Let’s take a few seconds to look at the following images:
How do you feel when you see them? Sad? Angry? Do you wish to be there to help clean the beach? Do you feel the urge to help build houses for those disaster victims?
As a volunteer myself, seeing these images break my heart, and I wish I could teleport and be there this very second to help. I haven’t had a chance to volunteer for such causes but I’m grateful for the volunteer opportunities I’ve had including being an editor at Our Daily Bread in Michigan and teaching English to elementary school students in Indonesia. And honestly, volunteering is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Throughout my volunteering experiences, I find myself amazed at the impact I saw on the people I served as well as on myself. I hope that more people may have a rewarding volunteering experience like I did!
Based on my personal experiences as well as some research on recommended volunteer sites, I’d like to share the seven best volunteer trips that you can do to make a difference.
- Save Animals Injured in Australia Bushfire
Since July last year, bushfires have been raging in every Australian state. The devastating fires affected more than one billion animals all over the nation, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. In New South Wales alone, fires had consumed a third of the koala habitat and might have killed nearly a third of koalas living in the area. Thankfully, all fires were finally able to be put out last month. Yet, the long-term damage of the fires still lingers on the surviving animals.
Seeing the needs of these struggling animals, Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers invite passionate volunteers like you on volunteer trips to help distribute water and food in areas affected with fires as well as to care for wounded animals, making sure that they may recover and survive until their habitat is restored.
What you can do to help
- Build and manage food and water stations in areas where there are surviving animals affected by fires.
- Care for wombats until they are ready to go back to their natural habitat.
- Work with and encourage local carers as well as fellow volunteers coming from all across the globe.
What you need to prepare
- Be able to adjust to the local summer weather, which may be quite high during peak season (average temperature: 14 – 25.3°C or 57.2 – 77.5°F).
- Get international travel insurance that will cover your medical needs (should you need them) so that you may focus on your volunteer experience.
- Seeing the damage in the areas that were hit by fires may be difficult for some people. So you might want to familiarize yourself with such conditions by watching the news or documentaries.
- Teach English in Indonesia
Indonesia is one of the Southeast Asian countries with the population of 265 million people, making it the fourth most populous country in the world. Managing such a huge country hasn’t been easy, and this can be seen from the fact that until today, Indonesian government still struggles to provide good education for all of its people. In terms of literacy levels, Indonesia is way below the other Southeast Asian countries. In terms of the percentage of citizens over 25 years old that have at least a bachelor’s degree in 2016, Indonesia also came last compared to other SE Asian countries.
However, last year President Joko Widodo appointed Nadiem Makarim to be the minister of education and culture. Since becoming the minister, Nadiem has been making revolutionary transformations to Indonesia’s education system which include abolishing the national examination and replacing it with the “Assessment of Minimum Competency and Survey of Character, which consists of the ability of language (literacy), the ability of math (numeracy), and the strengthening of character education.” Nadiem’s revolutionary movement gives freedom for schools, teachers, and students to teach and learn.
So, if you love teaching, now is your chance to go on one of the volunteer trips and contribute to Indonesian children’s education!
What you can do to help
- Work together with local partners to organize educational programs for children in schools and orphanages.
- Help with English classes for Indonesian students, teaching them basic English words by using fun games and creative activities.
- Share teaching English knowledge and skills with teachers, equipping them to teach their students
What you need to prepare
- Learn a bit of the Indonesian language. You’ll feel more connected with the local people if you know their language even just a few simple words like “Halo, apa kabar,” “Terima kasih,” and “Sama-sama.”
- Bring clothes that cover your shoulders and knees. The majority of Indonesians are Muslims, so people are generally dressed more modestly.
- Buy international outreach insurance. Going abroad is exciting, and it is best to be prepared.
- Build Houses for Families in Need
Be it in a big metropolitan city or a small remote village, you will certainly find families who do not have a decent home. This can be because too many people are living in a certain area, high rent increases, or because of disasters like fire, earthquake, or flooding. Such reasons greatly affected these unfortunate families, leaving them in constant worry and anxiety.
Habitat for Humanity sees the important factor of a safe and comfortable home to the overall well-being of a family. In fact, families with better housing conditions usually have better financial situations, and their children can perform better in school. HFH offers opportunities for people like us to help build houses for families in need all across the globe. And honestly, the great stories I heard from my friends who volunteered with Habitat for Humanity make me very excited to go on one of these volunteer trips. So, which families do you want to help?
What you can do to help (depending on the program)
- Partner with local people in repairing houses or building new ones to support speedy recovery after natural disasters
- Work with fellow volunteers who come from all over the world to assist people who are financially struggling to renovate their own houses
What you need to prepare
- Enjoy working outside: laying bricks, mixing cement, painting walls, moving materials, gardening, etc.
- Travel insurance is essential whether you are volunteering in the US or abroad. Trust me — it will make your volunteer trip hassle-free.
