Volenteer in Africa?

Question

ok, well next summer (by then i will be 16) i want to volunteer in Africa. I also live in Canada. Does anyone know a organization that is pretty inexpensive that will let me come with them?

Answer 1

Please Consider Free The Children I am in grade 8 and am going to mexico with them on a mission trip and maybe kenya next year. Please condsider it as well as the many other programs, fundraisers and raising awarness projects. We need your special gifts to change the world!

Answer 2

hi

Answer 3

Not really an organization but you can normally go to africa with church groups maybe they can hook ya up wit an organization

Answer 4

Most places prefer people at least 18. You can apply for Feed the Children's Baby Center. Also Free the Children is very popular too. Remember, there are people in US that need your help too.

Answer 5

At 16, it's going to be very hard to find something. Even agencies that charge volunteers prefer people who are 18 or older.

Also, as an unskilled volunteer, you will be expected to pay for all flights, in-country transportation, health insurance, accommodation, food, security, translators, training, staff to supervise and support you in your service, liaisons with the police and local officials, etc. Hence why agencies that send unskilled volunteers for short-term assignments charge such a large fee (or expect volunteers to pay for all costs and make arrangements themselves).

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/

Here is a web site that can help you learn more about the skills and experience desired by long-term placement organizations that don't charge for placements, and how you can gain that experience locally, wherever you are right *now*, no matter your age. You are never too young nor too old to start engaging in activities and training that will make you a viable candidate for long-term volunteer placement agencies:

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

Answer 6

Living in Canada, I'm sure you're aware of Leader's Today/Free the Children. They have a good Africa program, but they are not inexpensive. For relatively inexpensive volunteer programs, try Global Volunteer Network. It is a New Zealand-based organization, but their mission is to link people around the world with global communities that are in need of volunteers. The communities that are currently listed range from Peru to Ethiopia to Ghana, and they provide good descriptions of what your day-to-day work would entail, the skills necessary for each particular volunteer placement, etc. Usually, you are only expected to pay a fee to cover the expense of feeding/housing you, which is far less than other organization's fees.

You should understand, however, that with smaller fees will come less protection. The reason Leader's Today, Cross-Cultural Solutions, and similar programs ask for such high fees is that, upon enrollment, they are promising to ensure your safety to the best of their ability. There will be a team of individuals responsible for providing you with any information you need, ensuring vehicle and lodging safety, and your own physical safety as well. In less expensive programs, you are typically supervised minimally by any outside "umbrella" organization--instead, you live inside a community with just a few other volunteers and must safeguard yourself rather than expect anyone else to do so for you. At sixteen (and really, anyone with minimal experience living/traveling alone internationally), I would be very cautious about participating in this type of program.

Remember, you can fundraise and work to earn the money needed for the more expensive programs. I remember traveling to Kenya during secondary school and most of my peers had fundraised/worked for their own fee (which was quite remarkable--I believe the fee was around $4500). If you are determined to volunteer abroad, please do give heavy consideration to the pricier--and safer--options. As they say, "If there's a will, there's a way."