How can I help and earn the credit for helping?

Question

I'm going to the Dominican Republic this summer and I want to do something productive while there. I won't be staying in a hotel but in the country with my grandma. A lot of the people there live in huts and don't have running water. It seems like the ideal place to give out a hand, but how? I want to do something, but I also want colleges to recognize what I've done. Any ideas?

Answer 1

You can try volunteering on your own, but take care: make sure you are NEVER alone with children or just one other person during your volunteering, and that you are never alone in an organization's office -- you don't want to be put in a position where you could be accused of any misdeeds.

¿Tu español es excelente? Porque es fundamental que tu hablas español en la República Dominicana.

It's very easy to find NGOs in the Dominican Republic on the Internet. Make a list of organizations to contact, based on your interests, and then email each organization, telling each exactly what it is you are offering to do as an unpaid person (based on your qualifications), and include your resume. You will probably have to contact them all again when you arrive, as most probably won't reply via email.

Keep a journal about your volunteering experience. Later, when you fill out a college application, you can write about your experience again, using your journal entries.