Student Volunteer Abroad Projects

The world is waiting for you. Don’t just travel, travel with meaning. Imagine spending a week during your spring break, J-term, or summer vacation as an international volunteer – experiencing the world and making new friends all while helping others. Hundreds of students choose to volunteer abroad with Global Volunteers every year. Why?

Global Volunteers offers the opportunity to connect with like-minded, motivated and compassionate people from all over the world on the best volunteer abroad programs available. You’ll find people of all ages and from all walks of life uniting to help children and families around the world. When you step out of the classroom and push yourself outside of your comfort zone as a student, you will find different perspectives, be inspired to learn about new cultures, languages and ways of thinking – all of which will change your own mindset and course of life.

With over 30 years of development expertise and experience in organizing volunteer abroad programs, you can expect to gain on-the-ground experience and understanding on life-changing work projects – directly serving youth and families.

Where can I volunteer abroad as a student?

Students can choose to volunteer in 17 countries including, Greece, India, Peru, St. Lucia and Tanzania – for one to three weeks. Depending on your appetite for adventure, you can choose from programs close to home, or volunteer programs abroad in a community unseen by conventional tourists.

Each service opportunity has its unique appeal. So wherever you volunteer, the experience will deepen your perspective of the world and your place in it.

When can I volunteer? What time of the year?

Student volunteer abroad projects are available year-round. So whether you are looking to travel during spring break, J-term, summer vacation or gap year, count on us to maximize your contributions.

If you know what season you want to volunteer abroad but aren’t sure where, this blog post is a good place to start: Best Volunteer Programs – By Season.

What type of volunteer projects can I help with?

The type of work you will do depends on (1) what our host communities have requested from us and (2) your interests and skills. Global Volunteers’ unique philosophy of service requires volunteers to work at the invitation and under the direction of local community partners – and one-on-one with local people. While remaining faithful to our philosophy of service, we will also do our best to tailor to your preferences.

Global Volunteers offers various volunteer projects ranging from Teaching to Childcare, Labor to Healthcare. We’ve highlighted some of our most popular volunteer projects for students, so keep reading to find the perfect project for you…

Teaching Projects

Assist local teachers in one-on-one and small group settings – in subjects like math, science, nutrition, reading, computer literacy, geography and the like. Or, use your native understanding of the English language to create lively lessons to help students with their conversational English skills.

Teaching service program locations: China, the Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Greece, India, Italy, Mexico, Montana, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, St. Lucia, Tanzania, Vietnam, and West Virginia.
Volunteer duration: Volunteer for one to three weeks, programs start on select Sundays and Saturdays year-round (depending on the service program location)
Program fees: From $1,045 to $3,595 – depending on the service program location and duration. Tax-deductible fees include food, accommodations, ground transportation, team leadership, project materials and program coordination.

Childcare Projects

Offer the “extra” attention at-risk children crave and deserve – Stimulating, nurturing, feeding, and playing with babies, toddlers and pre-school children.

Childcare service program locations: Cook Islands, Ecuador, India, Peru, Romania, St. Lucia, and Tanzania
Volunteer duration: Volunteer for one to three weeks, programs start on select Sundays and Saturdays year-round (depending on the service program location)
Program fees: From $1,995 to $3,095 – depending on the service program location and duration. Tax-deductible fees include food, accommodations, ground transportation, team leadership, project materials and program coordination.

Medical and Health Projects

Assist with non-invasive procedures such as blood pressure checks, Diabetes screening, eye exams, and more. For nutrition majors: Establish, plant, maintain and harvest school and household gardens, teach healthy meal planning and food preparation to students and families.

Medical and health service program locations: Cook Islands, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Montana, Peru, Romania, St. Lucia and Tanzania
Volunteer duration: Volunteer for one to three weeks, programs start on select Sundays and Saturdays year-round (depending on the service program location)
Program fees: From $1,045 to $3,195 – depending on the service program location and duration. Tax-deductible fees include food, accommodations, ground transportation, team leadership, project materials and program coordination.

Construction Projects

Help with painting, repairing, building and landscaping community facilities which support children’s growth and development.

Construction service program locations: Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Montana, Peru, Romania, St. Lucia, Tanzania, and West Virginia.
Volunteer duration: Volunteer for one to three weeks, programs start on select Sundays and Saturdays year-round (depending on the service program location)
Program fees: From $1,045 to $3,195 – depending on the service program location and duration. Tax-deductible fees include food, accommodations, ground transportation, team leadership, project materials and program coordination.