There cannot be a holiday in Ecuador without there being a specific food that goes along with it. For Holy Week, it is an elaborate, rich, creamy soup packed full of grains. This deliciousness is called fanesca. Fanesca can be found in restaurants several weeks before Holy Week, but families get together to prepare it […]
Seventeen determined Medtronic employees joined a March team in Quito, Ecuador for a week of service and bonding. Pouring their hearts, skills, and strength into their assignments, the women helped paint the exterior of the two-story early childhood development center, tiled the dining room, and cared for the 80 children alongside the center’s teachers. The […]
Freedom from career demands led retired college professors Sharon and David Moore of Arizona to Cuba with Global Volunteers. In an interview with Volunteer Engagement Manager Maggie Bjorklund, Sharon and David explain how retirees can explore Cuba, experience an intriguing culture, connect and engage with people, build bridges of understanding and respect, and do something […]
Global Volunteers Alumni Tracey and Tom of Colorado, with sons Matthew and Andrew say their two weeks volunteering in Romania enhanced their understanding of each other. The program journal they share here describes their service together as a family – helping disabled Romanian children, teaching conversational English to high school students, and exploring the history and […]
Team #172 to Ecuador had the opportunity to visit the home of a child served at an early childhood development center in Calderón, on the northeastern-most border of the sprawling capital city of Quito nestled high in the Andes Mountains. The two centers where Global Volunteers partners in Calderón are for disadvantaged families, and mainly […]
Global Volunteers Ecuador Country Manager Maggie Bjorklund writes about a very happy morning at the early childhood development center in Quito where Global Volunteers has partnered for almost two decades – when the gleeful children played at a water table the center was gifted. Over the years, I have been lucky to witness many joyous […]
In honor of Mother’s Day, we wanted to take a moment to recognize how our volunteers celebrate and support mothers around the world. From Tanzania to Ecuador, Montana to Greece, volunteers support mothers in developing communities in so many ways: encouragement, time, nutrition, self-sufficiency, recognition, heart, helping hands, peace, mentoring, and camaraderie. Top 10 Ways […]
A native of China, Bao Li Wang is our China Country Manager. Bao Li joined the Global Volunteers team in 2005 and manages and leads all teams in Xi’an and Kunming, China. While on a service program in China, Bao Li is your guide on everything – volunteering, culture, development, and travel in China. Bao […]
Melissa, an attorney and mother of four boys aged nine to twelve, from Austin, Texas, was seeking a volunteer opportunity for two of her sons to give them hands-on experience with children and increase their global awareness. She decided on Global Volunteers’ Ecuador service program, where her boys could help take care of very young […]
Volunteering gives you the chance to be a part of something bigger than yourself, find purpose, and use your civic responsibility for the greater good. On a Global Volunteers service program, you can provide hands on help to communities in need around the world. Without the help of volunteers, our partner communities would struggle to […]