In 2011, the United Nations declared October 11th as the International Day of the Girl Child. Its mission is “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.” It’s a day when humanitarians worldwide unite under the same goal to highlight, discuss, and take […]
Ethical volunteer vacations combine purposeful service with cultural travel – to the ultimate benefit of local children and families. Global Volunteers structures programs to respect and assist the people who invite volunteers into their communities. The term “volunteer vacations” was coined by travel guide author Bill McMillan in 1993, in “Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will […]
Ecuador Country Manager Maggie Bjorklund describes opportunities to help children in Ecuador with Global Volunteers. In the gorgeous Andes Mountains of Ecuador, South America, Global Volunteers partners with the Foundation of Ladies of Calderón, a non-profit organization that runs two daycare centers on the margin of the city of Quito for disadvantaged families in the […]
Global Volunteers salutes Ken Dubuque, a Global Volunteer who works with teens and has shared peace and love every year since 2013 in Montana, the Cook Islands, Poland, and Italy. Ken said he still finds much to talk about, teach and learn from his teen students. He reflects on his recent experience in working with teens […]
The world over, your professional skills in early childhood education and healthcare volunteer programs abroad can be a lifeline for children and families living in poverty. We focus our development work on children in the first 1, 000 days of life – from pregnancy to their second birthday – because this is when their brains are […]
By Ruth Curran, Brain Development Specialist and Global Volunteer alumnus. You can find plenty of articles questioning the value of short-term volunteers on long-term community projects. But I wonder how many of these authors have participated on authentic development projects managed by fully invested local leaders? As in everything, the truth is in the experience. I’ve […]
Global Volunteers Team #164 in Quito produced engaging photos of service in Ecuador as well as some of the numerous cultural activities. The seven volunteers, including four scholarship recipients from the University of Iowa, served at FUNDAC daycare centers for economically disadvantaged children, helping to care for babies and toddlers, and assisting with light labor projects. We offer this pictorial example […]
Since early 2016, Global Volunteers Crete teams have been called upon by local authorities to help meet the needs of Syrian refugees in Greece. To date, volunteers work packaging and sorting donated clothing at the port of Heraklion, and preparing filled boxes for shipping to Athens. One team’s story: More than a million refugees and migrants have traveled across […]
Over 30 years, team members have come to know the sights, sounds and energy of Iringa – the small economic center and transportation hub which has been Global Volunteers’ overnight stop on the way to our partner communities. But, visits have been limited to a comforting meal at the end of the day’s travel, a cozy bedroom and a quick shopping trip at the […]
Thought for the day: “For one minute, walk outside, stand there in silence, look up at the sky and contemplate how amazing life is.” What a wonderful day meeting with Stephen, our wonderful, kind, compassionate leader, along with our fantastic team. Since there are only 4 of us on the team, we have our own […]