Four-time Global Volunteer Gemma Lewis has always been passionate about supporting children and their families. As a Children’s Care Coordinator with the National Health Service in the UK, she works with families of children living with severe disabilities to ensure they receive appropriate physical and emotional interventions. It was with this focus on practical support […]
Barb Holdridge was intrigued when her good friend recommended a new type of travel. But, she didn’t know she’d also catch the volunteering abroad “bug” so quickly! Sixteen years and 10 trips later, Barb says that international volunteer travel is “the” way to learn from local people, build long lasting friendships, and have fun while […]
Judy Marx, a three-time Global Volunteer alumna, said an ancient Judaism tradition, Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “world repair”), propelled her search for international volunteer opportunities. The world is imperfect, the lesson teaches, but is in our own hands to make it better every day. Judy and her husband John said they’ve since discovered that volunteerism […]
“Marvelous Maddy,” (above) is a student volunteer who raised over $6,000 worth of dental supplies for the RCP (Reaching Children’s Potential) Clinic in Ipalamwa, Tanzania.“Seeing the children’s faces light up as they held on tightly to their new dental tools was so heartwarming. At that moment, I was so proud of our fundraising efforts and […]
When Annie saw the description of Global Volunteers’ Cook Islands program, she suspected it might be precisely the type of “once-in-a-lifetime” destination for her wife, Toby’s, 70th birthday. Together, they decided that celebrating Toby’s milestone birthday in service to others would be unforgettable and rewarding. Read Toby’s story here! By Toby S., First-time Cook Islands […]
Three-time volunteers and twin sisters, Kit Prendergast and Diane Clark, have identical perspectives on the value of service abroad. They share how they created lifetime memories on an adventure in volunteering together in Beja, Portugal recently. “My twin sister Kit and I joined service programs with Global Volunteers in Greece and Peru, and both our experiences […]
A mention of Global Volunteers on our partner’s website moved an aspiring dental student and her dentist father to help meet the needs of families and children in the Reaching Children’s Potential (RCP) Demonstration Project in Ipalamwa, Tanzania. What followed her first call to our office was an impassioned appeal to her family, friends and […]
20-time alumni Steve Fox is a retired teacher from Washington State who participated on his first Global Volunteers program in Minnesota in 2003. 15 years later, as a retiree and octogenarian, Steve has contributed 1360 hours of service on 20 service programs worldwide. Here he shares his reflections on volunteering in retirement. (pictured here with […]
First-time Global Volunteer Denise Nelson Nash has always had a passion for volunteering. In Hanoi, Vietnam, she accomplished a long-held goal – teaching conversational English at the Vietnamese Institute for Development Strategies (VIDS). She shares her story here: “As a young adult, I lived and worked in Venezuela. Living in another country taught me the value […]
While it’s never cited as the major motivation for joining a Global Volunteers Tanzania service program, a weekend trip to Ruaha National Park and Game Reserve can’t be topped. This Tanzania safari destination is East Africa’s largest park and game reserve, about 40 miles from Iringa. It’s home to 10,000 elephants and over 500 species of birds, […]