Share knowledge and compassion as a volunteer in St. Lucia. With crystal-blue bays, soft sand beaches, mountain vistas, and a carefree island “beat,” the country’s poverty is hidden from the average tourist. Yet many of St. Lucia’s children face life-limiting nutrition, health and educational challenges. You provide instruction, care and support so children in Anse la Raye have a healthy start in life.
Volunteer service program fees are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers when you follow our itinerary. Select program options below to see upcoming volunteering dates for St. Lucia. Then select a program date to hold your place on a team with your $350 deposit. Call a volunteer coordinator at (800) 487-1074 for help if needed. If you prefer, you may print a text volunteer reservation form and submit it by mail or fax. Minors – under age 18 – must register as a minor and travel with a parent or adult legal guardian.
Most partner community lodging is double-occupancy, with a single room option for an additional fee. Click for single room fees in countries where this option is available.
Chemida Popo-Cox is our Country Manager in St. Lucia and our Volunteer Preparation Coordinator. She leads all our volunteer programs in St. Lucia. As a native St. Lucian, a mother, community leader and long-time educator, Chemida is uniquely suited to guide volunteers’ contributions to our host community and to promote our work across the island. Formerly a teacher and acting principal at Anse la Raye Primary School, Chemida has been engaged with Global Volunteers’ teams since our partnership began in 2012. She received her associate degree in Teacher Education and Education Administration from Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St. Lucia and began her teaching career. In 2011, she graduated magna cum laude from New York City College of Technology, with a Bachelor’s degree in Teachers Technology Education.
She’s completed our intensive team leader training, is experienced in managing diverse groups of people with panache, and enjoys sharing the island’s culture and tradition with volunteers.
“I’m very enthusiastic about Global Volunteers’ work in St. Lucia and proud to be part of this effort. I’m grateful for all the volunteers’ efforts to serve my community.” Chemida Popo-Cox
“Chemida is an incredible team leader – highly professional and efficient. She multitasks extremely well, and is always attentive to our needs as volunteers. She’s truly committed to her job and her community, and made the experience unforgettable.”
Terrance Albach, St. Lucia Volunteer
“Chem is everything a gracious host, cultural ambassador and “dorm mother” should be. No problem is too big or too small for her to tackle with tact, aplomb and kindness. She’s highly organized and efficient not only in the moment, but in heading off potential problems as well. In the US, she would be running a major corporation.”
Monique LaMontagne, St. Lucia Volunteer
Chem’s an energy force. She knows St. Lucia – it’s culture and its problems, so she knows how to make in-roads to progress.
Tom Hixson, St. Lucia Volunteer
“Chem is ready to help you do your best and motivate you not to quit. I’m blessed to have worked with her. Her life stories help you understand St. Lucia.”
Hristina Ostojic, St. Lucia Volunteer
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“Working alongside Chemida was definitely an awesome experience. Not only was she passionate about volunteering and working in the villages, she was also very flexible with the volunteers.”
Chase Johnson, St. Lucia Volunteer
Our St. Lucia volunteer program officially begins at the team dinner on the first Saturday. Plan your flight to arrive at Hewanorra International Airport, St. Lucia (airport code UVF), anytime before 4:00PM on the first day of your service program, and depart after 12 noon on the final day of your service program. Meet your volunteer team at the airport within this window if you travel in the country before the start of the service program. Provided you send us your flight itinerary at least two weeks before the volunteer service program arrival date, you’ll be transported to the partner community with your teammates. This coordinated schedule helps us account for all volunteers, and provides smooth in-transit transportation. If your flight is delayed, please contact us as soon as you confirm your new arrival plans so your team leader can arrange an airport pickup for you.
Your health, safety and security is our top priority in St. Lucia. Your lodging, food and transportation are provided always with a mind to protect you while at the work site and in your hotel. Your team leader is trained in CPR and first aid. Read more about health and safety here.
Outdoor work exposes you to sunburn, heat exhaustion and insect bites. Sunscreen, insect repellent and frequent breaks for rest and water are recommended. Your team leader will guide you in appropriate health and safety precautions. Do not drink tap water or purchase food from street vendors to avoid illness. We strongly recommend you consult your own physician, public health clinic and/or travel clinic for detailed travel health information. For general recommendations, consult the following sources:
Centers for Disease Control | Health Canada Online | Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Global Volunteers includes emergency medical evacuation insurance in your volunteer service program fee. We also recommend health insurance that covers you while you are outside your home country, and trip cancellation insurance in the event you must cancel your participation on the service program. Your travel agent can refer you to travel insurance providers. Click here to read risks associated with international travel.
