How would I get involved in charity work..?

Question

I want to go do some volunteer work in other countries this summer. I tried some searching on the internet but couldnt find the information I was looking for. maybe someone whose done it could help point me in the right direction?

Answer 1

There is a listing of the more-than-30 member organizations of the International Volunteers Program Association (IVPA) that is a good place to find reputable volunteer-for-a-fee programs -- programs where you don't need to have much experience in order to participate, and the placements are just for a few weeks or months:

http://www.volunteerinternational.org/

Organizations that don't charge fees for volunteering, such as VSO Canada, UN Volunteers and the PeaceCorps are looking for people who can work (read, write and speak) in a language other than English, who have skills and experience that can lead to local people generating income, better feeding their families, improving children's health, etc., or that can lead to the transformation of key institutions, such as government, universities/schools or NGOs. They are looking for people who can commit to a two-year assignment, who have experience working with under-served communities, or who have a lot of experience in very diverse or religiously-conservative communities. The average age of volunteers in these organizations is over 30 (for UNVs, it's 38) and most not only have degrees, they also have grad degrees.

The goal is to give local people jobs and to keep money local, not to give Westerners a feel-good vacation -- hence why short-term placement agencies charge volunteers, or require these volunteers to pay their own way (flights, in-country transportation, health insurance, accommodation, food, security, translators, training, staff to supervise and support them in their service, liaisons with the police and local officials, etc.).

Here is a web site that can help you learn more about the skills and experience desired by long-term placement organizations, and how you can gain that experience locally. It also lists the various organizations that don't charge for volunteer placement (but require a great deal of experience -- the average age of a UN Volunteer is 38).

http://www.coyotecommunications.com/volu...

Answer 2

try talking to your church/religious group maybe they have ideas

Answer 3

You can try Ripple Africa. Not sure if they are associated with a church...

www.rippleafrica.org

Answer 4

www.volunteerabroad.com

www.crossculturalsolutions.org