Current News, Field Reports and Volunteer Voices

Several times each week, we post stories about work we do in our host communities – through the voices of our partners, volunteers, and those we serve. Subscribe using the form below to receive updates in your inbox when they’re published. If you’re looking for deeper insight into service in a specific country, on a particular type of project, how you can share your unique skills or volunteering as a family or a group, you can find a wealth of information here. Use the categories next to the posts here or on any page (below right column) to explore more stories that suit your interests.

We welcome your ideas on topics you’d like to see here. Please contact us at marketing@globalvolunteers.org. Enjoy our blog!

college students served in Tanzania with their professors for hands-on work experience in healthcare.

Group Volunteering, Service-Learning Tanzania

Nursing Students Take on an Adventure In Service and Learning

The nine senior nursing students from St. John Fisher College arrived in Ipalamwa, Tanzania with a clear assignment: To leverage their clinical capstone project to assess the heath of RCP mothers and children, and support caregivers on home…

Judy with Maria (the nurse) service experience in Greece.

Classroom Assistance, Conversational English Greece

Never Underestimate the Impact of Your Service!

Global Volunteers professes that every volunteer helps wage peace and promote justice in partner communities worldwide But, you might wonder: “Can I really make a difference in my two weeks of service? Can I truly impact at least one person’s…

Development Impact Peru

Improving Health and Happiness in Peru

Paula is a 13-year-old young woman living at Sagrada Familia, a Global Volunteers’ community partner, in Ventanilla, one of Peru’s poorest urban communities near the capital city of Lima. During the summer months (December through February), Sagrada…

News and Updates, Volunteer Voices

Volunteer Team Reflects on a Journey of Discovery with the Lakota People

On the plains of South Dakota, a summer Global Volunteers service team worked one-on-one with the Sicangu Rosebud Sioux people, helping to improve the community's welfare while gaining unique, non-tourist insights on the history, culture, and…

Blind-Link

Conversational English, News and Updates Vietnam

BLIND-LINK: From Dream, to Reality, to Partnership

Blind-Link began in May 2013 as a dream-come-true for its co-founder and manager, Huong Nguyen. The NGO was established with her lawyer-husband, Phan Vu Anh, to train and employ blind and vision-impaired individuals as massage therapists in…

caring for children in Peru

Development Impact Peru

Motherless Children Teach this Volunteer a Lesson in Love

Jack Bryan, Global Volunteers Digital Media Coordinator, said he learned a lesson on "mothering" in Peru he couldn't have learned anywhere else. Read his compelling story here: "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."…

international USA Volunteer taught English at the Anse la Raye Primary School.

Volunteer Voices St Lucia

“Service is in my Blood” – A First-Time Volunteer In St. Lucia.

First-time volunteer Kathy Lafond was motivated to expand her volunteering options once she retired. "It'is time for me to give back to those less fortunate," said the former IT project manager from VA. She chose St. Lucia for the opportunity…

work on the reservation

Development Impact

“This is What Hope Looks Like on the Reservation.”

The Rosebud reservation in South Dakota is one of poorest communities in the U.S. Our community partners in the reservation share their perspectives on the reality and needs of the community as well as ways to overcome these challenges. This…

Havana anniversary

Cultures and Traditions Cuba

Highlight on Service During Havana’s 500th Anniversary Year

Cuba's capital city began as a Spanish port (San Cristóbal de la Habana) on the Gulf of Mexico in 1515; founded by the Spanish explorer Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. As it grew to become a busy trading post, a nearby harbor was recognized…

Cultures and Traditions

May 1st – May Day – International Workers Day

May 1st is celebrated in many countries worldwide, with two seemingly contradictory intentions. One dates back to ancient times - officially welcoming spring with flowers, festivities, and Maypoles. The other dates to the 19th century, when…

Thomasina and students in Peru

Development Impact, Volunteer Voices Peru

“I Love to Serve!” A Global Volunteer’s Full-Hearted Adventure in Service in Peru

A dedicated Global Volunteer, Thomasina Tafur is once again getting ready to pack her bags. But, before she did, she shared her story about working at Sagrada Familia outside Lima. It's here, she said, where she found a clear commonality…

Reaching Children's Potential Tanzania

International Community Development Profile: Young Mother Finds Hope in RCP Project

In this series, Reaching Children’s Potential (RCP) program families in Tanzania explain how their involvement in this demonstration program is improving their lives. The RCP program engages short-term volunteers who help parents deliver…