Volunteering Overseas

[Prawn_86]

Hi all,

We are thinking we would like to travel and thought that we could volunteer in some places in exchange for our board, and to give back a bit. I have heard of certain companies that help you out with this sort of thing and then you go and help build houses or whatever.

Has anyone experienced this? Or done anything like it?

[kennas]

Where are you going to go Prawn?

Lots of volunteering programs in Central/South America.

[Prawn_86]

Still in the early stages K, but thinking maybe some time in Cambodia or northern Thailand, then some in India, then across to South America and do Mexico, Guetemuala, Costa Rica and Peru

[EverNothing]

Yo Prawno, I have an old University contact living and working in a Conservation Park in Costa Rica. If you ever make it to that part of the world and you want to exchange board for volunteer work she'll take you on. She's always looking for young Westerners who don't mind getting their hands dirty for a good cause and her partner is a trained chef so you'll never go hungry.

However be prepared to literary stay in the middle of nowhere. It's a small villiage of 100 or so. A satellite phone is the ONLY method of communication until you're back on the mainland. I plan on making the trip myself in 2011. She's already promised to drive me to a local dinosaur fossel excavation site. Too cool for words.

[Prawn_86]

A lot of the places we have looked into charge about $50 per week to cover food and accom costs, so that way their donations are still going to the cause.

What were you doing in Indonesia EN? Who were you with? How many others etc etc?

PS - wasn't that your first time overseas? :)

[danviettravel]

It is nice to know. It is a good way to travel at low costs.

[dulichvnn]

We are Danangkids - a volunteer tour guide club of young, friendly and ambitious students from different universities in Danang , who love Danang and want to bring local breath to tourists from all over the world. We want to help international tourist to understand the places of interest as well as the culture and food specialities of the Da Nang City as well as Hoi An Old Town.

Have you ever visited Vietnam? How many times have you visited? How much did you learned about our Vietnamese culture and people? Did you meet many difficulties in traveling as well as communicating in spite of having detailed guidebooks? ... Let us help you to discover Vietnamese culture and people as well as get access to a plenty of traditional custom and unique characters of Vietnam that are not mentioned in guidebooks.

“No tips, no charges, only enthusiasm, hospitality, friendliness” is our club motto. Please do not hesitate to contact us at danangkidsvn@gmail.com if you need our help.


Danangkids

[buddinghealth]

Thanks for posting this - sounds very interesting, I did something similar in Thailand - hope your club works well for you, will be in touch

[EverNothing]

Looks like i'm going to have to postpone that 2011 Costa Rican trip because i'm in the process of signing a 6-12 month contract to work in Tibet starting during the second half of the year. It's still early days but it looks as if i'll be heading over in early October which is outstanding news because I finish my current Uni degree in August. Plus, it brings me one step closer to living and working in Japan.

The schedule is tough (9-5 Monday to Friday + every second Saturday) but the cause is important. It's not volunteer work, but an actual paid internship. As for the job itself, it's a bit of a combination of human rights activism, mild office work, social service assistance, graphic designing and of course English tutoring. I should have the written paperwork signed by the end of the month.

[Prawn_86]

Looks like i'm going to have to postpone that 2011 Costa Rican trip because i'm in the process of signing a 6-12 month contract to work in Tibet starting during the second half of the year. It's still early days but it looks as if i'll be heading over in early October which is outstanding news because I finish my current Uni degree in August. Plus, it brings me one step closer to living and working in Japan.

The schedule is tough (9-5 Monday to Friday + every second Saturday) but the cause is important. It's not volunteer work, but an actual paid internship. As for the job itself, it's a bit of a combination of human rights activism, mild office work, social service assistance, graphic designing and of course English tutoring. I should have the written paperwork signed by the end of the month.
Good stuff EN, sounds very exciting. It will be a real experience thats for sure