Volunteer programs abroad are across-the-board. The stressful and painful catastrophe recently occurred especially in the country of Philippines seem give disastrous effect to Filipino people. Due to this hurtful circumstance, it’s so sad to admit but there are some victims who took suicide as their way of freeing themselves from the incident.

From the wrath of typhoon Sendong last Dec. 17, 2011 to the horrifying 6.9 magnitude earthquake lately on Feb. 6, 2012, numerous casualties have died. In Negros Oriental, 5 kilometers northwest of Tayasan, the earthquake left 40 missing people whom majority of these victims lived beside the shore nearby the epicenter, where the tremor struck hardly, aside from those injured.

In Cebu, the said earthquake incident was the strongest they have had experienced so far, said City Mayor Michael Rama. There are houses and residences buried because of landslide, and the situation is really bad. From the moment the disaster happens, army troops and police were set out to assist the rescue. Moreover, there are still countless people in these areas who are necessitating medical assistance.

Having a concerned heart to humankind, this is your time to show it to the earth. There is in-need of volunteer work abroad for free working for medical mission in the affected areas. For an earlier schedule, there is an Indian and a Canadian doctor who went to the area for a medical mission, which is really a lot of help. They brought some medicines but unfortunately that may not occupy all the casualties.

There are volunteer programs for humanitarian mission trip, which provide a chance to do incredible that guarantee volunteers an everlasting reward. Actually, volunteering make an impressive impact to the volunteers especially to the people they served. It will change the lives of all the people.

If your career is connected to medical-related field, then this is your chance to learn the basics with the professionals in the team. To volunteer on a medical project is a very useful preparation for this specific career in the field of:

• Medicine
• Physiotherapy
• Nursing
• Midwifery
• Dentistry
• Occupational Therapy

Volunteer organizations offer placements in this field suit people of all qualifications, levels, and experience.

Most of us think that to volunteer abroad or local alike has no benefits to provide you as a volunteer financially. Several organizations for volunteer programs provide maybe not a big amount of stipend but those expenses that include free meals all through the period of the program, accommodation to stay, and free airfare and land transportation.

Recognizing the selfless act of volunteering, where you work and give your free time on behalf of others without payment, or participate in a service for a cause, should the privilege that volunteers indulge through volunteering must be paid back?

When you look for a stipend in a volunteer program, there are few perks that come up to it and a small monetary compensation, such as weekly or monthly stipend. However, to compare volunteering abroad and volunteering local, it is hard to substantiate the financial benefits to volunteer abroad. See as follows:

Travel Abroad

Preferring to participate in a volunteer program abroad is costly. The main expenses to spend are meals and accommodation, but when you choose to stay in a hotel or dormitory may eventually become pricey. Most of volunteering abroad programs do not give stipend to volunteers, but provide allowance for personal expenses including the place to stay and their whole day meals.

Allowable against Tax (Deductible Tax)

Volunteers are offered tax deductible or allowable against tax on prices, whether they use a for-profit or non-profit travel service. More than ever to U.S. citizen volunteers, the federal income tax are deductible covering every program fee. The person who made a donation for charitable donations is given the opportunity to trim down his taxable earnings and his tax bill. Those volunteers that record deductions on their incomes can probably take deductions on his income tax for a contribution to an eligible charitable organization. When this contribution is charged in the volunteer’s credit card or put the check in the mail, and the volunteer abroad’s gift is considered paid.

Employment

To have an experience in a volunteering abroad program, the participant can have the better prospect in employment. Especially for students in college, the learning they encompass through the activities in charitable course attracts mainly the employers.

If your intention is to get stipend during your volunteer work, you may initially inquire about this issue to your potential volunteer abroad organization.

Opportunities of volunteer work abroad exist everywhere. To find the right volunteer chance you can make it entirely difference. As President John F. Kennedy formerly said on his speech in the United Nations in 1963,

“Never before has man had such capacity to control his own environment, to end thirst and hunger, to conquer poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and massive human misery. We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world — or make it the last.”

