Getting Started

International volunteer opportunities come in all shapes and sizes and occur in virtually every country on the planet. Many volunteer projects focus on issues such as health and nutrition, building or repairing physical infrastructure, education, and disaster relief. Other programs focus on environmental issues and social services. Although volunteer opportunities exist to fit the interests, skills and budget of nearly every individual, the sheer number of opportunities can be overwhelming. From all-inclusive programs organized by volunteer-sending organizations to international work camps, there are hundreds of ways to volunteer your time abroad.

The search begins by considering the kind of overseas volunteer experience you want to have. According to Erin Barnhart, Director of Volunteerism Initiatives at Idealist.org, “It’s really about finding the right fit. Once you have a sense of why you want to volunteer, think about what you hope to contribute. Then you can really start to research your options.” 

Elyse Rolino knew she wanted to volunteer abroad with children and gain work experience in the education field. “I researched a couple of organizations and felt most comfortable with Cross-Cultural Solutions because they offer opportunities to work with Deaf students in Costa Rica and Ghana.” 

Melissa Jensen, who has a brain injury, also discovered a program online that fit her interests.  Jensen came across the website for the Cultural Restoration Tourism Project which offered a short-term volunteer opportunity rebuilding a Buddhist temple in Mongolia. As a psychology and religious studies major, that project immediately caught her attention, and she decided to apply. 

Matthew Clark, a wheelchair user, found out about opportunities to provide wheelchairs abroad with The Mobility Project in an issue of Sports N’ Spokes magazine. “Of all the countries I could have gone to, Afghanistan caught my interest the most. It was most outside my comfort zone, but most relevant to [current events].” Program length was another factor for Clark when selecting the volunteer program. “I didn’t want to arrive in Kabul on Monday, see the sites and go home on Friday. I wanted more of an immersion experience.”

Although many people choose to volunteer with a volunteer-sending organization, others find opportunities that match their interests and skills on their own, or combine overseas service learning with study abroad. See Preparing for a Volunteer Experience Abroad: Fundraising to read about how Jamie Rau discovered a life-changing volunteer opportunity in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Do I need to know a foreign language in order to volunteer abroad?

When searching for an opportunity, also consider the role a foreign language may play. Most volunteer abroad programs do not require you to know a foreign language, especially short-term programs and those located in communities with less commonly known languages. On a two-week volunteer program in Mongolia, Melissa Jensen’s short-term memory loss from her head injury made it difficult to learn a new language – fortunately her volunteer program provided translators for the group. On her own, Jensen learned ways to communicate including using dictionaries, drawing stick figures and finding people abroad who knew some English.

Azulai Booker, who has dyslexia, volunteered for a month with children six months to five years old at a day care center in South Africa. “It was scary that I was by myself and I didn’t know their language of Zulu, but I was glad that English was their second language so I could communicate with some people. Most of the early childhood education teachers didn’t speak English, so I had to ask my hosting grandmother to translate for me when she wasn’t working in the center’s kitchen. Most of the time, I had to just wing it – I would smile and nod and the teachers would smile and nod at me.”

Many longer-term programs offer foreign language lessons as part of the volunteer program. All Peace Corps volunteers receive ten to twelve weeks of pre-service language training prior to beginning their volunteer assignment. Erikson Young spent more than two years in Kenya as a Peace Corps volunteer. Although American Sign Language (ASL) is his first language, he and other volunteers received three months of training in Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) before beginning their volunteer service in Deaf schools. As a Deaf volunteer, Young felt that he actually had an advantage over hearing volunteers with regard to learning KSL. “It was easy for me to pick up their language.” Although ASL and KSL are unique languages, “they are both still sign languages, both visual languages.” 

As a volunteer in Peru, Jade Marshall admits that Spanish was challenging at first, but adds, “You pick up enough to get by very quickly when you are immersed in it. Part of the program also involved weekly Spanish lessons, which I’m sure helped as well. Some people in Peru, such as some of the people in the senior center and people in Cusco and the Colca valley spoke Quechuan, a dialect from the Incas. But luckily Spanish is very widely used and many people can speak English.” Megan Smith, a wheelchair user like Marshall, had a memorable experience communicating with residents of a Costa Rican nursing home during her volunteer experience. “I just absolutely love the people there. They taught me Spanish from bingo and animal cards. I actually accidentally told them in Spanish that I was pregnant instead of embarrassed, so they got very excited and wanted to make me baby clothes, until I figured out a way to [explain] that ‘No, I was not pregnant.’ They were very disappointed.”

