Global Volunteers works in partnership with community leaders on genuine development programs, creating impact in the areas of health, nutrition and intellectual development.
A common perception of Western societies is that life for women in the developing world is one of deprivation and desperation. But those who travel discover that significant innovation and idealism thrives in rural villages around the world. We have much to learn from and admire about village women! While extreme need certainly plays a […]
Throughout 2019, volunteers provided greatly needed services to families in all corners of the globe, aided by Global Volunteers donors, institutional collaborators and corporate supporters. Following are highlights from a landmark year of volunteer-assisted development. Labor Projects in South America In March, an exclusive team of Medtronic employees committed a week to upgrading FUNDAC’s second […]
Although the caste system is officially banned in Nepal, its legacy and lingering prejudices have greatly damaged women of lower status over decades. The cumulative effects are daunting. Facing institutionalized inequalities that are nearly possible to overcome, women of oppressed ethnic groups often have lived outside village boundaries, and are prevented from walking through the […]
The arrival of 1,000 eagerly anticipated EarthBox container gardening systems from the United States marks the beginning of sustained nutrition for families in the Tanzania Reaching Children’s Potential Demonstration Program. Thanks to a formative partnership between Global Volunteers and EarthBox, more than 225 families in the Ukwega Ward will soon learn how to grow the […]
Relatively little research is available on the wellbeing of the large population of visually impaired or blind adults in Vietnam. Global Volunteers’ partner, Blind-Link, a social entrepreneurship program, professionally trains blind young Vietnamese adults for a career in massage therapy, affording them the opportunity to significantly elevate their lives. In this interview, two Blind-Link staff […]
You would think that living on an island, St Lucians would be strong swimmers. Sadly, this isn’t the case, and the number of childhood drownings has risen considerably over the last five years. According to the W.H.O. (World Health Organization) over 360,000 people die from drowning every year worldwide; over 90% of those casualties are […]
Ecuador volunteer Madeline Hite-Smaka reflects on convenience, assumptions, and perspective after her first day in service at an early childhood development center for disadvantaged children on the outskirts of Quito. She marvels how at the FUNDAC center in Calderón – which feeds and educates 60 children each day – nothing is wasted. In her team […]
The UN reports that there are approximately 370 million indigenous people living globally. In communities across more than 90 countries, indigenous peoples play an important role in sustaining culture and heritage, but they continue to face significant challenges.1 Although the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted over a decade ago, […]
Our Volunteer Team Number 183 to Ecuador in July, 2019 helped our community partner, the Foundation of Ladies of Calderón (FUNDAC) carry out an extremely important renovation project. Read here about the history of this project and the struggle to provide a clean and safe place for disadvantaged children on the outskirts of Quito. Global […]
One of Global Volunteers’ most successful projects on the island of St. Lucia is the installation of Earthboxes throughout the village of Anse La Raye, a small fishing village with approximately 3,000 residents. Since 2012, volunteers have ventured out to share a spade and a bit of sun with their new island neighbors, and planted nearly 150 Earthboxes for members of the community.
2019