Free Volunteer Abroad Programs

July 4, 2012 by Zablon 1 Comment

Free Volunteer Abroad Programs

Volunteer work means giving your time and energy to work in a project without payment. The programs of the volunteer work are made by the organization in which you are going to volunteer in. Most of the volunteer abroad programs are flexible. As you will be putting in your time, energy and sometimes money, the volunteer programs available are flexible. The flexibility comes by choosing the numbers of hours that you are willing to work in a day or in a week and the duration of the volunteer program. Also most of the work that you will be doing does not need any academic qualifications, meaning anyone can apply. Most volunteer abroad programs involve a lot of traveling, you don’t want to go to another country and find yourself being ineffective. You should put considerable research in to the work that you will be doing abroad. In that, you want to choose a program whereby it emphasizes on your strengths, skills and abilities. Here are examples of the most popular volunteer abroad programs that are available:

Volunteer Teaching programs

This is the most popular volunteer program. Volunteers will work in private, public schools, orphanages and community schools. The volunteer work involves working with kids who are 7 to 18 years. The volunteer will be involved in teaching some of the subjects like English, Math, Science, Music and physical education. The volunteers will partner with local teachers and other volunteers to provide proper education to the children. The main duties involve Work as a teaching assistant: teaching classes, grading books, work as a social worker with the Administrators, help in sports activities and playing with the kids. For this program, you will need to like kids, loving teaching and to be patient with the kids. Sometimes some training for this program is needed but it’s not mandatory. Those who have done TEFL (teach English as a foreign language) classes have an advantage. Schools are not open throughout the year; you should time your volunteer work in order to coincide with the school calendar.

Volunteer Health/ Medical programs

The volunteer work will be done in hospitals, clinics, dispensaries, and public health offices. The volunteer health programs target the poor and those who don’t have access to medical facilities. There are many clinics and volunteer organizations in such areas that offer medical help to the poor. In conjunction with the clinics and the health centres (dispensaries) the volunteer will work alongside them to provide medical services. Other duties include filling in forms and charts, diagnosing diseases, giving out prescriptions and consultations. In this, the volunteer will need to have a medical background in order to work with the patients. This program is best for health professionals like: doctors, nurses, medical students and clinical officers.

Volunteer HIV/ AIDS program

As a volunteer you will be asked to help in the outreach programs to help educate the members of society and create awareness about the disease. The volunteer work involves supporting the infected and affected through provision of food and medical supplies. As a volunteer worker, you will be counseling them, encourage and help empower them. Other volunteer duties will involve: intensify advocacy; demystify HIV/AIDS by encouraging people living with HIV to talk for them and advocate for greater understanding by the society; design, develop and disseminate materials fighting stigma and discrimination. For this volunteer program, you will need to be compassionate about the disease and understanding to those who are infected and affected. There are no academic qualifications that are needed to work in this program.

Volunteer orphanage work

Working in children’s orphanages is very popular, and it’s the most fun and engaging. If you like kids and want to change their lives for the better then working in an orphanage is the best place. The kids are active and love the attention they get from the volunteers. The volunteer work involves: spending time with the kids; work as a teaching assistant; work as a social worker; help in cooking and cleaning; help in organizing sports activities and playing with the kids. This program involves little mental work and organizing. Most of the programs activities are already arranged and you will have a supervisor to help you all the time.

Volunteer Community development work

Volunteer work involves education, empowerment, construction, and vocational training; providing sex education to the girls and the local community which you can assist with. It also involves empowering women through activities that make them financial independent. This is done through marketing their products, skills development and giving them access to information

Zablon Mukuba is the Director of Volunteer Capital Centre the leading provider of quality and affordable volunteer abroad work programs and opportunities in third world countries. Leave a finger print on a life. For more information visit Volunteer Capital Centre.

Filed Under: Volunteer tips Tagged With: community service, international volunteer work, volunteer abroad opportunities, volunteer responsibility, Volunteer work, volunteer work abroad

What to do if you are arrested while volunteering abroad

May 18, 2012 by Zablon Leave a Comment

“You can be arrested and not charged. You can be arrested and have no right to counsel.”-
Harry Belafonte. When volunteering abroad, your biggest hope is that nothing goes wrong during your experience while in a foreign country, but as fate would have it things can often go wrong, and most likely when you least expect it. It will help you a lot if you are prepared for some likely unfortunate circumstances that you may find yourself in. Here are some guidelines in case you get arrested.

A volunteer can get arrested for a number of reasons, ranging in seriousness; one can be arrested for something as simple as a traffic offence, or something more serious like drug possession. Whatever the reason for your arrest, it helps for volunteers to try and not get arrested for blatantly breaking the law of the country you are in. While you are abroad you are subject to the laws of the country you are in, and therefore you have to obey them to the best of your ability.

