Global Volunteers is the leading non-profit volunteer abroad organization offering short-term volunteers the opportunity to contribute to development abroad or in the U.S. Founded in 1984, Global Volunteers works in 17 countries worldwide. All costs are tax-deductible.
Melissa, an attorney and mother of four boys aged nine to twelve, from Austin, Texas, was seeking a volunteer opportunity for two of her sons to give them hands-on experience with children and increase their global awareness. She decided on Global Volunteers’ Ecuador service program, where her boys could help take care of very young […]
Volunteering gives you the chance to be a part of something bigger than yourself, find purpose, and use your civic responsibility for the greater good. On a Global Volunteers service program, you can provide hands on help to communities in need around the world. Without the help of volunteers, our partner communities would struggle to […]
Meet Your Guide to Volunteering While You Travel in Costa Rica A native of Minnesota and now a resident and citizen of Latin America, Maggie Bjorklund is our Costa Rica and Ecuador Country Manager. Maggie joined the Global Volunteers team in 2011 and manages and leads all teams in Ecuador and Costa Rica. When she’s […]
In the second part of her essay excerpted here, Nilusha Jayasinghe, winner of Global Volunteers’ Bi-Annual Student Volunteer Abroad Scholarship, talks about why she believes schools should include international service in high school curricula. Read the first part of her essay here. Student Volunteering Abroad: One Of the Best Decisions Of My Life With every graduate school […]
Meet Your Guide to Volunteering While You Travel in Greece Samantha Pinakoulaki is Global Volunteers Greece Country Manager, having joined the team in 2005. As country manager, she manages all aspects of the service program in Greece including the logistics, project assignments, and cross-cultural experiences, making sure that all volunteers have a safe and meaningful experience. […]
Have you listened to them all? Enjoy our top podcast episodes of 2017. Our Be the Change podcast tells the stories of seekers and humanitarians as they discover the joys, insights, and surprises of service. This podcast series is a conversation about the expected and the unexpected; the active and the passive; the exhilarating and the […]
Holy Week in Ecuador Holy Week in Ecuador is one of the most colorful times of the year. The processions on Good Friday are one of the greatest demonstrations of Catholic faith. The Good Friday procession in Quito is named Jesús del Gran Poder (Jesus of Great Power) and is said to be one of the largest […]
In an interview with Matt Mayes, Florida-based videographer, Global Volunteers Team Leader Cindy Murray talks about her experiences volunteering and leading teams. Her advice, take a chance and volunteer. Background: Cindy served on her first Global Volunteers service program in 1997 in Mississippi. She trained to become a Volunteer Team Leader and has led teams […]
In the first part of her essay excerpted here, Nilusha Jayasinghe, winner of Global Volunteers’ Bi-Annual Student Volunteer Abroad Scholarship, talks about the importance of high school volunteering and international service in shaping her career choices and worldview. My International Service Beginnings In May of 2010, at the age of 19, I departed the United States […]
Maggie Bjorklund became our Ecuador Country Manager in 2011, and continues to manage all aspects of program, and occasionally leads special group teams. She also works in the Marketing Department as Volunteer Engagement Manager on strategies to tell alumni stories and expand our outreach through referrals. Your Guide to Volunteering in Ecuador Maggie earned a […]