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The Best Short-term Volunteer Programs


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Global Volunteers is a U.S. based NGO in the central time zone (UTC -6). Because tax-deductibility, visa requirements, and language proficiencies vary, please choose the country you’re inquiring from to enable us to provide you the most appropriate information.



Thank you for your interest in a development partnership with Global Volunteers. We're unable to expand our programs at this time. As our website portrays, our current service programs center around providing the 12 Essential Services for our Reaching Children's Potential Program. But for future reference, please send any information to: partnershiprequest@globalvolunteers.org


As a private, non-profit organization independent from government and religious funding, Global Volunteers’ programs are financed almost entirely by volunteer contributions. This is important because our community partners cannot afford the “open market” costs of the services and materials we provide. Your tax-deductible service program contribution pays your expenses in the partner community. These include your food, lodging, work site transportation, program materials, team leadership, emergency evacuation insurance, and administrative costs. In addition, we provide supplemental financing to help meet our host’s many, on-going and special needs.


While English fluency does not disqualify you from participating on any of our programs, Global Volunteers is a U.S based NGO with your teammates, training materials and other communications being conduced primarily in English.

We’re unable to provide any assistance in obtaining your passport or visa. You'll need a passport to travel abroad and for some countries, you’ll need a visa.  Please keep this in mind when planning your travel schedule. If you live outside the U.S., you may have additional restrictions for participating on U.S. programs.

To provide you with information to match your specific interests, please tell us a little about you:




Many employers help cover part of the service program contribution. Providing this information can help us determine if this is available to you.



Our volunteer coordinators are available from 8:30AM to 4:30PM Central Time and will email you during that time on the next business day. If you prefer, you may chat now, or call 651-407-6100 if you’re inquiring during office hours.

Please choose up to 4 program locations and projects that interest you.
















By providing my phone number to Global Volunteers, I agree and acknowledge that Global Volunteers may send text messages to my wireless phone number for any purpose. Message and data rates may apply. We will only send one SMS as a reply to you, and you will be able to opt-out by replying "STOP". For more information on how your data will be handled please visit https://support.8x8.com/business-phone/voice/work-sms/SMS_Campaign_Registration%3A_SMS_Usage_and_Content_Policies. No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.


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Short Term Volunteer Work Abroad and in the USA

Hit the road for adventure and service! Abroad or at home, you can add significant value to community projects the world over. Join a team of all ages for one, two or three weeks on tax-deductible service programs with a long-standing non-profit leader.

Give. Explore. Care. Make Friends.  Be a Global Volunteer. Mentor children, teach English, assist with health care, plant container gardens, counsel new mothers and pregnant women, repair community buildings, and so much more in 17 countries worldwide. We’ll help match your skills and interests to meaningful volunteer projects.

Travel That Feeds The Soul. ®
Volunteer overseas, make a difference, gain a new perspective while helping people who request your assistance. It’s what our volunteers call “travel that feeds the soul.” More than 33,000 volunteers in 110 communities on six continents since 1984. Your safety and service are our top concerns.

Care for Children

Help at-risk kids in the Cook Islands, Ecuador, India, Peru, Romania, St. Lucia, Tanzania, and the USA.

Teach English Skills

Practice conversational English in China, the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Greece, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, St. Lucia, Tanzania and Vietnam.

Assist with Labor

Paint and repair community classrooms, children’s homes, clinics and the like; plant container gardens; beautify and landscape common spaces in the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Peru, St. Lucia, Tanzania and the USA.

Help Improve Heath

Teach health, hygiene, nutrition, disease prevention; and provide non-invasive care such as well-baby check ups, dental and eye exams, health screenings, mental health interventions, and related services.

“Travel With Passion and Purpose”

“Traveling with Global Volunteers fills holes in my life with purpose, and gives me the joy of helping others.”

Jeff RogoFrequent Volunteer and Team Leader

“It made me a kinder person, a warmer person, and even a less-judgmental person. But really, it gave me tremendous perspective.” 

Gila Cohen-ShawSt. Lucia and Tanzania Volunteer

“Almost everyone I met in one way or another thanked me just for coming there.” 

Stephen BeckCook Islands Volunteer

“You realize you have something in common with the people you’re working with. It really is waging peace through justice worldwide.”

Joan McInnis10-time Volunteer Worldwide

“These have been among the most meaningful and beneficial experiences in my life.” 

Gary SandefurMontana Volunteer
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Explore Global Volunteers

Learn more about our 17 long-standing service programs abroad.

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