There are some instances where as a volunteer you could be committing a crime and you don’t know you are breaking the law. In such cases you can’t tell the police officers that you didn’t know you are committing a crime, as ignorance of the law is not a defense. For example chewing of gum in Malaysia is a crime and the punishment is a few days in prison or a hefty fine. To avoid this from happening it is advisable to be properly oriented about the rules and regulations of a certain place. If you are not sure of the rules ask for some help from the locals who will guide you.

If you are in a country and you don’t speak the native tongue it will be hard for you to explain yourself. When you commit a crime, the police will arrest you despite of the fact that you are a foreigner and they won’t extend you the courtesy to try and speak to you in a language in which you understand. As most of the police officers won’t be able to communicate with you effectively and hence defending yourself could be an issue. In such extreme cases ask for permission to call one of the local people who is your friend and who would help with the translation.

If arrested, first thing you should do is contact your embassy or high commission office. Officers from your embassy will help get in touch with your emergency contacts, and in some instances help you get a local lawyer who understands and speaks your language. This is one of your rights, so do not be afraid to ask for legal representation. Always try and be polite and not lose your cool while dealing with the local or arresting officers, especially if you have been arrested for a minor offence, this can help you come to a speedier and simpler resolution and release, also ask if you can be released on bond while the issue is being resolved.

If arrested abroad, ensure that proper documentation is provided for all the belongings that were in your possession when arrested, make sure nothing incriminating has been added to the list of your belongings, also ensure that you thoroughly check your personal effects when released to make sure that nothing is missing.

One more thing to look out for if arrested while volunteering abroad is to make sure you do not put your signature on anything that you have not thoroughly read, and if possible gotten some legal advice on, you do not need to make things any more worse for yourself

For more free information and low cost volunteer in Africa programs visit http://www.volunteercapitalcentre.org/ghana.aspx

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Arrest, arrested, crime, police, unlawful, volunteer abroad, volunteer africa, volunteer Ghana, volunteer india, volunteer Kenya, Volunteer work, volunteering abroad

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR FOR PROJECT in PERU

May 15, 2012 by Frank Cotera Leave a Comment

“Sharingdreams-Peru” is a nonprofit organization that helps improve the quality of life of poverty-stricken children in the central Andes region of Peru. It was founded in 2009 and has expanded over the past couple of years. More volunteers are deciding to work with our organization and help improve the lives of these children. Therefore, Sharingdreams-Peru is in need of four people to help coordinate all of the volunteers and continue to recruit more.

Responsibilities of the position:

-Contact, coordinate and manage new volunteers

-Help in the office and the volunteer house

-Recruit new volunteers through Internet advertisements

-Promote volunteer projects and the organization through Internet advertisements

-Provide advice and support to volunteers

-Direct and supervise the volunteer projects.

Working hours:

-Monday thru Friday

-9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Number of job openings: 4

Desired skills and experience:

-21+ years old

-No previous experience necessary

-Spanish level: basic or intermediate

-A minimum commitment of 3 months (renewable every 3 months)

-Committed individuals who are willing to dedicate their time and work hard to support the mission of our organization.

-Individuals who are honest, enthusiastic, creative, logical, have a positive attitude,Respectful and considerate, and have the ability to adapt easily to new situations.

-Respect the rules and values of the organization

-No criminal record history.

Benefits of the position:

-A unique opportunity to gain professional experience in the non-profit sector

-Discount on accommodations

-Receive free training

-A fun and exciting cultural exchange Get the chance to experience and learn more about Peruvian culture by living in a beautiful region of Peru.

-The opportunity to be apart of our organization and be the executive director of a volunteer project.
More / LessHow to apply

Application:

THROUGH-contact our web site or by telephone.

Steps:

-Interview by phone or Skype.

-Sending CV and 2 references. (May include employers or professors)

for more information please visit:

http://www.volunteersharingdreamsperu.org/

or contact to:

Frank Cotera – Coordinator of Sharing dreams-Peru

phone: (+51) 64 964 685017

email. : Sharingdreamsperu@yahoo.com

Filed Under: Peru Tagged With: communities, volunteer coordinator, volunteer in Peru, Volunteer work, volunteering in peru

Volunteer work with communities in the Andes of Peru – Sharing Dreams

May 8, 2012 by Frank Cotera 1 Comment

Posted By: Frank Cotera

Based in the central Andes of Peru,”Sharing dreams-Peru”.
nonprofit organization, legally recognized by the Peruvian laws.

Our mision is to create a community of volunteers with the objective of providing support to and enhancing the quality of life of the poorest people in Peru. They place special emphasis on childhood development and on free and direct work between the volunteers and the community,with a philosophy of work and participation open source.

