Connecting you to free and low fee Volunteer Abroad Opportunities

Lindersvold School, also called The Travelling Folk High School

May 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Lindersvold School, also called The Travelling Folk High School South Zealand (DRH South Zealand), works in cooperation with Humana People to People as part of the DRH Movement. The aim of the school is to provide the necessary skills and knowledge for those who want to take a stand against the world’s main problems fighting side by side with the poor.

Our programs offer an unique chance to study and work together with people from all over the world. You will have the opportunity to travel and learn from different cultures and to help those who are less fortunate.

We invite you to take part in this! Study, learn, and understand the main issues ruling the world today and how to take action to really make the difference.

Become a Development Instructor and be the change you want to see in the world!

Programs you can join:
*) “Fighting with the poor” – 18 months
6 Months in Denmark [studies]
6 Months in Africa/India
6 Months in Denmark [studies, journal, exams]

*) “Fighting with the poor + pedagogy” – 24 months
12 Months in Denmark [saving up-work and studies]
8 Months in Africa / India
4 Months in Denmark [Journal and Exams]

*)Bachelor’s degree in pedagogy – 36 months
2 months Preparation for the Africa bus travel
4 months Study travel by bus through Northern Africa
3 months Preparing and presenting final products around Europe
3 months Training in productive work saving up for the next period
6 months Experiencing the European community by working in a city in Europe and living a rich and active cultural life.
3 months Studing Pedagogical specialization s in DNS Tvind
3 months ´Do what you find most appropriate to do´
8 months Teaching practice in Europe / Denmark
4 months Study specialization in Tvind

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: , , , ,

Teach English in Peru!

April 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The Organization

Horizon Peru is a non-profit organization in Trujillo, Peru. The mission of Horizon Peru is to educate disadvantaged individuals in English and extra-curricular activities such as music, arts, gardening and sports in order to provide the community with equal opportunity and empowerment.
Horizon Peru is based in the community of La Esperanza, just outside the centre of Trujillo. La Esperanza is known as Pueblo Joven in Spanish, which translates into shantytown emphasizing the area as underdeveloped. There are few paved roads and many people live without running water, electricity, or other amenities.

The School

We teach classes out of the Horizon Volunteer House and at the local public school. At Horizon, there are 1-4 students per class and the age of the students range from 6-55 years old. The public school classes average about 30 students per class ages 5-12. Volunteers teach solo at the Horizon Volunteer House and in in pairs at the public school. Volunteers are responsible for up to 5 hours of class instruction each day or approximately 25 hours per week. Classes are 1 hour and working hours are from 8am-7pm. There is no work on the weekend.
There is a curriculum available to guide you through your classes for each level. You will also receive training and observation time when you arrive, before you begin teaching. Previous teaching experience is not required, however, volunteers must be fluent in English. At Horizon, you will have the opportunity to develop your own teaching style and learn by experience how to conduct a class Spanish is not required, but volunteers will have the opportunity to learn the language through interacting with the local community and optional Spanish lessons.

Accommodation

All volunteer stay at the Horizon Volunteer House with fellow volunteers and staff. Staying at the Horizon Volunteer house allows you to build friendships with other volunteers from around the world, form connections with the friendly locals, and improve your Spanish skills. Volunteers stay in shared bedrooms and have access to a shared washroom that has hot water. Other amenities include a kitchen, internet/wifi, and a balcony.

Activities outside Volunteering

Volunteers will have the opportunity to go deeper into the city of Trujillo and explore popular tourist destinations nearby. If you’re interested, we can also arrange for Spanish lessons, dance lessons, Peruvian cooking lessons, and surfing and sand boarding! For all these activities we have agreements with local institutions, which offer discounts just for our volunteers.

Contribution Fee

The contribution fee goes towards accommodation costs, maintaining the house, school supplies, programs and events for the students. Because students do not pay for their classes, this fee is crucial for maintaining our program. A little money from our volunteers goes a long way in La Esperanza.
Please visit our website at www.horizonperu.com to see a complete breakdown on the contribution fees.

