School and Community Renovation Project in Lovina - Bali

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The IVHQ Bali - Lovina program is based in Lovina, which is on the northern coast of Bali. Volunteers are required to fly into Ngurah Rai International Airport, which is a 15 to 17 hour flight from most major airports in Britain. Volunteer placements are located between 5 and 45 minutes travel time from the volunteer base.

IVHQ also offers a separate volunteer program in Bali’s cultural centre of Ubud. If you are interested in volunteering in Ubud, you can explore the full range of volunteer opportunities in Bali here.

Volunteers begin the IVHQ Bali - Lovina program on the first and third Monday of every month. Volunteers can choose to join the program for periods ranging from 1 week to 12 weeks.

The program orientation will begin on the Monday of your start date and volunteers need to arrive in Bali on the Sunday before orientation.

After you have registered for the program, please book your flights to arrive at the Ngurah Rai International Airport, also known as Denpasar International Airport (DPS). Your airport pick-up is included in your Program Fee should you arrive between 6am - 6pm on Saturday or Sunday, before your start date. We recommend that volunteers under the age of 18 travel internationally with a notarised letter from their parents to support their documentation.

When you arrive, you will be greeted at the airport by a member of the local team and transported to the volunteer accommodation in Lovina. Your accommodation is covered by your Program Fee and includes the Sunday night. If you are travelling in Bali prior to your volunteer program, we can arrange for you to be picked up in Denpasar on Sunday.

There are two options for orientation on the Bali - Lovina program:

• 1-day Orientation
• 5-day Cultural Immersion Week

1-day Orientation

The 1-day orientation that starts on your selected start date and covers everything you need to know for your volunteer program. You will have an introduction to the IVHQ Bali - Lovina program and the local staff, Indonesian customs, rules, expectations and safety. This will be followed by a project-specific meeting with the project preparation you’ll need to complete for the following day.

5-day Cultural Immersion Week

The popular Cultural Immersion Week is hosted by our local team in Lovina. This begins on the morning of your chosen start date and is a comprehensive orientation that runs for the first 5 days of your stay. Please note that if you choose this option it will add an extra week to your time on the program and costs US$358. It is an awesome way to kickstart your volunteer abroad experience and not only covers everything you need to know for your volunteer program in Lovina, but also includes more about the local culture and some must-do Bali experiences! The Cultural Immersion Week will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socialising.

The 5-day Cultural Immersion Week schedule is as follows:

Please note, this schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on the needs of the program, local weather conditions and unforeseen circumstances.

If you would like to join the Cultural Immersion Week, just make a note in your application or contact your IVHQ Program Manager after you register.

First Day: On your first day of volunteering, you will be escorted to your placement by a local coordinator and introduced to the placement staff you will be working with.

Weekdays: A typical volunteer day is as follows:

8.00 AM Breakfast at the volunteer house.

9.00 AM Volunteers spend 1 to 2 hours planning for their projects and head to their placements at 1pm. Work and hours is dependent on the project and placements that the volunteer is working at.

12.00 PM Lunch

5.00 PM Work at the project usually ends. Volunteers are free to travel back to their homestays, go sight seeing, or do some shopping.

7.00PM - 8.00 PM Dinner at the volunteer house.

Please note, this schedule can vary depending on the project that the volunteer is participating on.

Volunteers are accommodated in dormitory-style volunteer centre, approximately 15 minutes walk from Lovina town centre and a 10 minutes walk from a local black sand beach! Located far from the common touristic areas, village life is quintessentially local and you will get a good chance to be immersed in the typical Balinese life – roosters crowing and all! Living conditions are basic, yet comfortable with a pool, hot water, electricity, and air conditioning provided. Volunteers can expect to share a room (dormitory-style) with five other volunteers of the same gender, bedding is provided at the accommodation. There is a bathroom within each bedroom with showers and western toilets. Volunteers have access to tea and coffee facilities, as well as filtered drinking water in the volunteer houses.

WiFi is available for volunteers to access at the centre of the compound. You can also purchase a local SIM card with data for an unlocked mobile phone to keep connected.

Volunteers are served mainly Balinese style dishes and should expect light vegetarian meals. Rice is a staple in the Indonesian cuisine and eaten daily, typically teamed with fresh vegetables and occasionally tempeh/tofu. Volunteers can expect typical dishes such as nasi goreng (fried rice and vegetables - often considered as the national dish), mie goreng (fried noodles and vegetables) or gado gado (mixed vegetables with a satay sauce). For those who do not eat meat, Indonesian cooking uses a lot of tofu and tempeh (soy beans). Western meals will also be served twice a week. Breakfast can include pancakes, fresh fruit, toast and eggs. Tea, coffee and toast will be available throughout the day. Purified drinking water is available in the volunteer house; we do not recommend that you drink the tap water. Meals are served within the volunteer compound three times per day and breakfast and dinner only during the weekends. If volunteers wish to eat out in Lovina, there are a restaurants and local warungs (restaurants) to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special dietary requirements, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, and as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.

During the weekend volunteers have spare time to relax and enjoy Lovina or take the opportunity to explore other parts of Bali. Popular destinations and activities include snorkelling and diving along the north coast, cycling or trekking tours from Mt Batur and visiting the surroundings rice terraces, waterfalls and temples.

See our Bali Travel and Tours page for more volunteer travel options in Bali!

Weather and climate: Bali has a tropical climate with year round warm weather and an average temperature of 30°C. High humidity can be expected during the wet season, October - April. The dry season is between the months of May - September and has the lowest humidity.

Volunteers who are under 18 years old will be required to provide IVHQ with parental consent and two character reference letters in order to participate on the program, and may be asked to provide additional documentation to the local team. All volunteers are required to have adequate volunteer travel insurance and provide a criminal background check to IVHQ’s local team on arrival in Bali.

Speaking Bahasa Indonesia is not a prerequisite for the IVHQ Bali - Lovina volunteer program, however on certain projects, the volunteer work will be restricted with limited language ability.

Free Interactive Volunteer Training - All volunteers are encouraged to complete our interactive pre-departure training, which is available exclusively to registered IVHQ volunteers. The training is designed to build an understanding of important aspects that need to be considered before embarking on an IVHQ program. It helps volunteers to prepare in the right way by providing advice on what it takes to be a safe, responsible and valuable volunteer. Try a sample of the training here.