When you’re a veteran globetrotter, you’d think you’re bound to become jaded to your experiences. 2016 NYU Stern Graduate, Krishna Dosapati invites you to think again.
Dosapati who’s visited over twenty countries, before going to Tanzania in summer of 2016 is anything but jaded to her abroad experience. She describes the process of her summer of volunteering in Tanzania. “I knew that I wanted to volunteer abroad after graduation, so I did a lot of research on the internet – by looking at ratings and reviews, blogs, etc,” she said. “It seemed like almost everyone had an incredible experience with IVHQ, and because their programs were the only ones that I found were reasonably priced and available in almost every location around the world, I decided to volunteer with them.”
What is IVHQ?
International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) is an international program bridging the gap between potential volunteers around the world and sites at which they are the most needed.
Dosapati describes the ease of applying to IVHQ. “It was not hard at all! IVHQ and other volunteer programs just want genuine young adults to explore their passions by having a hands-on experience abroad,” she said. “I would say that anyone can really apply as long as they have the passion for it – any student can go as long as they are above the age of 18.”
Basic training includes a series of three-step individual learning modules: “Know Before You Go”, “Keeping Safe”, and “Being a Responsible and Safe Volunteer”.
In 2015, IVHQ launched 5 new programs in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. Dosapati volunteered in Tanzania. “Tanzania was my first choice and I was so excited when I was notified on my acceptance.
I want to pursue a career in public policy and international relations, and I therefore felt that I needed to experience what is was like in Africa as I knew there is tremendous amounts of poverty and need there,” she said.
A Cross-Cultural Experience
IVHQ brings a dual sense of internationality to its volunteer programs as well.
Both the sites and volunteers brought a cross-cultural exchange that Dosapati enjoyed. “It was amazing to be in a house with students from all around the world – Egypt, Belgium, Canada, China, Holland, Australia, and more – who all had the same passion as I did. It was incredible to volunteer as a teacher at an orphanage school.
I taught a class of 20 5-year-olds, and they showered me with more love than I could have ever imagined,” she said.
As a travel junkie, Dosapati was also attracted to IVHQ’s ability to allow their volunteers to travel. “They also provide the opportunity to travel over weekends in whatever country you volunteer in, so it gives you a chance to explore the country as well. The program is well organized, and you immediately make friends in a totally unfamiliar country which makes the experience less intimidating,” she continued.
Currently, IVHQ consists of over 50,000 volunteers from around the world who have contributed a whopping 800,000 hours of support to community projects abroad, according to IVHQ’s site, volunteerhq.org.
Inspired by her experience, Dosapati wanted to make a difference from her home in the United States and still remained involved in the organization. “After I came home, I fundraised money to help expand the school I volunteered at,” she said.
The Power of Social Media
Currently, Dosapati is taking over IVHQ’s Instagram page (@ivhq) to post about her experience in Tanzania, an experience, a familiar role as she is a longtime manager of her own travel Instagram filled with photography from her abroad adventures (@traveladdictkrishna). “They told me they loved my photography during my time there and wanted to share my photos on their page,” she said. “I was so excited and honored that they let me do a takeover on their Instagram page for several days.”’
Traveling with a purpose is a feeling that Dosapati believes is invaluable, saying, “the experience taught me that no matter who you are and where you are from, at the end of the day, we are all the same.”
Follow Dosapati’s current adventures at @traveladdictkrishna and International Volunteer HQ @ivhq on Instagram.
