Community Partner since 1998.
Some of the world’s most beautiful islands are also the greatest volunteering locations. If you choose service as a way to refocus your mind onto something larger than yourself, you can take a break in one of our partner communities and make a world of difference. Our service programs engage you in genuine development projects […]
Global Volunteers’ 177th volunteer team in the Cook Islands was the first to return after COVID. The team included a teacher, military veteran, former World Bank employee, birdwatcher, three-time Cook Islands volunteer, and a college librarian and grandmother who brought her eleven-year-old grandson. They brought oceans of experience and passion to change the world, sometimes […]
Crystal blue bays and soft sandy beaches. Breathtaking views with a carefree “beat.” Island volunteer vacations provide an opportunity to escape the cold weather while helping to change the arc of a child’s life. Global Volunteers’ service programs offer couples, families, groups, and individuals the opportunity to combine altruism with exotic adventure. Choose a program that meets […]
James Puati and his wife, Debi, both New Zealand-born-and-raised Cook Islanders, moved to their ancestral home of Rarotonga in 2003 with their two children, Samantha and Jordan, to immerse their family in their Cook Islands heritage. Now with three grandchildren (mokopuna) and extended family on the island, they retain ties with their birth country through friends and […]
The Cook Islands are known for their awe-inspiring natural beauty, exciting land and sea attractions and warm Polynesian culture. But how does the tourism-reliant country cope without tourists? And what has suddenly reduced the country’s foreign aid? Families straddling the poverty line now are re-imagining a post-COVID economy on the remote archipelago. Read on for […]
The Cook Islands have been “COVID-19 free” for more than a month – without one diagnosed case since the pandemic erupted. Across the international date line, the country’s associated state of New Zealand has beaten back the disease with just three new cases in the first two weeks of May. The nations of the world […]
Cook Islands Team Leader Sam Ellison reported to the Global Volunteers office on how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted Rarotonga, and why volunteers’ help will be an integral part of their recovery. Peru Country Manager Daniel Salazar looks into the problem further. By Daniel Salazar The Cook Islands has no confirmed cases of COVID-19, but […]
Alumna Carol McNertney’s “second act” began with her students’ suggestion to expand her horizons. She writes how a promise to them led her on a true journey of the “heart” in her retirement – first to Montana, then to the Cook Islands. By Carol McNertney, Global Volunteers Alumna The Promise Everyone who commits to volunteering […]
It might be that there’s no farther point from the Cook Islands in the United States than Maine. But, that didn’t discourage University of Maine Honors College student Lucie Bonneville from traveling to the South Pacific with Global Volunteers. Undaunted by the 7,000 mile journey, she sought to help others in the global community and […]
The benefits of volunteering are endless across the spectrum of life. Service to others helps us understand the world and ourselves, connect with people, impact events and make a difference. During her gap year, 18 – year – old Cassidy Richardson learned all these lessons and more in the Cook Islands with Global Volunteers. She […]