Volunteer abroad programs

How to volunteer abroad

What does it mean to volunteer?

Volunteering is much more than just traveling to help others. It is about taking an area of interest seriously and working on it in order to achieve a positive impact in the community. This is a worthwhile experience that opens your eyes to life in other cultures, and leaves you with surprising benefits.

We have three very differently yet purposefully structured programs. It might seem easy to choose between them, but be sure of your “why-s” and be present from the beginning.

What should be my first step?

Start with asking yourself, “Why do I want to volunteer?” What thrived you to search about volunteering in the first place? Was it the idea of doing something completely different or because you have always wanted to try out giving back to the world?

Where is the best place to volunteer?

Here’s a tip: it is better to not only look at the destination countries you will be volunteering at, but the goals a project has. Think about how ready you are to invest your knowledge and willpower into a program. If you have found the structure that fits best, then start looking for the cool destinations you would like to explore.

How much time do I have?

Our programs are long-term, so timing is something to consider before joining. Are you ready to put your time into volunteering and keeping the other future plans until after the program? We recommend to rather take a look at which fields are you actually interested in, what do you imagine to achieve. If time is not a question for you, just follow the compass!

Have you ever skipped the idea of volunteering because it is so expensive? It can be pricey life experience, but there are always ways around it, and guess what? We have got you covered!

How can I pay for all of it?

Pre-Course - This is a unique optional period offered by us, for the ones who not only manage to find a job themselves to cover up the costs of a program, but for people who want to get the full experience of being a part of One World Institute. Within this time you don’t just get all of your living costs covered, but also get the chance to start bonding with your teammates earlier!
Self-payer - If the Pre-Course jobs we offer aren’t exactly your piece of cake, there’s always the option to find a job on your own. Maybe you already have a well-paid job or some extra bills put aside in your piggy-bank? Then you are good to go!
FundMyTravel - The number one online fundraising platform for traveling. There, you can start your own fundraising page, tell people about your story, spread the word and get funded!

What are the program fees?

For each of our programs, fees are the same. Whether you are a self-payer or doing Pre-Course, all essentials for your daily life will be covered from the common budget. That includes: food, accommodation and health insurance. Once you go abroad to volunteer, you will also have visas, vaccines, participation in projects and other travel expenses covered up from the budget money!

Once you have decided on which program fits you the best, it is time to start preparing for the next step in your life. You will probably feel a million different emotions, but don’t worry, you are in good hands!

How to apply successfully?

Polish your CV - Make sure you have your CV updated into an Europass version and re-check if the information is relevant to the program of your choice.
Motivational letter is your biggest advantage - this is the part where you can help us get to know you better! Where are your roots and what are they growing towards? What inspires you and why you think the experience will be something for you - all in!
Do you know the program you are applying for? Make sure you know everything about your preferred program, so you are aware of how your next journey will look, whichever part it is.

What should I prepare?

Documents - one thing you do not want to deal with on your travels, is a soon invalid passport or ID. Make sure your documents are valid until the time you finish your program.
Are you healthy? - Pay your doctor a visit before starting, it is always better to feel safe, and not worry about your health, while traveling in the parts of the world where it’s not as easy to pay the doctor a visit, as at home.
How should I pack for such a long time? - If you have that question in mind, we assure you, there’s so many others who feel the same. Once you have applied, we will let you know exactly what and what not to pack with you. Believe it or not, you will arrive at the school carrying exactly as much as you actually need!

Do you have what it takes to tip your toe into the life of traveling and volunteering? Volunteering requires hard work and commitment, and sometimes everything won’t work out exactly as you have expected, but will take another interesting turn. Whether you are ready for that step or not, is something you cannot know until you actually do it.

Expectations - We always have some kind of expectations and fears when doing something completely new. What happens when there’s too many expectations? - We get easily disappointed. So, learn how to see the world without expectations, because in this way, you can actually enjoy every experience much more vividly!

Commitment - When you volunteer, you will be living and working like the locals. Making a positive impact requires commitment, patience and being accepting toward changes. Keep in mind that you are doing this to build on existing experience & knowledge, opening eyes and perspective of the world around you, while working on something bigger than yourself.

Experience - You might or might not do something like this again, that is why, even at times when you feel tired, there are so many things around us to appreciate. This is the time to be limitless and explore your potential as well as borders of comfort-zone. Can you imagine going through such an eye-opening experience that everyone you’ll share the story to, cannot believe all you accomplished!

Every adventure ends at some point, to make room for brand new ones. Once you finish a program, you will look at the world from a fresh perspective and go back home with a backpack full of experiences.

Back to reality

Coming back from a place that blew your mind culturally and perspectively, will change you. Seeing what lifestyle you came from, seems like a distant memory and the people around you who didn’t share that experience together with you, might have a hard time understanding what your eyes have seen.

A culture shock and thoughts of what’s next will settle in your mind, but at this point it is best to just reflect on what you have gained and start using your unique new perspective in future plans.

New adventures ahead

The fact that you finished one chapter in life, doesn’t mean it won’t be staying with you forever, or that you couldn’t do it a few more times. As you finish a program, you have freshened up and you will realise how many doors are open for you. So put your new experiences and knowledge to use and after all, it is not about the destination but the journey, right?

Main project areas

These are the main development programs our students participate in

Community Development

Working with disadvantaged communities in India or the countries of Africa, to improve the local’s living-conditions and to overcome social, economical and environmental challenges. Children are the future of any community, therefore the Community Development projects give great emphasis on providing better opportunities to the vulnerable children of the communities and their families.

Education

Education has the power to make a change in the world. Now you can bring your own contribution in places where education is needed the most! With One World Institute, you can volunteer in teacher training colleges, or directly teach children of vulnerable communities. You can volunteer in educational projects in India, or in Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia).

Health

Health is an essential human right and it has to be present in the foundation of any sustainable community and economy. You can bring your contribution to projects focused on the prevention of HIV/AIDS, TB, or malaria (depending on the country where you volunteer). You can also help those who are already infected with HIV to live a comfortable and productive life.

Environment

Aggressive industrial farming, global warming and the associated loss of water resources and quality of soil, unfair trade laws, all these make it very difficult for small-scale farmers to produce food for their families or for their immediate communities. You can assist the small-scale farmers in India or Africa to overcome these challenges and be creative with the resources they have.