Community Partner since 2007.
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 […]
Carole and Jay Kennerly have spent decades sharing experiences together – and among the highlights of their years as a married couple are their four service programs with Global Volunteers. From Greece to Cuba and Vietnam to the Cook Islands, the Kennerlys have enriched their lives through service. They offer a glimpse into their journey […]
Cuba Program Host Pastor Eduardo González began the new year with high hopes that 2021 will deliver many new and returning Global Volunteers to Ciego de Ávila and Havana. “Your fingerprints have marked our hearts and communities, and we welcome you back as soon as it is possible,” he announced in his latest update. Read […]
Four-time volunteer Gail Ferguson has volunteered each year on a service program since 2017 — first in Cuba, then in St. Lucia, Peru, and the Cook Islands. She writes about uncovering what’s important about meeting different people around the world, and why she hopes to connect through service again in 2021. by Gail Ferguson I […]
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 […]
Four-time Global Volunteer Doris Sweet describes her service projects and some of the logistical aspects of her service program in Cuba in September 2019. She writes about the lodging and meals she enjoyed while volunteering in Havana with her grandson. Read on if you are wondering what a day in service in Cuba looks like […]
For years, alumni volunteer Peter Dykstra stood on the southernmost point of Key West, Florida and imagined he could reach out over 90 miles of water and touch the Cuban coastline. But the country remained a mystery to him while it was “off limits” to Americans. But when Global Volunteers made legal Cuba service travel […]