Contact Information

Please contact our Director, Brendan Mulcahy, at contact@horizonperu.com if you have any questions. Or check out our website at www.horizonperu.com

Filed Under: Peru, Teach English Tagged With: , ,

Volunteer Opportunities in Ghana, Summer 2013 (fundraising required)

April 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Ghana Health and Education Initiative, a nonprofit organization working in the Western Region of Ghana, provides innovative, self-paid internship and volunteer programs in international development. These programs offer participants the opportunity to develop and strengthen their skills in cross-cultural communication, project design and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and community outreach. Participants will be immersed in a rural Ghanaian community and work alongside local staff members in support of GHEI’s health and education programming.

Summer 2013 Sessions:

Literacy Promotion Project [Internship] (June 1 – June 30, 2013)

The Literacy Promotion Project will pilot the expansion of GHEI’s Community Library programming to the rural community of Soroano. This literacy campaign aims to increase primary and junior high school students’ ability to employ literacy strategies and effectively engage with books through a school-based outreach. The outreach will culminate with the provision of books to the Soroano primary and junior high schools and literacy skill development in the school community.

This is an excellent opportunity for candidates seeking to gain international experience in community outreach, literacy skill development, project design and management, and monitoring and evaluation.

Rural Girls’ Health Project [Internship] (June 18 – July 4 2013)

The Rural Girls’ Health Project (RGHP) is a health campaign for female upper primary and early junior high school students from the rural community of Humjibre. Through school-based education on age-related health concerns, such as adolescent development, menstruation, and menstrual hygiene, the campaign aims to empower girls to participate fully in social and academic activities.

This is an excellent opportunity for candidates seeking to gain international experience in adolescent and reproductive health, survey writing and administration, project design and management, and data analysis and report writing.

Malaria Prevention: Community Health Evaluation (July 8 – July 24 2013)

In Ghana, malaria causes more deaths in children under 5 years than any other disease Sleeping under an insecticide treated bednet can reduce mortality from any cause by 15-30% in children under age 5. However, bednet usage rates are generally poor throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

In this session, volunteers will partner with a team of local community health workers to evaluate bednet usage and collect basic health indicators for the Humjibre community of over 4000 people. Volunteers will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy of data collected, as well as entering and managing the data. The process will provide volunteers with an incredible chance to be fully involved in the sights and sounds of the local community.

Girls’ Empowerment (July 26 – August 11 2013)

Empowering and educating girls are essential elements in the fight against poverty. Educating and empowering one girl has an effect on her family and community; if she is given the opportunity to pursue her education, she is more likely to earn a better income and have fewer, healthier children when she decides the time is right.

In this session, volunteers will work with local staff to develop girls’ leadership and life skills and teach them about health issues relevant to young women. This intensive 2-week session with local middle-school aged girls will give them the opportunity to think about their futures and themselves in a new and broader context.

Applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

To apply, please visit our website: http:ghei.org/volunteers/apply-summer-serve-and-learn

Please review the FAQ, the session descriptions on this website, complete the application and submit it to apply@ghei.org as soon as possible. A letter of recommendation should be sent to the same email address directly from the recommender.

Filed Under: Ghana Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Free Volunteering in Cusco

March 25, 2013 by 2 Comments

The school of Aldea Yanapay is one of those rare exceptions where words like love and peace are lived out every day. Aldea Yanapay offers free volunteering in Cusco and works to alleviate the social injustices faced by the children of Cusco. The school provides a haven of love, creativity, and learning for the youth of the city.

Students come to our after-school program from various public and private schools. In the Aldea they complete their homework, use the library and its materials, and also receive an arts-based education (theatre, music, painting, etc.) and other courses which are important in everyday life: world cultures and religions, ecology, sexual education, reading. The school is open to all forms of cultural expression, such as meditation, massage, capoeira, circus, etc. As a result, people come from all over the world, everyone with something to give.

One of our goals is self sufficiency and for that reason we founded the Cafe Restaurant Yanapay. This is a place with international food, art, couches, and occasional theatre or live music. All of the money from the restaurant goes to sustain our social projects.

We also operate a hostal (Hostal Magico) in Cusco, in which all profits fund our social projects.