We wish to create a free and effective community of volunteers whose work will have a tangible and direct effect on the lives of people in Huancayo and in Peru and also, encourage cultural exchanges with people around the world, giving volunteers the opportunity to experience the rich Andean culture and know the tourist attractions and the beautiful landscapes of Peru, freely, directly and in fun way.

*Commitment:
A minimal volunteer work is 2 weeks, although longer periods are ideal
*Skills:
no previous experience necessary, English, Basic Spanish (optional).
*Type:
Teaching English, tutoring, organized sports and hiking, reforestation, recycling, office work, project coordination, preventive health,creation of organic gardens,feeding and malnutrition, education.

ACCOMMODATION:
we are an organization of open source, you do not need to pay for volunteering, or by any concept, however; you can choose your own accommodation, or optionally, if you desire, we can get an accommodation(including meals) for you (home or hosting volunteers) comfortable and safe but you must pay for that service (100 US Dollars per week the first month, and 75 US dollars per wek the following Months), because we do not have enough resources for you to stay for free.Thanks for your understanding.

Volunteers have the weekends off to explore the tourist attractions around the Mantaro Valley, and also to the wonderful and exotic Peruvian jungle, and other beautiful places of Peru.

For more information visit:

http://www.volunteersharingdreamsperu.org/

Filed Under: Children, Peru Tagged With: help poor communities, learn spanish, Teach English, volunteer abroad, volunteer in Peru, Volunteer work, volunteering in peru, VOLUNTEERING WITH CHILDRENS

The Real Panama

April 10, 2012 by Nitin Sharma 2 Comments

Posted by: Nitin Sharma

I did my Peace Corps service in a tiny community 20 minutes outside of Los Pozos, Herrera. I arrived on October 13th, 2009 and have called it my second home ever since. I arrived to my host family’s house in the middle of a torrential downpour. Two young ladies came with an umbrella to bring me from the car to the house. The oldest one is stoic and poised, ever ready to help those around her, just like her mother. The younger one, a troublemaker after my own heart, has an infections giggle and is constantly scolded for being a tomboy. “Ladies don’t run!” her mother always says as she’s halfway down the path to the school yard to play baseball with her friends.

My community, like so many others, is a gem in the mountainside of Panama. The canal, the Caribbean resorts, the rainforest get-aways: that’s the tourist’s Panama- a façade put on by the government and tourism agency to give people what they want to see. But the true Panama lies in the campo, the countryside, with the people who farm and fish and labor for hours in the broiling sun. The true Panama is with the women who get up at 4:45 a.m. to pound corn into masa to make fresh tortillas for their husbands before work, it is with the men who work nine hours a day, six days a week to bring food home for their families, and it is with the children who trek to school over back roads and cow paths, rain or shine, to go to a school that does not offer them a proper education or a bright future. The heart of Panama is with the campesinos.

My community is made up of subsistence farmers. The cycle is always the same: plant rice in April, care for it all through the rainy season, harvest in September or October, plant corn and beans until it’s time to plant rice again. Men and women have traditional roles: the men work in the fields while the women cook, clean, and raise the children. There are no strangers in a community like mine. In the developed world, we can go years without even knowing our neighbors. Not in the campo. Panamanians like to pasear, to go house to house visiting with family and friendss. They talk about benign things like the weather (which in a country like Panama doesn’t change from day to day), the crops, and their families. If you pasear enough, you may get some good bochinche (gossip) on your neighbors. More than likely, while visiting, you will be fed. A lot. Campesinos are generous people, especially when it comes to food. Whether you are good friends or you just met, expect to eat when you visit a campesino.

During my service I lived in a rancho, a house with mud walls and a roof made of palm fronds. I loved my house, with its leaky roof, termite and bat infestation, dirt floors, and windowless walls. I showered outside, washed my clothes by hand, and cooked over firewood. I thought I was living the high-life when, after my service, I moved into a brick house with a tin roof. There were still bats and dirt floors and the roof still leaked, but I had windows! Now I live in Chitre, the capital city of Herrera. I have tiled floors, a shower indoors and a toilet that flushes (also indoors!), a sink, a washing machine, and a refrigerator. I don’t know my neighbors, I can’t go into the back yard and pick my breakfast of avocados or mangos, and no one comes to pasear. There are perks to living in the city, but I miss the campo and the people every day. I think about all the tourists who pass through Panama, visiting the Mira Flores Locks of the Canal, or Boquete, or Pedasi, or any of the other towns built on tourism, and I feel bad for them. They are missing out on the real Panama.

Filed Under: Panama Tagged With: volunteer abroad, volunteer America, volunteer in panama, Volunteer work