- Empowering Women in Thailand
Are you passionate about helping other women to improve their lives? Join Love Volunteers Women’s Empowerment program to provide refuge, give emotional support, and facilitate learning to single moms in Thailand. Some of these women had to endure difficult challenges because of having children out of marriage. They were despised by family members and rejected by their communities. These mothers are in grave need of caring volunteers like you to help them regain their hope in life and find ways to rise from poverty and provide for themselves and their children.
What you can do to help
- Share knowledge and skills that will help the single mothers in creating business projects to support their livelihood
- Assist with childcare by giving lessons in English, music, art as well as speech therapy to the children
- Help to build and repair projects for gardening and farming
What you need to prepare
- Having experience in business or financial planning as well as childcare is a plus.
- Bring clothing that covers the shoulders and knees to wear especially while you are volunteering.
- Get travel insurance so that you don’t need to worry as you’re volunteering and exploring a new country.
- Clean and Restore Marine Environment – New Zealand
New Zealand is famous for its beautiful nature. However, apparently, 10 of 45 native marine mammals are on the brink of extinction. This is partly and sadly because of litter. Out of all litter, 6.2 percent is styrofoam, 20 percent is glass and ceramics, and 60 percent is plastic! Indeed, it requires great efforts to maintain clean environment; thus, Waterway Conservation Project is calling out for volunteers from all parts of the world, for volunteer trips to help clean and restore New Zealand’s marine environment and protect sea creatures from dying.
What you can do to help
- Work together with local iwi people (Māori community) to restore their land.
- Perform activities that will help in conserving native plants, which include gathering native plant seeds, sowing and caring for the seeds, removing disruptive weeds, making compost and mulch to enrich the soil.
- Clean up assigned areas and facilitate tree planting events for local schools
- Support habitat restoration projects especially for marine animals and birds that are dying.
What you need to prepare
- A healthy and physically fit body
- Knowledge about plants and gardening is a plus
- Purchase travel insurance. Doing such preservation projects is an adventure, so it’s best to be prepared.
- Teach Kids to Swim and Surf – South Africa
Do you enjoy teaching and playing with kids and teenagers? Would you like to have the opportunities to make even bigger impacts in their lives, such as by helping them recover from addiction?
Many South African kids and teenagers are struggling with drug abuse. In 2017, the number of alcohol and drug abusers in South Africa was in the top 10 in the world. More than 20 percent of patients who received treatment for drug addiction were below 20 years old. And many of these children might have started consuming these substances since they were in elementary school.
In response to this alarming situation, the SAVE Foundation organizes volunteer trips to facilitate fun and constructive activities for children with the goal to help them stay away from harmful activities and grow holistically. Children participate in activities including sports like swimming, surfing, and skating, as well as develop basic life skills. The activities have been motivating the kids not to skip school and study diligently.
What you can do to help
- Teach children to swim, surf, and/or skate
- Build friendships with the kids and share life lessons that will motivate them
- Help in classrooms, teaching a variety of topics including computers, HIV, etc.
What you need to prepare
- Ability to swim and surf is a plus. You will be equipped with further training on teaching and surfing.
- Get travel insurance that covers sports and outdoor activities so that you can swim and surf with no worries.
- Make sure to have all required vaccinations for South Africa.
- Mentor Small Businesses in Jamaica
If you are a creative and smart business person and dream for an opportunity to help less fortunate people develop their businesses, this volunteer experience is perfect for you!
In March 2019 the government of Jamaica stated their commitment to invest US$25 million (Jamaican $3 billion) on small and medium business startups over the next five years. The goal is to support these businesses until they become sustainable and thriving. Yet, not many business startup owners have the necessary knowledge and skills to use these grants. So volunteers with business background and experiences are warmly welcomed to join this development program on one of its volunteer trips!
About Business and Community Development
There are some great government grants available for start-up businesses in Jamaica, but for some, it can be a challenge getting themselves to a point where they’re eligible to apply for them. Volunteers can help these local enterprises to scale up their efforts and improve operational efficiencies, while also enabling them to take advantage of these central funding schemes.
What you can do to help
- Mentor and work with local small startup businesses, assisting them with the basic steps of creating a business
- Help with different aspects of business including bookkeeping, financial planning, web design, IT, etc.
What you need to prepare
- Be enthusiastic, creative, entrepreneurial — because you will need to inspire your mentees to do likewise
- Provide a copy of your resume. You will be assigned to a business that is relevant to your experiences.
- Bring your own laptop (recommended, but optional)
- Must have international travel insurance. Find one that fits your needs with GNI.
Best travel medical insurance for you
As a volunteer you have been working hard in supporting women, men, and children as well as plants and animals in need. We at Good Neighbor are here to help protect you so that you can focus on helping others. Check out the following recommended trip insurance that we have prepared: Travel Geoblue Voyager Insurance and Outreach International Travel Insurance.
Need help to decide which trip insurance suits you best? Call us today at 480-813-9100, send an email to [email protected], or click on this page — we’ll be happy to help! Let us do the hard work in protecting you so that you may focus on helping others in need.
