Maldives Island Volunteer Project

This program was an amazing experience. I was able to gain a lot of work experience for my future career. I also got to experience the life and culture of a country on the other side of the world from my own. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to pursue a career in wildlife management/care. Easily the best month of my life.

I visited the beautiful island of Naifaru 1 week after my first-year medical school exams. It’s the perfect place for early hospital exposure and I fondly remember some of the cases I saw there as I progressed through medical school. I rotated through Orthopedics, General Surgery, OBSGYN and Pediatrics during my time there. Medicine in the morning and sun, sea, sand and sea turtles in the afternoon; no better way or place to learn medicine

Volunteering with this organisation was one of the best and most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had!… Seeing the damage we were doing to these animals was heartbreaking… Every action, even the smallest ones, were having a positive impact on protecting our aquatic species! The memories I made here were unforgettable.

I had a wonderful experience. Being in contact with the ocean and its life is magic. The peaceful coexistence of different cultures brought me immeasurable growth. Fishing community combined with the quality of life and teachings that I will take to the rest of my life. Working in Naifaru as a leader, developing environmental activities with the community and volunteers was amazing. I learned to put into practice a lot of knowledge that before I had never developed. I am sure that in Naifaru I left a bit of me and I brought with me all the people and the things that they taught me.

I truly appreciated my three months here in the Maldives. I learnt a lot about myself through volunteering in Naifaru – participating in projects, writing grant proposals, talking to local residents, and getting to know the culture here. It was great getting to work with the variety of projects here, as I got to be involved with the World Bank, UNDP and UNODC programmes. I got to know my strengths and weaknesses and think about my own priorities in life. This is a unique experience and I will fondly look back on the summer days I have spent here as a college freshman. The staff has been very helpful and kind, always open and eager to share their experiences and thoughts about Maldivian life and culture. I especially would like to thank Mohamed, for taking good care of me during my stay here – getting medicine for me when I was sick, taking me out to fishing trips and always checking in on me to make sure that I was well. I would also like to thank Nashid, Liusha and Aisha for being warm and welcoming, inviting me to their home for meals – it is great to be able to get a taste of Maldivian life. Their children, Aayish, Koko and Naisam have been wonderful company, keeping me amused and occupied with their daily musings. The clear blue sea and abundance of marine life here in the Maldives is amazing, and I’m sure volunteers will enjoy their stay here very much. This is an experience that I will never forget and always treasure.

I have truly had some of the best weeks of my life on this amazing island, not only have I met so many genuinely nice people, but I have had the opportunity to be involved in a really wide array of community projects, ranging from drugs awareness programs to eco waste management and construction of the islands children’s park. The staff have been nothing but amazing, incredibly friendly, helpful and organized, bringing together people of all ages from all parts of the community to work with our programs.

I will definitely be back in Naifaru next year, and I’m already counting the days!