From 1963 to the current year (2012), the world may progress to the ground-breaking of certain things, but the poverty and miserably living people still endure endlessly. For this, what we can do to help is to give charity work abroad or likely to your own motherland. The momentous for you and to the people you were to help is the aspect of compassion that’s lasting.

Volunteer or charity works is the leading contribution we can partake to humankind as it is an action without a cost. Those powerful words of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy shows what are people collective responsibilities to the humankind and to the world.

To be part in a volunteer program do not need high qualifications and classy placement. Moreover, as a volunteer you are not entitled to commit years to do it anyway. If you are too busy to do it, you can make it in a way that can’t destruct the more important responsibilities in yourself, to your family, and to your work. Anyone can easily give help even in a few days while they are on their vacation in a foreign country.

It’s so supportive to acquire new ideas from a new culture and other beliefs of people. And to learn new interesting opportunities as a volunteer in a charity work abroad, it can be used as a constructive source too. How do you prefer to lend a hand? Thinking what kind of volunteer program to join in? You may choose from the following and decide which one fits best for you:

• Teaching English as a second language (TESL)
• Providing basic necessities (food, water, and clothing) to communities
• Building homes, schools, and medical facilities
• Educating people about awareness in HIV/ AIDS and illegal use of drugs
• Assisting people with agricultural and farming care
• Participates in medical missions to communities

You must have been very interested to participate to any volunteering abroad options. You must also have been considering doing it during a festival, during Christmas, or during some special occasion.

For someone like you who are looking for such need, and who are also looking for cheap or even free options to volunteer abroad, here are a few options you might get interested to choose with.

1. Sudan Volunteer Program, Sudan

This kind of volunteer work is a London-based charity that sends graduates and undergraduates to Sudan to teach English at schools, colleges and Universities. You will certainly get interested with this because teaching experience is not really required. It is often available during summer, but longer terms are also available.

2. Exit Festival, Serbia

Now this is a very interesting choice since it is a volunteer work abroad festival. The Exit Festival held in Serbia every July, this four-day celebration is very attractive to various tourists. A free ticket is offered to volunteers willing to work as stewards, bar staff and security. Are you interested with this option?

3. Grupo Lobo, Portugal

Lobos in Portugal literally mean wolves; with this regard, the Grupo Lobo in the said country is working towards the conservation of the wolf and the wolves’ habitat in the country. Volunteers help with many tasks including feeding the wolves three times a week. Volunteers pay for accommodation, starting at €17 for a simple bed, transport and food shopping choices.

4. English Alive Academy, Ethiopia

Interested to volunteer as an English teacher in Ethiopia? Perhaps this option is good for you. English Alive is a school that has two campuses following the British curriculum, one in Addis Ababa, another in Nazareth, a rural town 100 kilometers away. Surely, you will be well accommodated.

So which voluntary work option suits you?

Could we really risk spending our money, time and effort for something that we hardly get in return? Are we that logical enough to give more of us and expect nothing back? When it pertains to volunteering, it’s so easy to participate in this activity especially when you will receive incentives and even just a small portion of wage. At least you know that your investment didn’t really get wasted at all, right?

But to volunteer abroad for free seem to be an impossible choice especially for those practical people. So what really makes it a prime on the first place?

First of all, the heart of a volunteer is really to share and render his time, money, and effort for the success of a specific cause. Usually, they don’t really look forward to something that they wanted in return. A volunteer’s heart always pursues to do good things that can benefit those who are in need—no payments, no other demands; just plain and genuine help and volunteerism are enough.

So if you are interested with the sincerity of becoming a volunteer, you may want to choose a specific program out of the many volunteer programs available online. There is this particular program located in Cambodia that needs medical volunteers. Would you like to know the details?

