WAVES FOR DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL INC
Invite reviews
Invite friends and colleagues to share their experiences with this nonprofit
November 14, 2012
I volunteered with WAVES three years ago in 2009. I am currently writing this in Lima at the beginning of hopefully a ten month stay with the charity. I think this stands as testament to the effect the place has on you. Once you have visited you do not forget it and will likely move mountains to get back!
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
November 13, 2012
No better organization to surf and make a difference with. Very thoughtful in their approach with communities and very few surf sites offer such an experience for the volunteers.
More feedback...
Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of board members?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
A lot
Will you tell others about this organization?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 12, 2012
Lobitos, Peru. Hotter than hell one minute, cold as the Pacific rushing into your wetsuit the next. Don't expect electricity or TP or even water enough to flush the toilet after every use. Buses may come, or you will be walking, and the unforgetable memory will not be what you experience as cuisine but the satisfaction of knowing what piping in a water supply for the Community Center toilet will mean for the kids going to school there. You can expect to clean a beach beneath a cliff full of blue-footed boobies, to meet some of the kindest, most generous, caring, heroic people of your life. Mostly you can expect this place to change you, to wash away the judgment you had on first sight of this town and leave a deep sense of joy at the privilege of having been of service there. Thanks you WAVES!
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Likely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Quite well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 12, 2012
WAVES is an amazing organization that works in collaboration with the local community to create positive change and connection for people and the environment. The team is phenomenal and in addition to the awesome work they do with the community, they go all out to make sure their volunteers are having the best possible experience throughout their stay. I visited WAVES on my own the first time, and had such a great experience so I brought a group of students from my university back to volunteer again the following February. WAVES offers the perfect combination of volunteering, surfing, learning and fun!
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 12, 2012
My stay in Waves was pretty amazing. We did a participatory video and photography workshop. Waves provided us with our stay and food necesities. We... in exchange taught the kids working at the surf shop how to make a documentary and photograph different type of scenarios. We were there for two weeks and the results were amazing: a 12 minute doc speaking about life in Lobitos for kids of fishermen. Its a portrait of Lobitos life, a little bit of surf and a lot of fishing. This idea was impulsed by Waves who wanted to capacitate these kids with technology and give them another road for them to seek ways to auto sustain themselves. This is the basic idea behind any true help... dont give them fish but teach them how to fish kid of philosophy.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 12, 2012
WAVES rocks! It really shows how well a good established organization can work together with a local community so that both benefit and advance their mission together! The people in Lobitos are really friendly and the kids are amazing! Amazing experience!!
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Quite well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
November 8, 2012
WAVES exists to change people's lives for the better. I used to say that the volunteers probably get even more out of their service than the locals they work with (experiencing new cultures, broadening their view of the world, making socially minded career choices after...) However, now that WAVES and countless volunteers have been working year-in-year-out with some of the same young people and families for more than 5 years, the impact on their lives clearly rival that of the volunteers. I know, because I watch the accomplishments of many appear each day on Facebook. Oh, and surfing? Everyone loves surfing!
More feedback...
Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of board members?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you tell others about this organization?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
November 7, 2012
Waves is an unparalleled experience in which the volunteer group significantly benefits the community of Lobitos while at the same time developing an extremely close bond with all other volunteers and most importantly with those of the community. Waves provides an experience that other non profit organizations spend years searching for. Ultimately, WAVES is and deserves to be one of the strongest volunteer programs around, I recommend it to all, pray for its well being, and miss the experiences I shared with Dave and the fellow volunteers - I stand behind waves and their mission. Sincerely, Spencer
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Likely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 5, 2012
I volunteered in Peru in 2011 and this experience has completely changed my life. I feel like I received the most benefit from the experience than anything else. It is a total game-changer to travel to a third world village that seemingly has nothing and yet the people are perfectly content and unbelievably warm and hospitable to all of the volunteers. This experience gave me a new lease on life. I ultimately came home empowered and motivated to stop feeling sorry for myself and to make some changes within myself. Ever since my return. I've volunteered locally for the organization because I believe so passionately in its mission, but more so in the evolution volunteers experience within themselves. I wish everyone could experience my experience and I continue to sing it through the roof. I am forever grateful to this organization and they are hands down one of the best nonprofits.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
November 4, 2012
An amazing amazing overall experience that I will never forget. The relationships I built in just a few short weeks while in Lobitos with the community and fellow volunteers was and still is rewarding. I can not wait to go back.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Quite well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
Filter by reviewer role:
Support This Nonprofit
Help this nonprofit get more reviews
5 tips for getting reviews