Stories from students, retirees, working professionals, couples, families, groups, solo travelers, first-time volunteers, volunteer veterans and everyone in-between from more than 20 countries around the world. Learn about your favorite country in their own words.
Iowa Development Director and Global Volunteers Alumna Ann Sweeney has found a familiar second “home” in Ciego de Ávila, our partner community in Cuba, which will again host volunteers after a nearly three-year pandemic suspension. On her last service program in 2018, Ann rekindled connections with “old friends” in a community garden, where team members […]
In August, Global Volunteers sent the first team of volunteers to serve our new community partner in Ecuador, Colegio Miguel Ángel Asturias, a K-12 school in Calderón. A team of four dedicated, multi-time alumni volunteers taught conversational English to students, staff, and teachers at Colegio Asturias, helping lay the foundation for what we hope will […]
Laurie Sunderland volunteered in San Juan, Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border on her first service program with Global Volunteers in April this year after having met Global Volunteers while traveling and volunteering abroad. In her blog post, originally posted on her personal blog, Laurie reflects on her week in service, saying she mostly remembers the […]
Denver public health retiree Joanie Jones said joining the people of Siedlce, Poland to care for Ukrainian mothers and children evacuated from their devastated homeland was both life-affirming and heart-breaking. As a six-time Global Volunteer who previously served in Poland, Joanie says she knew right away that she wanted to go and help – but […]
In this first-person volunteer story, alumna Penny Louise Flavin describes her experience working with Ukrainian women and children in Poland in April. Penny Louise first served with Global Volunteers in Peru in 2019. Following the pandemic, she returned to service to teach conversational in Poland in October 2021. In February this year, she served in […]
Karen Hogan knows firsthand how important it is to have someone to take care of your child so that a grieving mother can work through a difficult situation. In Jackson, Wyoming, Karen teaches music, movement, and art, and knows the healing and joy that dance can bring to both children and their caretakers. She says […]
Special education teacher Lynn O’Brien of Indiana volunteered on her first service program last summer on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana. Her mother had worked with indigenous populations in Montana as a young woman in the 1950s, and that drew curiosity in her. Here, she describes what her service projects were like and how she […]
A friendship that includes a shared dedication to service is one that is sure to last. Californians Linn Joanis and Melody Covay have volunteered on four service programs together since 2015, and they have no intention of stopping. They first served together in the Cook Islands, and then went on to serve in Greece in […]
Many volunteers fundraise for their service program contribution by working with Global Volunteers staff to create a fundraising page. It’s easy to do! Volunteers commonly tell us that they were joyfully surprised by how many people in their lives wanted to support their volunteering — and did. Here, Don Diehl shares his story of how […]
Time and again, volunteers report that the community-based service they provide on Global Volunteers’ programs is both impactful and meaningful. These online reviews on GoOverseas by volunteers who served in Ecuador reflect their appreciation for their volunteer experience. Read more on their site and leave your own review to inspire others to follow in your […]