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.
Student volunteer Josh Elkin describes his experience serving at Sagrada Familia in Peru while learning about himself and from local people. At the age of 18, he sought out a volunteer experience that would present him with challenges and help him to achieve a perspective beyond that of his home and normal routine. Here, he […]
In this journal entry, two-time volunteer Betsy Creedon covers the ABCs of volunteering in Ecuador – everything from altitude to llamas to learning phrases in Spanish. Read on to learn about what fun it is to volunteer with children in Ecuador, and bond together as a team. Betsy concludes it’s so much fun, there are […]
The spirit of Valentines Day is evident to Global Volunteers all year around – all around the world. These reports – in the words of our team members – tell of the human sentiments that can’t be captured on a greeting card. The Language of Love Mark Bierbaum calls his service in Peru “a joyful […]
With a thirst for cross-cultural knowledge, octogenarian Carolyn Gallaher joined her third service program with Global Volunteers in hope to uncover the true heart of Crete. She soon learned she wouldn’t be disappointed. Carolyn was grateful to work on a variety of service projects that put her in direct contact with Greeks of all ages, […]
Charlene Mizner had spent time stationed in the Azores, Portugal in her 22-year career with the US Air Force. So when she came across Global Volunteers’ Portugal service program on an internet search for volunteer work abroad, she envisioned giving back to the Portuguese people as they had given to her years ago. In Beja, […]
After quitting her job, Anna O’Neal embarked on four months of solo travel to figure out what she wanted to do next in her life. In her choice to travel solo to Tanzania, she joined our Global Volunteer team in Ipalamwa, Tanzania to help mothers and children. She said she sought an opportunity to challenge […]
Veteran volunteer and team leader Sue Surma paused at the start of the new year to reflect on how her 28 service programs have changed her life. In her look back, she says Global Volunteers provides a world context that ensures her gratitude and enriches her understanding of the world. “When I am asked what […]
Alumna Carol McNertney’s “second act” began with her students’ suggestion to expand her horizons. She writes how a promise to them led her on a true journey of the “heart” in her retirement – first to Montana, then to the Cook Islands. By Carol McNertney, Global Volunteers Alumna The Promise Everyone who commits to volunteering […]
Along with routine labor and education projects in our host community, West Virginia volunteers occasionally have the opportunity to contribute to local celebrations and special events. For the first time that Global Volunteers’ partner, SALS, participated in Bridge Day – West Virginia’s largest single-day festival, and one of the largest extreme sports events in the […]
Global Volunteer Linda Roberts has served six different partner communities since 2015, and has no plans to slow down. The Florida retiree, who says “volunteering adds purpose to her life,” last served in Anse la Raye, St. Lucia, helping the community plant 94 EarthBoxes in two weeks! She shares her journal entry describing how their […]