Volunteer stories
Welcome to the Volunteer Stories page, here you can read all about some of our volunteers’ experiences, simply click below on the country and volunteer you wish to read about, or use the menu on the left. Alternatively, you can watch some videos of our volunteers.
Simply click below on the country you wish to read a volunteer story from
- Argentina
Mike volunteered as an English teacher in Argentina
Phrases like ‘life-changing’ and ‘incredible experience’ are thrown around too liberally nowadays if you ask me. However, a trip that I took over the past year with Lattitude Global Volunteering in Argentina really did change my life, and it really was an incredible experience, so what’s a guy to say? [...read more]
Laura volunteered as an English teaching assistant
At my placement, my hours are more or less 9-11am, and then I come home for lunch with the family, and then I go back to the institute from 5-9pm in the evenings. I am rarely in a situation where I take a class by myself (only in certain circumstances – if a teacher is sick, or travelling etc) however when I have had this opportunity [...read more]
- Australia
Mellani volunteered as a teaching assistant
I volunteered at Shalom Christian College, an Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander boarding school in Northern Queensland,Australia. I lived on campus with the five other volunteers and we ate our meals with the children who were resident at the school. [...read more]
- China
Becca volunteered as an English Teacher
I volunteered in China for five months, and I can honestly say it was THE BEST five months of my life! I learnt so much, both about myself and the culture of China, that I would go back in a second if I could! My classes were amazing (I taught eighteen a week!), and I had so much fun![...read more]
Lewis volunteered as an English teacher
China is one of the most mysterious and magical countries on the planet, full of culture and endless adventures. Shrouded in History and full of vibrant life, it was for these reasons that I chose to volunteer there. I spent 5 months with Lattitude Global Volunteering in the south of China in a town called Yuxi[...read more]
- Ecuador
Chinwe volunteered as a teacher and carer in Ecuador
My time spent teaching in Ecuador has been a truly life changing experience. When I first arrived I had no idea what to expect but after spending just two weeks living in Quito and taking Spanish lessons, I soon realised that whatever happened this would be a great experience. [...read more]
Ella volunteered as a teacher and also worked with street children
I volunteered at CENIT, an organisation working with street children in Quito, Ecuador. Every morning we’d lug a bag full of crayons, stories and a giant set of plastic teeth named “Señor Dientes” to our room in Camal market, where we played with kids aged about three to five who would otherwise be selling sweets or fruit. [...read more]
- Fiji
Debbie volunteered as a teacher
I chose to go on a gap year because of wanting a break from education but I didn’t really decide to go to Fiji…it was more accidental. I saw a Lattitude Global Volunteering stand at a UCAS day and picked up a leaflet, I then had a look online and applied to see what it was about and before I knew it I was on the placement to go to Fiji! [...read more]
Jemma volunteered as a community teacher
Fiji may be 10129 miles from home but it is always somewhere which will be close to my heart and somewhere which I am proud to call my second home. I was placed in Hilton Special School which caters for children with disabilities, specifically those with physical and hearing impairments. [...read more]
Leila volunteered as a community teacher
Living in Fiji has really opened my eyes, it was the first time I have left London to be away from family apart from a couple of short holidays. In Fiji everyone smiles and says “bula” to each other on the street; on my road in England, I would be lucky if I got one ‘hello’ a week! [...read more]
Ross volunteered as a community teacher and on an environment project
Four months with the National Trust of Fiji is not an experience anyone is likely to forget. Even so, I struggle to believe looking back on it, how many lasting, emotive memories I have from my time there. From first moving into my new Fijian flat to my last day the Sand Dunes National Park, every day was different and a world apart from day to day life in Scotland. [...read more]
- Ghana
Lucy volunteered as a teacher
If I had to sum up my time in Ghana, I would say that it was a phenomenal, life-enhancing and truly unforgettable experience. Volunteering in Ghana for five months made 2009 the most special and memorable year, I truly feel privileged to have had completed a placement in such a fantastic country. [...read more]
Jake volunteered as a teacher
