Community Partner since 1994.
A dedicated and experienced team leader is an essential component for the success of the Global Volunteers service programs worldwide. Global Volunteers Team Leaders arrive in-country a few days before the teams’ arrival in order to meet with our community partners, coordinate logistics, and prepare work projects. All Team Leaders are Global Volunteers alumni or […]
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 Hanoi, Vietnam. Through research and intuition, Huong single-mindedly employed the business advice she acquired in the U.S. on […]
In her second installment, Vietnam Volunteer Diana Swansen reflects on how she and her teammates experienced compassion while volunteering in Hanoi, Vietnam. As an aviation trainer, she transmitted her passion for aviation to a classroom full of sixth-graders, fascinating them with maps and charts; and nurturing their dreams of become pilots. As a volunteer, she inspired her […]
Vietnam Volunteer Diana Swansen notices the “simple things” in life that remind her of humanity’s goodness. She offers her optimistic perspective with us, and her teammates, when teaching conversational English on a Vietnam Service Program in Hanoi. What is good taste? For most people, taste is simply a matter of flavor. But how do we experience goodness? For me, […]
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 […]
First-time Global Volunteer Denise Nelson Nash has always had a passion for volunteering. In Hanoi, Vietnam, she accomplished a long-held goal – teaching conversational English at the Vietnamese Institute for Development Strategies (VIDS). She shares her story here: “As a young adult, I lived and worked in Venezuela. Living in another country taught me the value […]
Expectations Vs. Reality in Vietnam: Fran, a volunteer serving in Vietnam, writes about her expectations and what she actually finds at a day serving with Global Volunteers. Expectations: It is early and I am awake. I want desperately for this day to begin when I will meet and make new friends. In the short time […]
Global Volunteers Vietnam Team Leader Jim Swiderski reflects on Peace in Vietnam, Peace Lilies, and how to make both of these flourish. Goooood Mooorrnig Vietnaaam!!! A garden of “Peace Lilies” next to the lake and park in central Hanoi greets my morning walk. It’s hard to capture the rush of emotions I have today as […]
Tom has volunteered 5 times in Vietnam. Like Tom, you can use your career to make a difference in Vietnam. The weather today was beautiful — blue skies with a moderately warm temperature. It helped make it another pleasant day in Hanoi. My friend, travel partner and roommate, Keith, and I got up early and took […]
Have you ever wonder what would it be like to volunteer in Vietnam? Keith, a 4-time Vietnam volunteer describes a typical day volunteering in Hanoi. “I’m not sure what part of my day is most enjoyable.” It could be my solo run around Hoan Kiem at the break of dawn. Just me along with hundreds […]