Unlike many other volunteer projects, there is NO FEE to volunteer with Aldea Yanapay. We greet volunteers for any amount of time- a day or a year. If you have a skill to share or a class to teach, or you want to stay for a long time and help with future projects, please join us.

Filed Under: Children, Community Development, Peru Tagged With: , ,

Top 5 Volunteer Abroad Resources

January 29, 2013 by 6 Comments

Recently,I have been trying to put together a site called volunteerafrica.net. The idea is to make a list of low fee volunteer opportunities in Africa. It’s only new, but hopefully it will become a useful resource. This led me to think that I haven’t seen a list of great low fee volunteer abroad resources.

So, here is my current list of Top 5 Volunteer Abroad Resources.

1. Daniela Papi and the Pepy Ride

I think that Daniela Papi is someone people should checkout at the beginning of their research of voluntourism. Daniela started the Pepy Ride in Cambodia in 2004. The Pepy ride was created when a team of 6 cyclists went on an adventure across Cambodia to learn and contribute to education programs in the region. The organization currently has the mission “to invest time and resources in young people in Cambodia, working with them to connect them to the skills, systems, and inspiration necessary to achieve their goals, raise standards of living, and improve the quality of education in their communities.” After a number of years being actively involved in the voluntourism industry, Daniela has some great insight, and it isn’t always positive. Her recent article in the Huffington Post, “Why You Should Say No to Orphanage Tourism (And Tell All Tour Companies to Do the Same)” is a thought provoking read. An article that I think all people should read before they go off to the world of voluntourism. You can also check out her Ted Talk:

Also thought provoking is this picture from her twitter feed:

Just so you know, there may be a goat in the office.

Just so you know, there may be a goat in the office.

2. Volunteer Forever

The idea behind Volunteer Forever was conceived after Founder and CEO Steve Weddle’s volunteer trip to India. The site is “a comprehensive online resource that would help volunteers find and fund their volunteer opportunities. Empowerment through information and resources!.” It also has a long list of programs to chose from and has very useful program reviews. This site will undoubtedly become a great resource for anyone looking to fundraise.

3. All Hands Volunteers

All Hands Volunteers “provides hands-on assistance to communities around the world, with maximum impact and minimum bureaucracy.” I was first introduced to this organization when following Kristy’s blog, the Nerdy Nomad (www.nerdynomad.com). After reading about Kristy volunteering with this organization, I started to follow them on facebook. It seems any time there is a natural disaster, no matter where it is in the world, they are quickly orchestrating a relief effort and recruiting their army of volunteers. Currently, they are recruiting for a volunteer project in Cagayan de Oro, in the Philippines which was hit by Typhoon Washi on December 16, 2011. All Hands has been “helping homeowners to remove debris and mud from within their homes so that they can move back in from tent shelters or evacuation centres. We also have been cooperating with Catholic Relief Services, IOM and Habitat For Humanity Philippines.” I hope to get an opportunity to volunteer with this group in the future.

4. Volunteersouthamerica.net

Volunteersouthamerica.net was one of the first volunteer sites that I saw. Steve McElhinney founded the site in 2005. His story of how and why the site was created is very similar to that of True Travellers Society. He states, “the origins of volunteersouthamerica.net date from early 2005 when I was looking for free, grass-roots, volunteer work in Argentina. I soon discovered that finding volunteer work that didn’t involve paying a middle-man/third party a large amount of cash was much more difficult than I had expected; the result was many happy hours spent searching on Google, internet travel forums & obscure Spanish-language websites for a suitable volunteer work program.” Historically, it has been a list of community based organizations in South America. Steve has recently added a blog section, which I think is a great addition to an already great resource.

5. Volunteer Global

Volunteer Global connects travellers with community based organizations worldwide. They have a great layout for their site and an extensive list of organizations. Volunteer Global has established a strong community and an up to date list of opportunities which is difficult to find. There is a cost to a number of their programs but most are very reasonable.

Well, that’s it. Hope you find the list useful. I’m starting with five and hope to build on to this list with your feedback and recommendations. Please let me know if you have anything to add in the comments below.

Safe Travels,
Andrew

Filed Under: Articles, Volunteer tips Tagged With: , , ,
«Older Posts