Community Partner since 2007.
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 […]
Iowa Development Director and Global Volunteers Alumna Ann Sweeney has found a familiar second “home” in Ciego de Ávila, our partner community in Cuba, which will again host volunteers after a nearly three-year pandemic suspension. On her last service program in 2018, Ann rekindled connections with “old friends” in a community garden, where team members […]
Many volunteers fundraise for their service program contribution by working with Global Volunteers staff to create a fundraising page. It’s easy to do! Volunteers commonly tell us that they were joyfully surprised by how many people in their lives wanted to support their volunteering — and did. Here, Don Diehl shares his story of how […]
Cuba Program Host Pastor Eduardo González is eager to welcome many new and returning Global Volunteers to Ciego de Ávila, our original partner community in Cuba. “Your fingerprints have marked our hearts and communities, and we welcome you back as soon as it is possible,” he said. Although service programs in Havana resumed early in […]
Why is it that so many young people around the world want to learn English? It’s not only because of the beauty of the language, but also the economy, or rather the business world. English is the language of global business, and youth around the world understand that to be able to participate and benefit […]
Global Volunteers’ partnership with the Cuban Council of Churches (CIC) was cultivated in 2007, before we were formally able to establish a service program on the island. Then, in 2012, we obtained a license to engage American volunteers in support for the Cuban people in Havana and Ciego de Ávila. Following is a brief history […]
Six-time Global Volunteer Ann Sweeney has served in Cuba three times – including twice for New Year’s celebrations, where she enjoyed Cuban graciousness and tradition. She writes of making connections and nurturing friendships as the focus for Cubans at this very special time of year. By Ann Sweeney After the first train whistle blasted in […]
First-time volunteer Mary Horstman remembers her December, 2019 “alternative holiday” in service in with her husband, Tom, and sons, EJ and John, as an opportunity to put her faith in action. A nurse and college professor, she spent a week in Havana collaborating on labor projects, spending time with seniors, and practicing English conversation with […]
Few global events ever impact every country simultaneously as COVID-19 has. Besides its devastating consequences for the health and finances of millions of people around the world, the pandemic also disrupted their education. How have schools in our partner communities been affected? How have they’ve been able to cope with the challenges, and what does […]
A virus doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t ask if a country is ready to deal with illness; it doesn’t consider the current struggles of a community or the devastating effects on those who are already fighting to survive. COVID-19 has hit Cuba just like other countries, but a severe lack of critical resources means the Cuban […]