A Broader View VolunteersReviews of abroaderview.org

I volunteered at an orphanage in Belize through A Broader View. My experience was fantastic! When we decided that we wanted to volunteer at an orphanage, all research that I did suggested we use A Broader View to facilitate our trip. We were looking for an English speaking country & somewhere to make a difference with children. A Broader View's website and recommendations made it easy for us to connect with the orphanage in Belize - which was the perfect fit!! After going through the approval process, they very accurately let us know what to expect for our trip & we had a life changing experience in Belize at the children's home. Our housing was comfortable, meals were healthy, the staff was accepting & supportive, and the children are amazing. In the 10 day trip, we felt like we made a difference at the orphanage through time with the kids & work around the orphanage. It was fun and rewarding. A Broader View made all of it possible. Very grateful that we decided to use A Broader View for our trip!! Thank you!!

Two of my colleagues and I wanted to spend some time giving back in the world. ABV matched us to the right experience in a children's home in Belize, they helped us with our documentation, they educated us on cultural expectations and the communication between our group before, during and after the trip, was top notch. We have since been to the same home over 25 times in the last five years, it was a life changing experience. Sarah and her team continue to support the home and our efforts, we are so appreciative.

I was in Ghana for 5 weeks from end of October to December. Sarah described me very accurately my teaching assignment and living conditions during my initial call. They were checking the trip progress periodically while in Ghana. This is well run organization I had lot of trust from the initial inquiry. Since they have limited control of in country organization minor changes should be expected. I worked in Ghana with dedicated teachers and bunch of great kids.

I had a great experience in Belize through the A Broader View Program. Highly recommend.

I volunteered in BeliZe a week before Christmas of 2019, and my project was suppose to last for two weeks. My mission was abruptly cut short after only being in the orphanage for three days, due to being sexually harassed by their male orphanage director and being eaten alive by bed bugs. From the minute I was dropped off at the volunteer house, he was making inappropriate comments and looking at me inappropriately. He was a married man, propositioning me, and I felt extremely disrespected. The second day, some little girls in the orphanage came up to me and made some pretty disturbing comments regarding him, being inappropriate. I felt extremely uncomfortable, and since I was the only volunteer there, I didn’t feel safe. To make matters worse, I was being eaten alive by bed bugs. I’ve traveled all through Africa, volunteering, I know mosquito bites when I see them. I had marks all over my body, despite using the proper sprays..and was only being bitten in my bed. So I reported him to Agatha, and she was very compassionate and apologetic to me. They fired him immediately, but I left Belize because I was in a foreign country, alone, and the integrity of my mission was already compromised. I had spent so much money to be there, and to try to make a difference in the children’s lives. A couple of weeks later, I hadn’t heard Anything from Sarah, until I reached out to her first. She emailed me practically blaming me for the incident. She offered me a partial refund, which was disappointing. My program was $995, plane ticket $789, took unpaid time off from work then I spent more money leaving early. For her to deny me a full refund, and charge me for the three days that I was there like it was some hotel was distasteful and showed me that she is more concerned with money then anything. During my stay I didn’t eat the food because I had become sick after the first meal, and I was bitten by bed bugs in the living counters. Even a hotel would offer their guests a FULL refund. I understand that it’s not the organizations fault for how the inappropriate director behaved. However, how Sarah handled the situation was very disappointing, and I will not be supporting her organization in the future.

I went through three weeks in the Belize halfway house as a feature of the A Broader View program. I helped in the preschool making ensembles for a motorcade. It was a superb time. The children and grown-ups had an awesome time. I likewise worked in the yards with raking and cleaning. A few days I assisted with schoolwork also. My facilities were great. I had my very own home and it was without bug and cool around evening time. The wifi in the workplace worked incredible. Sarah at ABV was exceptionally responsive and strong all through my whole program.

We had a wonderful experience with A Broader View. It's great to be back in the comforts of our own home but it's also heartbreaking to be away from the people we grew to love so much in Kathmandu, Nepal. Two weeks wasn't a lot of time, of course, but we felt like we gained a lot of new family members while we were there, and that made it so hard to leave. Thank you to ABV for all that they do so that we could have such a marvelous experience as a family. It really was everything we were hoping it might be when we first started investigating potential groups to work with.

I absolutely loved the animal rescue program in Costa Rica with A Broader View. My coordinator, Jeny, was phenomenal. Everyone at A Broader View was helpful and compassionate to me during the difficult time with my mother (and allowed me to reschedule this trip more than once due to her illness). Thank you for all you do and the magical experiences that you provide to so many.