According to the site, medical volunteers who will participate in this mandate will live at the beautiful tropical gardens at MaD Base Camp. Volunteers could also choose it for a short-term option, depending on your own availability. Surely, you will not get bankrupt with your investment especially when you will know that the project is well-financed by MaD.

So, if you are interested, you may want to make a little research and contact the program in charge for more details. Remember, it is never in vain to assist someone and become a volunteer.

It has been a cliché that it is good and pleasant to give love on Christmas Day. This giving of love may be in the form of giving gifts, giving time, rendering one’s self, or even choosing to work abroad for voluntary purposes.

Since Christmas has already passed, what kind of voluntary work abroad have you done, by the way? Have you done the voluntary work mentioned below?

Conversational English Teaching
Most people may be knowledgeable with English language but not everyone is capable of teaching this language professionally. If you have the skill, the gift, and of course, the heart to impart such knowledge to those who are in need, you must have considered this voluntary work and joined the mandate. Last Christmas, have you considered this option?

Drama, Music, and Dance Teaching
One of the enjoyable things suitable to be done during Christmas season is to sing, dance, or have a drama presentation related to the event. Have you chosen to teach drama to some abroad? Have you considered teaching dancing presentations for the Yuletide Season? Such presentation is highly a demand during Christmas since it is very timely.

Community Development and Orphanage Care
Often we hear voluntary works from various organizations to which they give various gifts to children, orphaned, and less-fortunate people on selected communities. These gifts may be in a form of school supplies, basic needs like shoes, bags, and new sets of clothes, and packed groceries. Such mandate is in need of various volunteers to distribute the needs. Have you participated on this mandate?

There are other forms of voluntary works we can name of. Have you participated on other forms of such works? Feel free to comment.

Are you looking for destinations to which you can volunteer abroad? European, Asian, African, and even American countries are good options to consider. But if you want to have a good choice, perhaps the three listed countries below are appropriate options for you.

Argentina
This is one destination that a volunteer can choose when it comes to volunteer program destination. Here you can be an assistant in an animal conservation as you cater the needs of the animals, in a day care center where you can provide adequate child care service, teach English and avail its project as you help develop the local community to improve the English language skills of Argentina’s children, volunteer and learn Spanish, and participate in a gender equality project to which you will be educating the local community about women’s rights, and promoting the empowerment of women in Argentina.

Aren’t these options of volunteer programs suitable for you? Choose Argentina then for a destination!

Bolivia
Now this is another destination where you can participate in various voluntary work abroad programs specifically located in Bolivia. Here, you can go for teaching English and assist local English teachers teach English to children of low income schools and an orphanage, volunteer for sports coaching and organize sports activities, games and competitions, volunteer in a special needs center and help those children with special needs, aid for the development of the children in the orphanage or children’s home, help the animals and wildlife in Bolivia, volunteer with media and arts, and partake in animal conservation to the country’s extinct animals.

So if you are interested to any of these programs mentioned, feel free to make more inquiries.

Costa Rica
This is another country to which you can choose volunteering work abroad on various choices. Community education project, teaching English, volunteering in children’s home or orphanage, partake on sea turtle conservation, help build and construct homes, teaching sports and physical education, volunteering on animal conservation, national parks, and reserves, and study Spanish language.

Happy New Year, everyone! As inspired volunteers and readers who, for the past year, are “faithfully” reading and updating our sites, we would like to extend our deep gratitude! For years, we have provided you with great information related to volunteer work abroad and other things that pertains to volunteerism. We have posted essential articles and blogs about international volunteering and its benefits, what volunteer work abroad is all about, varieties of volunteerism in kinds, destinations, and news, tips in making volunteering the most essential way of developing one’s personality and career, purpose of volunteering, and a whole lot more!

