Global Volunteers works in partnership with community leaders on genuine development programs, creating impact in the areas of health, nutrition and intellectual development.
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 […]
Through the generations, the indigenous people of the Andes have lived in an interdependent society that relies on every member to honor the other. All work is shared, but more – prayer, play and projects are conducted as a community. The Quechua word for this mutuality is “ayni”, meaning “today for you, tomorrow for me,” suggesting […]
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 […]
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, […]
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.
Can one or two weeks on a service program truly make a difference to people in need? Our answer is yes! Short-term volunteers bring a long-term impact to the communities that we serve, and we have hundreds of alumni stories to illustrate this point. Perhaps, even more poignant are stories shared by our international staff, […]
Paula is a 13-year-old young woman living at Sagrada Familia, a Global Volunteers’ community partner, in Ventanilla, one of Peru’s poorest urban communities near the capital city of Lima. During the summer months (December through February), Sagrada Familia quiets down, with only the resident children attending sessions at the school, eating in the dining hall, […]
2019