Ample time is available on evenings and weekends to enjoy the numerous free time activities in and near the host community. St. Lucia is an “ocean lover’s paradise.” The waters are clean, clear and warm. Swimming, snorkeling, hiking, biking and sunbathing on the beach are all options. The hotel offers qualified staff and lessons for first-time and inexperienced scuba divers. Other cultural and recreational activities include:
While our non-profit status prohibits us from planning your free-time activities, our team leaders and consultants can provide general guidance and advice, including a list of activities explored and enjoyed by previous teams.
Childcare, labor and tutoring projects in St. Lucia are “family friendly,” and because of the congenial Caribbean culture, children 8 and up serve as full team members with their family. We work with you to arrange volunteer assignments to provide variety and appropriate family supervision. For instance, the youngest child volunteers can encourage, care for and play with pre-schoolers – helping on the playground and with story time. Teen volunteers can tutor local young adults and assist with on labor projects. Moms and dads, together with their children, practice English pronunciation with primary school students in classrooms or small groups. The pace is gentle, and the community is inclusive of families of all backgrounds and compositions. Even a walk around town turns into a lesson on resource allocation and conservation, living within meager means, and how we’re all more alike than different.
Chose program dates during school breaks and summer vacations. Parents and guardians are expected to supervise their minor volunteers, and collaborate with our team leader and local partners to maximize the service experience for everyone. Youth are invited to offer their own perspectives in team meetings and fully participate in free-time activities. In this way, they gain a personal understanding of the country’s modern history and current events beyond what they can find online, in school or in personal study. They may also create life-long friendships with local youth who share their interests and experiences.
Volunteering together, you gain a rare, “insider” perspective of daily life in St. Lucia. Participating in local dance and music, and experiencing customs and local events with local people takes you beneath the veneer. At the end of the work day, you compare notes to paint a mural of true understanding and respect. Nothing can replace the experience of volunteering as a family and experiencing the Caribbean culture as you live it.
St. Lucia is a premier group volunteering option, because both the West Indies setting and the diverse service opportunities appeal to the broadest range of volunteer preferences and interests. Group lodging enhances team cohesiveness, yet allows for private space in multiple “cottages.” The volunteer service component provides your group the unique capability to contribute your skills and interests to direct, hands-on projects with multi-year impacts.
“Going into homes and seeing some uncomfortable differences between my life and the realities that the moms deal with every day was difficult. However, I’m so very inspired by them opening up and sharing stories and ambitions… there is so much hope here.”
Katie Dyson, St. Lucia Volunteer
Opportunities for high school and college groups
University groups and high school students can focus on delivering specific outcomes – for instance, lending a hand on labor projects, tutoring special needs students or presenting hand-washing or teeth-brushing demonstrations.
We began working with Anse la Raye’s schools and community organizations in 2012 as a development project to support and enhance children’s growth and competency. Volunteers in St. Lucia help care for and tutor children in preschool, primary and secondary schools, and tutor young adults in numeracy and literacy. Review a standard St. Lucia volunteer schedule here.
1 & 2 weeks year-round
Tax-deductible Fees From:
$2,795 – $2,995
Projects Include:
Tutoring, Labor, Health Care
Local time:
Your health and safety are our first priorities when you volunteer in St. Lucia. Your secure and comfortable hotel accommodations at JJ’s Paradise Resort, on Marigot Bay, are about 20 minutes north of Anse la Raye. Each cottage is double occupancy, and features a private bathroom, inside and outside seating areas, ceiling fan, and air conditioning. Fall asleep to the sounds of the tropics – steps away, the hotel pool is surrounded by a lovely terraced garden area and lounge chairs.
You can expect dinners of spectacular seafood, meat, tropical fruits, vegetables, and rice at local restaurants and prepared by the hotel cook. American-style breakfast is served in the outdoor dining/meeting room, where you will also received your packed lunch. Bottled water is provided daily. Vegetarian diets can generally be accommodated.
Be The Change.
Through important, full-day volunteer assignments and free-time activities, you’ll learn about St. Lucia and the significant ways you improve children’s lives. Our time-tested and proven philosophy of service ensures your efforts help advance the host community’s development vision and goals. You contribute to genuine development projects, and in doing so, you’re accepted as family. Our commitment to work in partnership on long-term community projects enables you, in just a short time, to serve as a critical link in a chain of volunteer support spanning three decades.
Read more about volunteering in St. Lucia though the prospective of our volunteers below or on our St. Lucia volunteer program blog.
