Guatemala’s population has grown rapidly over the past few decades, and migration from the country’s rural towns to larger cities has put a nationwide strain on its resources. Poverty has become more rampant, and many Guatemalans are left in poor living conditions without having their basic needs being met. The poverty rates have also created an educational crisis, leaving Guatemala with one of the lowest literacy rates in the world. Participants on this trip will be able to make a difference by helping to combat the low literacy rates through teaching English or by working with local children at a nearby library. There are also projects to improve the living conditions of the poorest citizens, by pouring cement floors in homes, working with women’s groups and setting up personal or community gardens. When not at work, volunteers will be able to explore the Guatemalan culture through Mayan flute lessons, tortilla making, attending a Mayan Fire Ceremony and by exploring the surrounding natural parks. For the more adventurous, optional day adventures are available and can include activities like horseback riding and ziplining! This eight day trip starts at $1,437 per person.
Fight Poverty in India’s ‘Pink City’
India’s “Pink City” of Jaipur is named for its bright building facades dating back to the early 1700s. The city has since become Rajasthan state’s cultural and economic hub. Unfortunately, Jaipur also hosts a large number of impoverished residents whose basic needs remain largely unmet. On this trip, volunteers will help rescued child laborers and disadvantaged children by providing support at schools and day care centers. Participants will also work to improve educational facilities by refurbishing the existing structures. All projects are focused on increasing the quality of life for Jaipur’s disadvantaged communities. During spare time, volunteers can explore Jaipur’s bazaar, take an elephant ride at the nearby Amer Fort, visit a traditional carpet factory or eat with a local family. Volunteers can look forward to enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of India while bettering the quality of life for those in need. This one-week trip costs $1,557.
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Globe Aware
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Uplift Local Communities in Costa Rica's Orosi Valley
Costa Rica is renowned for its rich biodiversity and stunning natural landscapes. Despite its small size, it is home to around 5% of the world’s known plant and animal species. In terms of sustainability, the nation is a global leader in renewable energy production; it generates more than 99% of its electricity from renewable sources; primarily hydropower, wind, geothermal, and solar energy. In addition, Costa Rica has implemented a range of environmental policies and initiatives to promote sustainability, including reforestation programs, wildlife protection laws, and incentives for renewable energy development. Volunteers can help contribute to these developments in the remote community of El Yaz. Although a natural paradise, villagers struggle to make ends meet. Even low paying jobs are rare. Many residents may not live in a state of poverty, but many of them have no access to hot water, cars, etc. Volunteers can help the community via English teaching at public schools, maintenance to community facilities, fitting reading glasses for the elderly, constructing chicken coops for local families, upgrading local family’s homes, and more. Projects will vary depending on the number of volunteers, which projects were finished with the prior group, what priorities have changed, weather conditions, availability of supplies, and the fitness level of the participants. Additional tasks include (but are not limited to) promoting requested perma-culture gardening to locals via demonstrations, repairing pedestrian bridges, providing environmental education and conservation, painting schools, building fences, and much more. Leisure activities include nature hikes, birdwatching, coffee tasting, visiting Orosi, visiting Guayabo, and more.
Improve Community Needs in the Heart of Ghana
Head to Ghana and lend a hand in Ho, a region still heavily dependent on international aid. Volunteers will spend a week getting to know locals along with providing community support and helping with educational needs. Community support projects range from building wells to helping ease the severity of the area’s dry seasons. Education projects include building and improving schools, spreading awareness of health education and teaching English. When not at work, enrollees can experience facets of the Ghanaian lifestyle through African dancing and drumming lessons, visits to local markets, soccer games and sessions on kente weaving. There is a planned excursion to West Africa’s largest waterfall as well as to nearby monkey sanctuaries. This is a one-week trip that costs $1,467.
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Volunteer in a Costa Rican Animal Sanctuary
Regarded as one of the happiest countries in the world, Costa Rica is a popular travel destination renowned for its natural beauty and thrilling outdoor adventures. However, in recent years, Costa Rica has also been grappling with a growing animal endangerment crisis, which the government has responded to by enacting stringent animal protection laws and comprehensive land conservation strategies. On this trip, volunteer travelers will be able to live on-site at an animal sanctuary and assist with a variety of tasks, including feeding and bathing the animals, playing and exercising with them and cleaning and maintaining the sanctuary garden. The primary objective of the animal sanctuary is to rescue, rehabilitate and ultimately release the injured animals back to their natural habitats, ensuring the welfare of the animals and helping them recover from their physical and psychological wounds. Volunteers will work with a team of experienced veterinarians in addition to the thousands of volunteers from around the world who have helped over the past 10+ years. During their leisure time, volunteers will also be able to partake in nature-hiking, bird-watching, star-gazing, coffee-tasting and traditional sugar cane processing.
This 8-day trip starts at $1,347 per person and includes food, lodging, and transportation.
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Care for Elephants at a Wildlife Rescue in Thailand
Thailand’s Surin province is home to more than 300 elephants, many of them treated inhumanely for street begging and circus performances. The harsh treatment these elephants endure can lower their life expectancy by at least 50%. On the “Thailand Elephants” trip, participants will be working at the region’s only "elephant refugee camp.” Volunteers’ tasks are dependent on the camp’s specific needs but could include the preservation of elephant habitat, the construction of shade shelters and enclosures, and the preparation of food for the elephants. This weeklong trip costs $905.
