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Travel with a Purpose: Overseas Volunteering Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by Karen Shim, Canada Sep 28, 2004
  Opinions
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Travel with a Purpose: Overseas Volunteering When Greg Leung told his friends how he would spend his holiday time this year, some of them were a little surprised with his choice: building houses for the underprivileged in the central Mexican town of Valle de Santiago. But for the accountant from Toronto, Canada, the ten days will remain "a memory I'll look back upon fondly," and "a positive inspiration for years to come."

Call it travel with a purpose and conscience. As a volunteer, you might look after orphans in India or build classrooms in Tanzania, conserve sea turtles in Thailand, or teach English in Hungary. You're not a tourist; you live as the locals do, perhaps pick up a new language along the way, and empower a community at large.

For many young people, volunteering is an ideal way to combine travel, cultural education, valuable work experience and active participation. Thousands of opportunities are available in both the developed and developing world. 2001 was named the International Year of Volunteers and in 2003, the United Nations reported that volunteerism contributes five to ten percent to the gross domestic product of a developing nation. More intangibly, volunteerism fosters social growth, solidity and unity.

While the United Nations Volunteers program (UNV) based in Bonn, Germany is one of the largest, scores of other organizations arrange voluntary assignments. Organizations belong to four categories: non-profit groups (such as Cross Cultural Solutions and the Earthwatch Institute), government agencies (like the Peace Corps), for-profit groups (often programs affiliated with an international study abroad company) and religious associations (namely missionaries).

You don't need to be a social activist to volunteer. Projects fall into several areas: social and community development; medicine and health care; construction, sanitation and housing; environment and nature conservation; wildlife surveying and expeditions; agriculture and organic farming; social welfare and human rights; education and teaching. Within these areas, you're spoiled for choice about the type of work available. A browse through the directory of Volunteerabroad.com brings up links to organizations all over the world, with projects ranging from media work to skills training to tree planting.

Because the length of projects can vary, there is a reassuring sense of flexibility that doesn't come with traditional paid employment. Don't think you can handle living without electricity for a year? Placements can be as short as two weeks. Most short-term projects don't require previous experience, which is appealing to students and recent graduates who'd like to have a taste of their potential careers. For the engineer who builds sanitation systems in Morocco or the archaeology major who digs in Spain, voluntary work provides tremendous practical experience well beyond the classroom or office cubicle. Experiences of a global nature give young people a better chance towards landing jobs within multinational and international firms, government agencies and educational organizations.

Volunteering abroad builds further talents seldom developed at home: cross-cultural sensitivity, adaptability, open-mindedness and a spirit for adventure. While the local community could easily hire a skilled local resident to perform the job (and who speaks the native language), a foreign worker adds value as a promoter of cultural exchange, awareness and international understanding.

Apart from the drawbacks of culture shock and loneliness, most programs charge a placement fee to cover administration costs. The price tag of a three-week project might run $1000 a week. Room and board is often provided by the host community, which can be difficult to secure independently in third world countries. Medical insurance might be included. Fortunately, many volunteer organizations offer resources to fundraising and sponsorship options.

Leung, who went through the Global Village division of Habitat for Humanity, arranged his own airfare to Mexico City. And there was the program fee of US$1100, which included food, hostel and hotel accommodations and bus fare within Mexico. Indeed, you probably wonder why a volunteer must pay to work for free; considering that normal holidays--like those of the lie-on-the-beach variety--don't usually come free either, voluntary work is far more mutually engaging.

But if you're unable to take the plunge abroad, many organizations now enlist the help of online volunteers. Thanks to the Internet these days, there is a wealth of potential "virtual" participants. US-based Raj Gopal Prasad Kantamneni created a website for Freedom from Hunger, allowing the group to post updates without paying for any outside technical expertise. Virtual volunteering duties also include researching, translating, designing graphics and managing online discussion groups.

The digital revolution is transcending borders with initiatives like the United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS). The global web-based program allows volunteers from any country to donate their IT expertise to developing countries. Supplying a resource of skilled university students, UNITeS volunteers provide basic computer training, create websites and databases and fix broken computers. Students from developing nations can put their new high tech skills towards finding work in the IT sector.





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Comments


Timothy Rice | Sep 29th, 2004
i have volunteered in Mexico and Guatemala, and i must say it is very fulfilling. i hope to have a life-long desire for volunteerism, for it is much more purposeful than a vacation to the beach.



David Sontag | Sep 30th, 2004
I hadn't known about UNITeS - thanks for pointing it out!



carries weight1
benedicta Ideho | Oct 1st, 2004
It was very educative. i must say it helped me realise i have so much to offer since opportunities are made available. in order words you made the opportunites known to me!



The most important thing I do
Helen J | Oct 1st, 2004
I've volunteered for most of my life, in my own country and abroad, sometimes in chunks and sometimes as one-offs. I've had chances to do things and meet people that I would never have had otherwise. I've laughed, I've cried, and I've seen life from so many different perspectives. You don't even have to give up a few months of your life... spend an hour a week at a school helping a child to read, or visiting people in a care home, or put a web page together for a local charity... there's so much you can do. Oh yeah, and you can get to see some amazing places whilst you do it!



Ricky | Oct 8th, 2004
Thanks for informing me about the way I can volunteer.



Thanks
Antony Felix O. O. Simbowo | Jan 3rd, 2005
The information was timely. The information is an eye opener. Do you mind sending me the specifics? I would like to use my expertise to assist the disadvantaged especially in a place like Southern Sudan, Zambia or Mozambique.

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