Whether volunteers have years of foreign language study under their belts or are venturing abroad with a few simple phrases at their disposal, volunteering abroad provides a unique opportunity to communicate, laugh and share experiences with others while working toward a common goal.

Can people working full-time and those with families find volunteer abroad opportunities?

Often students, recent graduates and people who are retired or not working go abroad. However, many volunteer-sending organizations also offer programs that cater to families with children and/or fit the interests and schedules of full-time professionals.

 “Volunteering abroad is a very powerful experience for children. It’s also powerful for parents to see their children appreciate things that are not material. When children from the United States go to Ghana, for example, and see children who do not have televisions and phones and yet these children are happy and appreciative of life, and have strong connections, it’s very eye-opening for them,” says Kam Santos, Director of Communications at Cross-Cultural Solutions.

Not only are family programs a great way to involve children in the life-changing experience of volunteering abroad, they also provide an opportunity for youth and adults who have never traveled abroad or who are not ready for independent international travel, including people with developmental disabilities, to participate. From volunteering with a community-based sea turtle protection program on Vanuatu Island with Global Vision International to painting a village school in Tanzania with Global Volunteers, there are hundreds of ways to volunteer as a family. Discounted program fees for children and youth may be available if requested.

Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP) initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development, lists volunteer opportunities for mid-career skilled professionals, such as agricultural advisers, business executives, computer specialists, doctors, engineers, financial sector professionals, nurses, teachers and others with specialized technical expertise and significant practical experience. Volunteers working under the direction of U.S. nonprofit organizations and companies, travel to developing countries on flexible, short-term assignments ranging from a few weeks to several months. 

On these VfP programs the prospective volunteer is responsible for contacting directly one of the hundreds of partner organizations listed on its website and applying for a volunteer assignment. Dr. Abdul Salam, a blind professional living in Colorado, traveled to Uganda to volunteer with a non-governmental disability organization through ACDI VOCA, a VfP partner organization which promotes broad-based economic growth and the development of civil society in emerging democracies and developing countries. “From my Uganda experience, I learned several new things to help me achieve my goals. I developed my concepts of the life situations of people, sharpened my intellect through first hand experiments in sustainable human development, and devised different ways to effectively handle a given problem. Now, I feel better equipped to work in a much wider global context.” 

It is possible to apply for VfPServe matching grants ranging from $500 to $1000 to offset travel and living costs of volunteering abroad. To be eligible for these grants, volunteers must raise matching funds within their local communities.

People working for multi-national companies might also find workplace programs that support their time away from the office to volunteer in communities where their corporate offices are located worldwide. Corporations may also donate frequent flyer miles for volunteers traveling overseas on non-profit programs. Learn more from the Brookings Institute’s “Best Practices in International Corporate Volunteering”.

Summary

Whether you decide to volunteer abroad for one week or one year, in Kenya or Cambodia, it’s important to carefully consider your interests and skills and what you hope to contribute. Ask yourself these questions when considering opportunities:

• Do you want to go on a program for a couple of weeks, a few months or as long as two or three years?
• Are you interested in being part of a group project or would you rather work individually with local community members?
• What skills do you want to contribute? Some volunteer projects involve a lot of physical labor such as trail or building construction and archeological digs. Others require skills such as teaching, community organizing, or public health training.
• Do you want to combine the experience with academic coursework and training?
• What kind of structure and amount of direction or freedom do you want on the project? Some organizations provide volunteers with clear tasks to accomplish; others provide a general framework and leave it up to the volunteer to determine the specifics.
• Are you interested in being in a bustling urban area, a rural village or even in a wilderness area?
• Are you looking for a program through which you can use or improve your foreign language skills or do you want one where you can speak your native language?
• Would you like to volunteer with friends or family, including children?
• How much money can you fundraise or afford? Most volunteer-sending organizations charge a program fee and airfare while a few cover airfare and necessary living expenses. See Preparing for a Volunteer Experience Abroad: Fundraising for tips.

At this stage, focus on what you want to contribute and gain, and the type of program that fits your expectations, rather than on accessibility abroad and disability accommodations. Once potential opportunities are identified, questions can be directed to staff at the volunteer-sending or receiving organization to assess their attitudes and learn more about a range of issues – from availability of orientation and mobility guides on-site to overseas health insurance coverage. See Access and Accommodations at Volunteer Sites Abroad for further discussion.