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Volunteer in St. Lucia

Be the Change. Be a Global Volunteer in St. Lucia.

Help children and mothers break away from poverty.

As a volunteer in St. Lucia, you’re needed to tutor and mentor students of all ages in Anse la Raye’s classrooms and preschools. Help mothers provide nutritious meals for their families. Encourage and support local people making a difference. Build on our legacy of service beginning in 2012 in this island nation of crystal-blue bays, sand beaches and life-limiting poverty. Review a standard St. Lucia volunteer work schedule.

Get Started in St. Lucia

Serve on a sparkling Caribbean island.

Local time in St. Lucia:

Call: 651-407-6100

Request Program Information

Quick Online Registration

FAQs:

Meaningful volunteering for families, groups and individuals.

Community Projects

Early Childhood Education:

Care for and instruct children 1 to 5 years old through arts and crafts, storybooks, music and games, and assist with hand washing with soap and water, brushing teeth, and other life skills.

Numeracy:

Are your math skills sharp? Volunteer one-on-one and in small groups to help primary school students with numeracy and math comprehension.

Family Gardening:

Help plant and maintain the unique and patented EarthBox container gardens assigned to participating families to improve mothers’ and children’s diets.

Repair and Maintenance:

Do you like to work with your hands? Many labor projects become important throughout the year – including painting and repairing community buildings, and providing plumbing, carpentry and electrical assistance.

Classroom Education:

Work with teens in an alternative and technical school on classroom subjects, physical fitness, disease prevention, and trades skills.

Sewing and Clothes Making:

Help a group of eager young women improve their skills in making dresses and other clothing items.

St. Lucia Program Dates

Arrival and Departure

Leave the details to us!

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.

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. You must confirm your flight itinerary with us at least two weeks before the service program arrival date to confirm your team airport transfer to the hotel.

Food and Lodging

Safety and comfort for a productive program.

Your health and security are our first priorities when you volunteer in St. Lucia. Your safe 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.

Television with international news channels
Single room available for an extra fee
Free Wi-Fi
Laundry services
Refrigerator
Landscaped campus with pool
Bar and restaurant
Beach access

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.

: St. Lucian cuisine centers around rice and seafood.

: JJ’s Paradise features comfortable individual cottages.

: The swimming pool and bar are just steps outside your room.

: Each cottage is appointed with traditional Caribbean decor and furniture.

: Enjoy a wide variety of professionally prepared meals.

Health and Safety

Your safety is our top priority.

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.

Team Leader

Your team leader is eager to meet you!

Chemida Popo-Cox is our Country Manager in St. Lucia and leads all our volunteer programs. 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.

“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.

“Working alongside Chem 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

Free Time

Oh the sights you’ll see!

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:

Catameran cruises
Island excursions, including plantation houses, colorful craft markets, and tropical rain forests.
Tour of Pigeon Island National Park on the northern coast
Tours to Soufrière, a resort town on the west coast, world-renowned for its two imposing Pitons and active volcano.
Friday night fish fry – local fishermen and their families cook and sell lobster, fish and lamb.

Family Opportunities

Family volunteering is a service to the community and each other.

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.

Group Opportunities

Exceptional group volunteering in the Caribbean!

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.

Read on for details on group volunteering

“It’s very encouraging to see how engaged and curious the children are. Not only do they listen when we talk with them, but they ask questions that show they are thinking and processing what is said. This reminds me that these children, who are struggling with their schoolwork, are also so full of potential.”

Lisa JohnsonSt. Lucia Volunteer

“The people in the village, although they have little, provide the best they can within their means. I do believe (they) understand the unselfish goals of Global Volunteers, and respect us for our work and commitment. Community leaders are very dedicated to helping the families and children of Anse-la-Raye.”

Russ TonkinSt. Lucia Volunteer

“It was extremely rewarding and even more exciting than what I expected. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had. The more we can teach people about using earthbox gardens, the more we can help this entire community. I just hope this project can continue to grow.”

Julie SchexnaildreSt. Lucia Volunteer

“We served community leaders to lay a foundation, a framework to deliver 12 essential services in the vital areas of health, hunger, and intellectual development. And, did we succeed? Yes, I believe this hard-working team of doctors, nurses, teachers, farmers and other team members – many retired and some still working full time – did leave a mark on the map in tiny St. Lucia.”

Roger YockeySt. Lucia Volunteer

Volunteer Voices: Read and Hear what Volunteers say about Serving in St. Lucia

“Welcome to beautiful St. Lucia!”

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