Trips to nearby islands to gain a fuller experience of the Maldivian scenery. 4. Exploring the capital. 5. Working on a island whereby the sense of community is paramount.

I had the most amazing experience with Volunteer Maldives. After copious hours of research on volunteer programs around the world, I believe that Volunteer Maldives is the best! They have the best prices, were always available to answer any questions I had, and made it such a fun and personable experience. The Maldivian culture and way of life is remarkable and it was such a privilege to be welcomed with open arms and hearts into the local islanders unique lifestyle. My time in the Maldives will never be forgotten and I would recommend this fantastic opportunity to anybody! The last 3 months gave me ample time to reflect on life and being able to help children at the same time was very rewarding. I also think that I helped the children not just academically but socially as well. The support that Volunteer Maldives gave me in-country was great. Michelle was always there if I needed anything or had any concerns.