You must have learned lots of things especially if you daily update yourself with our articles. That is why, as we welcome 2012 this year, we would like to extend our deep gratitude to you who visits our site, read our posts, comments to our blog, and expresses insights about what the article writes about. Your frequent visitation really meant a lot to us, not just for the sake of visiting the site. The main reason also why we continue to update posts and articles from day to day are because of you. Readers like you are our main reason why we provide you with wholesome insights about volunteerism abroad.

Since we were inspired to write helpful and decent articles for you, this New Year 2012, we’re going to even inspire you more with the latest updates, freshest news, most recent work destinations, newest volunteer abroad programs, ideas, and travel preparations, and all kinds. We will try our best to complete and satisfy your requirements and provide you the information that you need concerning volunteer work abroad. We greatly assure you that as you continue to become open minded and receive the things we post in this blog site; you will become more inspired to volunteer as you allow yourself to participate in volunteerism. This job, if we could call it, is not for everyone. So if you consider yourself an inspired volunteer, you will become one. Let this blog site serve as an inspiration to you.

December 17, 2011. One of the most devastating events that occurred before this year 2011 ends was when some cities in the Philippines were greatly damaged by an unusual typhoon. In just short hours, Cagayan de Oro City, Iligan City, and Dumaguete City experienced a heart-pounding experience witnessing such destruction that typhoon Sendong has done to them. Massive deaths, homelessness, devastation, and even loss of loved ones were all experienced by the people who lived in these cities. It was not a very welcoming incident to celebrate Christmas at that time.

This was then the time when volunteer programs were implemented by various sects, organizations, and government offices were taken action. Even various countries from all over the world responded quickly in giving relief goods and financial assistance to those cities that were greatly damaged. Volunteers from various schools, both young and old alike stood up and help those who were stricken with the typhoon.

Since the most basic need the people particularly in Cagayan de Oro is drinking and rinsing water, various businesses, fire trucks, convenient stores, water purifier companies, and different organizations responded desperately to at least, provide water for those who are in need. Purified waters from different places in the Philippines were sent to the damaged cities to give relief and assistance. Other basic needs like food, clothing, medicine, and even workshops for children were provided to make life count. Surely, it was not a very easy thing to say that these cities that were impaired by the typhoon cannot say that they have risen up that quickly. Nonetheless, the optimistic side of this incident is that people immediately responded to give such needs and render their selves to become volunteers.

Such incident is actually one of the events that occurred that relate to people who volunteer. Such incident is still present now. If you may be interested, you may go to this country and volunteer abroad for free, or you may also give assistance depending on what you have in you right now. This is not the time to think only about yourself. Sometimes, you need to get involved to participate in this mandate because people like you are needed in such desperate times.

No matter where you are, whether you are in the most comfortable place in Europe or in the United States, if there’s a need, there is a call. Think about it.

“When the purpose of service and volunteerism is to strengthen democratic participation and community empowerment, volunteerism can be wholly beneficial. As Ivan Illich once observed about international volunteerism, “[Volunteers] frequently wind up alleviating the damage done by money and weapons…” When conducted as part of a deliberately revelatory cycle, volunteerism can become a process for empowerment, as long as it is not at the expense of others’ self-determination.”

Knowing the purpose why you chose or get compelled to participate in volunteering work abroad will actually get you stay longer in that volunteering stage. If you have no purpose why you do such things, you will end up not pursuing the learning at all and eventually give it up.

Understanding the purpose why you pursue a voluntary work abroad will make you to the volunteer work on the go. Your interests may be your start engine, but the purpose will serve as your gasoline to keep going. Time will come when you will encounter mediocrity as you work along the process. Your purpose will serve as your reminder. It will remind you why you took volunteering on the first place.

So what really is your voluntary purpose? Are these things detailed below your reason why you chose to volunteer?

• Experience
• Examination
• Exploration
• Service
• Assistance
• Give unmerited favor

So every time tediousness knocks you down, always remind yourself of your purpose. This purpose of yours will not only serve as your reminder, but it will even be your aim why you took this program on the first place.