Volunteer and Teach in Luang Prabang, Laos | IVHQ

The IVHQ program in Laos is well run. The support staff prior to arriving is very attentive to all the details. In Luang Prabang, the Guest House is in a good location. The meals were delicious and nutritious. I was teaching English at a local temple school. I was paired with a Laotian teacher. The tandem teaching system works well. School was closed for exams so I worked at with the Childcare group for a few days. I was fortunate to experience both volunteer programs. I arrived with 6 other new volunteers and we had a fun time together. We even took weekend trips together to explore more of Laos. A few volunteers worked Construction and enjoyed that work. IVHQ has all the support in place and this allows the volunteers to enjoy the experience. I felt personally rewarded by the smiles and enjoyment shown everyday in the students I worked with. I would return to Laos again...the people are so friendly and welcoming and the country is amazing to travel around.

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A fantastic experience teaching English in Laos with the monks and children. The local team were incredible and included us in their personal cultural celebrations as well as taking us on little trips (like bowling on a very wonky lane). Such a fantastic opportunity for my daughter and I to give to others. Definitely would love to volunteer again.

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My highlight moment from the volunteer experience was being at the school and interacting with the teachers and students! They were so happy and excited to talk to us and it was amazing seeing the culture and customs of a Lao classroom compared to an Australian classroom. The Lao people are so generous with everything they have both with their time and belongings. Volunteering in Lao has taught me an invaluable lesson about generosity. My advise to future volunteers is you have nothing to worry about! The program is so well organised and the team is so supportive! Get out of your comfort zone and make a difference!

Our local team were absolutely amazing and the team along with all the volunteers became a small family. The program's they have on offer are great and suitable to all ages and people, we had a great mix of people from all walks of life volunteering at the same time. The support the team provided throughout our time was wonderful, they organised weekend activities and cultural experiences. The local food was truly incredible, I haven't even been home 24 hours and I'm already missing it. It was life changing, I wish I could have stayed longer and will definitely be volunteering again in the future. Our food was a highlight!!! Our cook was wonderful and was always happy to show us what she was cooking and how she did it. My favorite moment from the volunteer experience was seeing the smiles on the faces of the children and their eagerness to learn! What I would say to someone still hesitant about volunteering abroad is take the leap! Laos felt like the best way to "dip our toes" in and have a go. It was a very safe country, relatively easy to get to and a wonderful team!

Absolutely couldn’t say enough good things about the local team. The team were the nicest and kindest people I have ever met. Not only did they support us with our volunteering program, like organising traditional skirts to wear to school, bikes to ride, etc, they went above and beyond by showing us around Luang Prabang in their own time, including ventures to show us the local culture and sights to see. They welcomed us so beautifully and made us feel very safe and comfortable. Please support them as much as you can because they need more volunteers to come to Laos. I will go back as soon as I possibly can to volunteer again. Volunteering had been one of the most rewarding and special experiences of my life and I feel like I chose the perfect destination for me. The children and the teachers were so grateful and happy for our help and I found them to be very respectful and keen to learn as much as they could from us. I loved their culture and their beautiful manners and quietly spoken way, I loved all the Laos people I met, especially the children. The food was amazing and the team did everything possible to make us comfortable. I particularly enjoyed the lunch and evening meals which were mostly traditional Laos food and was delicious, fresh and healthy. The location of the accommodation was also perfect, right in the middle of Luang Prabang, within riding distance to the school and walking distance to the night markets, morning markets, restaurants and the shops, it was perfect. My favorite moment from the volunteer experience was getting to know the children. I loved my students. I cried so much when I said goodbye to them, which made them cry too. Volunteering is something i'd wanted to do all my life and finally I did it. It was like a dream come true. It made me realise that money and possessions are nothing, the Laos people don’t have much but they care for each other, they are happy and calm and very quietly spoken, but they also are very generous and kind, their culture is beautiful and something westerners could learn from. Go, it is the best thing you could ever do. Get out of your comfort zone and go and help someone else. They don’t ask for much but are so incredibly grateful and happy for what you can offer them, especially if it helps their children have a better life.

I took part in a one week volunteer program in Laos teaching English to primary aged students. IVHQ was so helpful every step of the way! They were by far the cheapest volunteer program I found, their website was clear, helpful and easy to navigate and signing up to the program was such a simple process. Once signed up, IVHQ clearly set out steps to help you understand everything you needed to do to prepare for your volunteering and customs of the Lao culture. Any question I had I was able to ask Sean Markham, the IVHQ program manager, and they were answered promptly. I was also able to ask about weekend travel and getting around Laos. Upon signing up for the program, I was given login details to IVHQ's website and was given all the information I needed including what do about visas, travel insurance, flights, what to pack and how to prepare. Once in Laos I was contacted by Sean again to ensure that my placement was going well and there were no issues. There was constant support every step of the way and any issues or questions were quickly answered and resolved. The program itself was amazing and worth every single cent. Being able to help out in a small community even for just one week was an amazing experience. Getting to know locals in a different way and really immersing yourself in the local culture was a great way to visit Laos and get an experience that not many other tourists have the chance of having. There was an option to do a culture week which was three days of language lessons, cooking, vegetable planting, making offerings for monks and several other activities. I personally chose not to partake in the culture week as I only had one week on the program and wanted to make the most of spending my time in a local school. The fact that this was offered as an option was amazing and really made my time there even more worthwhile. IVHQ is an excellent organisation and I will 100% be booking through them the next time I wish to volunteer overseas!!!!!

I had wanted to volunteer for a few years before hearing about IVHQ through a friend and thought they were the perfect match for me. The IVHQ team prior to departure were extremely helpful in answering any questions and helping me change my program dates last minute. The local team once at the project were beyond amazing. The passion for helping the community was truly felt by the local team and they passed on that passion to each volunteer. The food was amazing and catered to everyone with a mix of local and western food. There were some great social games organized after dinner most nights which was a great way to break the ice and meet other volunteers doing other projects. The orientation was a great opportunity to explore the local area and learn about the culture. In the short time I was there I felt I was able to make a genuine connection with the community, the local team, the children and my fellow volunteers. My only regret is that I didn’t stay longer!

Incredible, life changing, and filled with love is how I would describe my experience volunteer teaching in Laos. I set out on my own and joined this program with the hope to help children develop their language skills so that they might have better career options in the future. I had no formal classroom teaching experience, but for three weeks IVHQ gave me the utmost guidance and support. The schools had a clear understanding of the volunteer's role and were extremely organised. Knowing what my responsibility was as a volunteer, and their expectations really helped me to contribute all my skills productively. The children too, are aware of your role as a volunteer and that you may only be there for a short time-frame. This is so important for the children, and I was really impressed with how IVHQ has developed the teaching program in Laos. Everyday I taught an English class in the morning and afternoon at two different schools. We had to cycle to the schools, and it was amazing to be able to immerse myself in the Laos landscape and understand the Laos lifestyle. The school teachers were extremely supportive and would sometimes try to learn English like the students when I was teaching. It was a really special feeling to be able to support the community in this way, and develop their language skills. Throughout the rest of the day, there was plenty of time to socialise with the other volunteers, go exploring, prepare for lessons and play some sport! The IVHQ program really fosters a sense of family. I went to Laos alone, but I developed life-long friendships with the other volunteers and program facilitators. We went travelling to Luang Prabang and the city on the weekends, and this really helped to enhance my understanding of Laos and the culture. It has definitely been the most incredible, life-changing experience, filled with soo much love and happiness, I have ever had. I would relive it again and again and again.

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