Reviews of Volunteer Programs in Nicaragua

Danielle volunteered at a veterinary clinic in Nicaragua

Morning: The typical day on my VIDA adventure began with a delicious Nicaraguan breakfast either at a hotel or at a home-stay family’s house. Then the group would load up into our buses and drive a short distance to a school and set up our veterinary clinic.

Working in a veterinary clinic: Once everything was in order, volunteers would work in pairs to examine, vaccinate, de-worm, and prepare dogs/cats for spay/neuter surgeries. During spays and neuters, volunteers monitored the patient and assisted the veterinarian. After surgeries, volunteers would continue to monitor the patient, prepare take-home medications, and then discharge the patient with the help of a translator.

It was extremely rewarding to see the smiles on people’s faces and to hear them say “thank you for coming to my country” in broken English when you returned their pets to them. We would be provided with another delicious Nicaraguan meal at lunchtime, and then continue working until the late afternoon.

Free time: In the evenings we would go out to dinner as a big group or eat with our home-stay families, and then go dancing or play soccer with the locals.

In addition to clinic days, recreation days were included in the cost of the trip. As a group of volunteers and staff we went swimming up a gorgeous canyon and zip-lining through and impressive jungle canopy.

I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable because of the wonderful VIDA staff members that traveled with us at all times; they did a really good job of planning and carrying out our itinerary, and they were very approachable and accommodating.

Learn more about medical and veterinary volunteering in Nicaragua with VIDA.