Retired engineer and Global Volunteers alumnus Greg Enders has been motivated by a lifelong desire to support and help those in need. He first joined Global Volunteers in China in 2008 to teach conversational English in schools. His second service program in Asia came with the opportunity to experience more of the continent’s diverse culture […]
After a 30-year professional teaching career, Global Volunteers alumna Pat Harper said she’s not finished teaching! In her 80s when she first served with us in Vietnam in 2014, she was drawn to the the opportunity to again help others learn. The joy she found teaching in retirement on a service program in Cuba not […]
Global Volunteers’ Team One shares their reflections on their first week of work on our inaugural Nepal service program in Kathmandu! Saturday – Nepal Arrival Throughout the day, the team assembled, some coming from a trek out of Pokhara, some after long flights from the USA, and others having arrived early, from other parts of […]
Allyson Olson said her service program in Romania made such an impact on her that she inevitably decided to complete her Master’s Degree in Child Development/Child life. It was the opportunity to truly make a difference, she said, that clarified her career choices. “It was time for me to stop being a bystander in my […]
When Annie saw the description of Global Volunteers’ Cook Islands program, she suspected it might be precisely the type of “once-in-a-lifetime” destination for her wife, Toby’s, 70th birthday. Together, they decided that celebrating Toby’s milestone birthday in service to others would be unforgettable and rewarding. Read Toby’s story here! By Toby S., First-time Cook Islands […]
Before Bob departed for a three-week service program teaching English to Chinese students in Xi’an, he did a self-check. He wasn’t a teacher, didn’t speak Chinese, but he had coached individuals and small groups on using English as a second language. Global Volunteers staff assured him he was positioned to make a difference. With only […]
Maine Assistant Attorney General William (Bill) Laubenstein has served abroad and in the USA with Global Volunteers since 2007 – contributing his skills to youth and adults in Vietnam, the Cook Islands, Greece, South Africa, India, Ecuador and West Virginia. In this interview, he offers highlights on his volunteer travels to date. My Global Volunteering […]
Retired professor and avid amateur photographer Dr. Candice Francis and her husband Mike like to combine service work with their travels for pleasure. To celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary this year they traveled to Ipalamwa, Tanzania to take part in the RCP (Reaching Children’s Potential) project. Here Candice shares her thoughts with her excerpt from […]
Retired special education teacher Mary Rowlette said she learned in the rural village of Ipalamwa that we all have something to give. Her personal goal, she said was to help children, observe, support others and use her skills to make a difference. In her interview with Global Volunteers Social Media Manager Sam Pinakoulaki, Mary describes […]
20-time alumni Steve Fox is a retired teacher from Washington State who participated on his first Global Volunteers program in Minnesota in 2003. 15 years later, as a retiree and octogenarian, Steve has contributed 1360 hours of service on 20 service programs worldwide. Here he shares his reflections on volunteering in retirement. (pictured here with […]