Volunteer Ideas for first Time Volunteering Abroad
Are you looking volunteering opportunities to enhance your skills, make new friends, know reality to world, see new places, help local people and communities? There are many option for you to choose from. Before signing up for a volunteer program. There few things you should consider.
Interest-based volunteering vs. need-based volunteering.
There is some difference between need-based volunteering and interest-based volunteering. Need based volunteering is about volunteering for a project where you are needed or without your involvement project can not run well and Interest based volunteering is about volunteering for a project in which you are interested but your involvement is just needed in basic level.
Volunteer abroad with /without paying fees
Normally, people from developing countries do not go to volunteer in developed countries to volunteer and help local project. There can be some abnormal cases but 99 percent international volunteer go to volunteer in developing countries from developed country. In this case, a organization based in developing country will not pay for your flight, transportation cost, accommodation cost, support cost or any cost that is needed to organize volunteer program for you. So, you will be paying some fees to organization to volunteer. For example, many organization run two types of volunteering program. One is volunteering within a organization and another is volunteer placement in different organizations. Mainly programs fees are associated with volunteer placement. For example, if you are going tovolunteer in Nepal, Organization such as Volunteer Aid Nepal ( based in Nepal ) do not charge if you wish to help them in office and administrative work but if you want to teach in monastery, there can be some program fees associated with program.
Selecting an organization
This is one of the most difficult task but if you have decided a country to volunteer in, it will not be such difficult to choose a organization as google search is best way to find organization's website and read their information. Please check organization's social networking site to check whether this organization is real or not. You can see videos of organization' work, volunteer's activities etc. Nowadays, because of social networking sites, selecting real organization is becoming easy.
Prepare for volunteering
Collect information from organization, learn local languages, get some gifts for host family, buy travel articles and personal items (it will be better if you make a list what is needed). It will be better to travel abroad with cell phone (international roaming recommended - this is very useful at the time of emergency). One more suggestion, meet your doctor before you travel any country.
