Volunteer in St. Lucia

“Saint Lucia’s beauty is only surpassed by the beauty
and resilience of her people. I was moved by the basic
material need of the children. We’re all eager to play our
part in the bigger picture – to give of ourselves and make
a change. Yes, we are our brothers’ keeper.”
Kadhijah Muhammad, St. Lucia Volunteer

Share knowledge and compassion as a volunteer in St. Lucia. Since 2012, team members have provided instruction, care and support to families in this nation of crystal-blue bays, soft sand beaches and life-limiting poverty. You’re needed to tutor, mentor and encourage students of all ages in Anse la Raye’s classrooms and preschools. Review a standard St. Lucia volunteer work schedule here.

FAQs: How to Volunteer in St. Lucia

Dates & Contribution

Your program contribution is tax-deductible, provided you follow our itinerary. Select program options below to see upcoming volunteering dates for your selected program. Choose your option to volunteer in St. Lucia 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 registration form and submit it by mail or fax. Minors – under age 18 – must complete a minor registration 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.

Upcoming Volunteer Dates in Anse La Raye, St. Lucia

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Team Leader

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

Arrival & Departure

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.

Health & Safety

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.

Free Time

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.

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.

Family Opportunities

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

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

St. Lucia Community Volunteer Projects

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Care for and stimulate children 1 to 5 years old through arts and crafts, reading storybooks, music and games, and model hand washing with soap and water, brushing teeth, and other life skills.
TUTORING NUMERACY
Are your math skills sharp? Volunteer one-on-one and in small groups to help primary school students with numeracy and math comprehension.
COMPUTER LITERACY
Teach primary and secondary school students computer basics, and help them improve their proficiency so they can successfully compete in advanced education and job-seeking.

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.
HEALTHY LIFE EDUCATION
Occasionally, volunteers may be asked to teach students about healthy diets, physical fitness, disease prevention, and washing hands with soap and water.
SEWING/CLOTHES MAKING
Teach and expand the skills a group of eager young women in the art of making dresses and other clothing items.

Volunteer in St. Lucia Service Program Snapshot

1 & 2 weeks year-round

Contribution:
$2,162* – $2,995

* with qualifying discounts.

Projects Include:
Tutoring, Labor

Local time:

Request Information

Request Program Catalog

Download Full Program Schedule

Visit Program Blog

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2017

November 9, 2017/by Michele Gran

Do-Good Island Escapes for 2019

Food and Lodging

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.

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.

“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

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.

Volunteer Voices:

Read more about volunteering in St. Lucia though the prospective of our volunteers below or on our St. Lucia volunteer program blog.

Request a St Lucia Program Fact Sheet

Request a program catalog here or by calling 800-487-1074.

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