First arriving in Ghana was incredible; I have done some travelling before but never for so long. Stepping off the plane and the first thing to greet me was a great gust of heat. I was slightly nervous and apprehensive because I have never been to Africa and I didn’t know what to expect; but from the moment we met our Lattitude Global Volunteering Country Manager [...read more]
Jasmine volunteered as a teacher
I have just got back from Ghana where I have been teaching for the last five months. I can honestly say that it’s been an incredible, insightful and life enhancing experience. I worked as a teacher at Western Royal Montessori School for five months. I taught English, Creative Arts and helped in the library [...read more]
- Japan
Cassim volunteered as a medical assistant at a Red Cross Hospital
At first it all seemed like a dream. Six months in Japan on a medical placement, a substantial bursary,accommodation and a decent monthly allowance? This was the offer I received from Lattitude Global Volunteering. I was writing a new page of my life and little did I know that this would have an impact I could never have imagined. [...read more]
Lauren volunteered as a caring assistant
Most people my age rush through the transition of school to university to career, not thinking that they can pause for a moment and really experience the world, so I am thankful that I have had this opportunity and that through the help of this organisation, others will do the same. [...read more]
Nicole volunteered as a caring assistant
I worked in a residential care home for mentally and physically disabled patients. Every morning I helped people whose disabilities were so severe that they couldn’t feed themselves. Through breakfast we always chatted. They were all so happy despite everything and seldom failed to make me laugh. [...read more]
- Malawi
Laura volunteered as a teacher
I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime! It would be my first time away from home and certainly the first time I had ever been toAfrica. I wanted to prove to my parents that I could look after myself, despite being unable to keep my bedroom tidy and I wanted to prove to my friends that I wasn’t going to settle for just any old course from UCAS. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be but I knew what I wanted to do! [...read more]
Millie volunteered as a teacher
Malawi may be a few thousand miles away by plane. It may take £600 to get there on two flights. But now it feels an impossibility away. I miss my friends, my students, my Malawian family, my tumbuka tribe, my orphans, my football team mates, my fellow teachers, my favourite stall tenders in the market, my congregation at Katawa CCAP church, my trouble makers, my second life – my Malawi. [...read more]
- New Zealand
Emma volunteered as a teaching assistant in New Zealand
My role in the school as a ‘Gappie’ at Woodford house was varied. I was in charge of a small kiwi volleyball team – sport isn’t one of my passions but I was given lots of help to start me off and I really enjoyed learning a new sport. [...read more]
Louise volunteered as a teaching assistant in New Zealand
I worked in a New Zealand girls’ boarding school called Woodford House during my gap year.My main responsibilities were assisting with the intermediate department (10-12 yr olds) in English, Computing and Drama classes. I also helped with Yr 10 maths classes, taking those girls out that needed extra assistance, which I really enjoyed [...read more]
- South Africa
Jennifer volunteered as a teacher
On the plane journey over to South Africa I was sat next to an exquisitely beautiful woman in her early twenties. Colourful bangles jangled up and down her bronzed arm, her hair was twisted into pretty braids and her face lit with a constant smile. She talked about all the things she had done, all that she had seen and all that she wanted to do whilst asking me questions on my life and aspirations. [...read more]
Lauren volunteered at an Environmental and Outdoor Education Project
Even as I begin writing this, I know I am going to have a tough time reliving the wonderful experiences that I have had over the past six months. Although I am glad to be home with my family, it feels as though I have left behind a little piece of me with my second family in South Africa. [...read more]
- Vanuatu
Chantel volunteered as a teacher
Having reached the end of my placement, I can safely say that working on Tanna Island has been the most rewarding and profound experience of my life. From my very first day I knew that these six months would have an intense effect on me forever[...read more]
Clare volunteered as a teacher
After years of research I organised my volunteering placement with a Charity called Lattitude Global Volunteering. They offered the chance to completely immerse myself in a different culture, to really challenge myself and to make a real difference. As I was flying over the South Pacific Ocean in a 5 seater plane [...read more]
- Vietnam