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Volunteer to Help Rebuild Cambodia
Cambodia has a long, violent history of war and genocide, but since the mid-90’s, peace has come to the country and is a safe place to visit. The years of war, however, left a lasting impact on the Cambodian people, leaving most of them in extreme poverty and with a countryside strewn with unexploded landmines. As a volunteer time will be spent in Siem Reap, near the famous Angkor Wat temples, helping with a variety of projects—from teaching English at the Buddhism Association School to distributing wheelchairs to the Cambodians who are left injured by the leftover mines. Upon arrival on this trip, volunteers will receive a set itinerary that will include different projects to participate in, depending on the need for volunteers at the time. During downtime, volunteers can explore the Angkor Wat temples and the floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake, or simply wander the streets of Siem Reap.
Join the Hurricane Maria Clean up Cause in Puerto Rico
Sept. 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria tore through the island of Puerto Rico, devastating the community and taking more than 500 lives. The Category 5 storm destroyed agriculture and infrastructure such as power grids and phone lines, leaving mass destruction for the population to rebuild. The island is still working to rebuild and recover from the effects of Maria, and volunteers on this project can help. Based in Yauco, 80 miles from the capital city of San Juan, volunteers work with local initiatives to rebuild and restore the roofs of more than 1,500 homes impacted by the storm. This restoration project is a grassroots effort, and local leaders work with volunteers to develop the skills needed to complete these construction projects.
Yauco is a small town stretching from the cobblestone streets of the inland downtown to the shores of the Caribbean Sea. After work is done for the day, volunteers will explore local beaches, markets and restaurants and can enjoy a cup of Yauco’s coffee, one of the area's major exports. This week-long trip will cost volunteers $1,557.
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Volunteer with Grassroots Organizations in Ghana
Ghana is a West African country with an economy primarily based on gold, oil and cocoa. It was one of the first African countries to break free from colonial rule and it still holds the ruins of colonial slave trading ports. The “Glory of Ghana” trip gives volunteers a chance to explore the country while also helping to improve conditions through education and rural development programs. The mission is to assist locals by positively affecting the quality of the area’s education, health care and environment. Specific programs depend on the needs of the community at the time, but could include building schools, instructing students and bringing clean water to communities near the city of Ho. Other activities include exploring the famous Kente weaving village, visiting Ghana’s tallest mountain and witnessing the largest waterfall in West Africa. The trip’s length is eight days and it costs $1,467.
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Help Children with Disabilities in Transylvania
Romania is a country in southeastern Europe known for its heavily forested region of Transylvania. Ringed by the Carpathian Mountains, it harbors well-preserved medieval towns with many fortified churches and castles—specifically the Bran Castle, which has long been associated with the legend of Dracula. Romania spent decades under the communist rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and continues to restore its rich heritage after his government’s collapse in 1989. The “Volunteering in Transylvania, Romania” trip is located in Brasov, a city in the heart of Romania’s Transylvania region. The volunteer work is locally organized and consists of helping children and adults who have special needs, such as autism or Down syndrome. The Romanian state generally fails to integrate these children into mainstream schooling. Therefore, this work is vital in developing their potential and in preparing them for the future. The volunteer work includes improving and refurbishing two of Brasov’s day therapy centers and also includes a variety of interactive opportunities with the recipients. This two-week trip costs $1,567.
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Help Break the Cycle of Poverty in Romania
After the collapse of an oppressive government, Romania worked to reclaim its rich heritage and to develop its economy. Despite efforts to improve the country, there are still many people living in poverty, a high illiteracy rate and open discrimination against the Roma (or “Gypsies”) population. Volunteers of this trip will partner with local organizations to work on one of a number of projects, from building a “Social and Educational Centers,” which will eventually become a home for nearly a dozen families, to implementing “green” initiatives. Volunteers on this trip will be located just outside Brasov, a medieval-esque town with cobblestone streets, old castles and farm villages. During free time, explore Brasov’s historic town center, its cultural sites and even the infamous Bran Castle, also referred to as Dracula’s Castle, located just outside town. This eight day trip is $1,390.
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Help Educate the Village of Hoi An in Vietnam
Vietnam has a longstanding history of being a major port for silk, porcelain and spices, bringing traders from as far away as Europe to trade wares and goods with the people. When the river filled up, however, it stopped the trade route and left the town of Hoi An amidst a beautiful mix of French, Japanese and Chinese, but also in economic troubles. While Vietnam’s government is working on reforming the economic situation, the clash of new reform and old revolution is leaving many of the rural people behind. Volunteers on this trip will head into the rural communities around Hao An with a goal of improving educational facilities, teaching methods and providing supplies and lessons for students. They will also teach basic English to students, provide materials to teachers, help them to learn how to be better educators, evaluate schools to provide feedback on how to better conditions and most importantly, work with the Portable Libraries Project. This project, called “Books to Live,” is a simple library that can be packed up and moved when needed. Specific projects will change depending on how many volunteers are available or needed. During down time, volunteers can explore Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site, take a trip to the beach, sit in a language lesson to learn some Vietnamese or play games with the children. This trip costs $1000 to $2500.
Build a School in China for Children in Need
In China, many of those living in impoverished, rural villages want to move to the city for financial opportunity. In order to do this, citizens need official permission which is difficult to get and without it, families lose their rights to basic social services. Thus, more than 150 million "migrant" people are marginalized in cities, children are prevented from going to public school and people are without health care, often living in makeshift housing. On this trip, volunteers will work in a non-profit middle school for migrant children. The school itself was created on an old factory plant, and the infrastructure needs a lot of work. Volunteers can help by painting classrooms, building furniture, improving bathroom facilities as well as teaching English pronunciation and other essential skills. Additionally, volunteers will have the chance to sightsee including the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square and much more. This trip costs $1,380 per week, for first week, and $750 per each add’l week, up to 3 weeks max.