Volunteering Abroad

Volunteering abroad is one of the most rewarding ways to see the world. It might be an idea you have to do one day, but you can never imagine the effect it will have on your life. You will never see the world the same way again. When you arrive home you wonder why people worry about trivial things in our western society.

Tony Volunteering with the Local Yolngu People on Elcho Island

• Working in orphanages in Cambodia
• Educating women in business skills in India
• Working on environmental projects
• Working on Organic farms like WWOOFing

My partner and I worked with an Aboriginal community in the very north of Australia. It was very remote and isolated and a challenge to work there. We had an amazing experience and learnt a lot about how they lived. Here is our blog about our time working with the Aboriginal people.

Kirsty Henderson, from Canada, left her home country in 2001 and has been traveling ever since. Travel for travel sake became uninteresting for her and she needed more meaning to her adventures. She has now volunteered in many countries such as Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Indonesia, Haiti and is currently working in Rwanda.

Kirsty says "while I'm giving my time and energy to people who need help, I'm getting so much back in return that it almost feels as though I'm the one benefiting the most".

This travel life is funded by her websites, blogs and a very informative e-book which she created called The Underground Guide to International Volunteering based on first hand experience. It covers topics such as:

Types of volunteering

Choosing a volunteering experience

Paying to volunteer

Finding a volunteering opportunity

She also includes other people stories of volunteering that she has met on her travels.

One of the organizations she writes about is All Hands Volunteers (formally Hands On Disaster Response ) Disaster relief is where Kirsty does most of her work and it is very physical hard work.

Kirsty also has a very interesting blog which I have been following. She talks about her life as a volunteer and also the money she makes on her website. Nerdy Nomad

The personal satisfaction can be immense knowing you can make a difference to the lives of others

While working on a volunteer abroad program you will find that your experience grows in many areas such as;

• Practical skills
• Learning a new language
• Negotiating and communication skills
• Empathy and patience
• Expands your awareness

Some programs are for young people who will pay for the experience usually for a couple of weeks to a month. This is more like a cultural holiday but working within the local community.

Some organizations pay for your expenses including; visa, medicals, flights, insurance and living expenses, these are usually for six months – two years.

Some programs will pay for costs and a local wage; again these are usually six months or longer.

Sometimes the accommodation is included and sometimes you'll have to pay.

I have spoken to many people who have volunteered in third world countries and they have all expressed a life changing experience; so if you are inspired and would like a challenge have a look at the stories below and explore the links.

Global Volunteer Network

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