Volunteer in Puerto Rico

Be the Change. Be a Global Volunteer in Beautiful Puerto Rico

Support Puerto Rican Children

The magnificent island of Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, a popular destination for those seeking a beach vacation with a Latin twist. But beyond the seaside hotels and exquisite landscapes is a community asking for your help – community members looking to sharpen their English skills, and community buildings in need of tender loving care. Lend your hands and heart; in just one week you can make a difference and form lasting bonds with the warm and lovely people of Puerto Rico.

Get Started in Puerto Rico

Serve in Puerto Rico’s Northwest Shore

Local time:

Mobility:

Aguada - Level 2 - Somewhat Mobile — Details

Our service program in Puerto Rico is within the Aguada and Aguadilla municipalities. It requires regular walking and stair use.
Walking: Volunteers should be comfortable walking at least one mile in urban environments, including on uneven or broken sidewalks, sloped areas, and hills. Most free-time activities involve walking between locations. In the evenings, some areas may have minimal lighting, and volunteers should be comfortable navigating in low-light conditions.
Community Project: Volunteers are transported by passenger van and must be able to get in and out of vehicles independently. Some work projects require climbing at least two flights of stairs, occasionally without handrails.
Lodging: Some lodging in Aguada is on higher floors and may require climbing at least two flights of stairs; some stairways may not have handrails.

Minimum Age(s):

Aguada - 10

Call: 651-407-6100

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FAQs:

Genuine community development projects to help children and families thrive. Exceptional service-learning for families, groups and individuals.

Community Projects

Assist Local Seniors – Assist with sewing projects, music lessons, English conversations, and art projects at the local senior center alongside local staff and volunteers. Engaging with these seniors is critical to their long-term health and fulfillment.

Help Fight Food Insecurity – Prepare and pack up hot lunch trays for distribution to the community. In addition to providing hot meals, our partners need volunteers to help with packing and distributing traditional boxes of pantry staples for community members.

Provide Outreach and Services – Help assist local organizations with providing basic needs to local people. Volunteers are also needed to organize clothing and other donated items and help with distributing these items to the community.

Light Labor – Assist with the maintenance and rehabilitation of community buildings that serve area children and families when requested by our local host and partners. In the past, volunteers have helped construct pathways, paint buildings, fix walls, and more.

Grant Writing – The community’s agencies need your help researching and writing grants to fund life-saving projects. Grant writing projects are available on an occasional basis and require prior coordination. Please let a Volunteer Coordinator know if you are interested in this project.

Dates & Fees

Upcoming Volunteer Dates in Aguada, Puerto Rico

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Complete the online registration and hold your place with a $350 deposit.

Be sure to select all applicable discounts. All payments tax-deductible.

Groups of 10 or more participants interested in dates not shown below should inquire with our Partnerships Department about adding exclusive dates to the schedule. Please email any inquiries to groups@globalvolunteers.org.

Arrival and Departure

Leave the details to us!

Your service program officially begins with the evening meal on the first Saturday. Most volunteers will choose to fly into San Juan and arrive at the Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (airport code SJU). Volunteers flying to San Juan must arrive before 4:00 PM on Saturday and depart on the following Saturday. We will meet you and your teammates at the airport and transport you to your lodging, about 2 hours from San Juan. We’ll return you to the airport at the end of the service program.

Arrival: Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU), Before 4:00 pm.
Departure: Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU), After 12:00 pm

You must confirm your flight itinerary with us at least two weeks before the service program arrival date.

Food and Lodging

Meals, rest, and comfort for a productive program.

Your health and safety as a volunteer in Puerto Rico is our top priority. Standard lodging is in a comfortable, safe, and air-conditioned hotel just 15 minutes from downtown Aguada. Volunteers stay in double-occupancy rooms with a shared bathroom and shower. For those who prefer single accommodations, volunteers can pay an additional fee to reserve a private room. Multi-occupancy rooms may be available for families and groups. This lovely facility has beautiful grounds with a swimming pool, walking paths, and a stunning view overlooking the hills of Aguada. Single lodging accommodations are available by request for an additional fee of $336.

Breakfast is self-serve at the shared kitchen space in the hotel and includes eggs, cereal, toast, coffee, and juice. Lunch is packed by the volunteer and taken to the work sites. Lunches include sandwiches and other basic items and snacks. Evening meals are prepared by a local cook at the lodging facility and served family style. Specialties are typical Puerto Rican cuisine such as rice dishes, empanadillas, and mofongo (mashed fried plantains). Vegetarian diets can be accommodated, but vegan and other restrictive diets cannot; however, you can bring or purchase your own food. Bottled water is always available.

Health and Safety

Your safety is our top priority.

While there are always risks in traveling anywhere, your lodging, food, and transportation are provided with your safety in mind while you are in transit, at the work site, and in your lodging. Your team leader is trained in CPR and first aid. Read more about health and safety here.

Puerto Rico can be hot any time of year. Sunburn and dehydration can be serious risks, so we urge you to use sunscreen, wear a wide-brimmed hat, and have a water bottle handy. We strongly recommend you consult your physician, public health clinic, and/or travel clinic for detailed travel health information, and make sure your tetanus shots are up to date. We also suggest you purchase 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.

Global Volunteers Requires volunteers to follow the CDC’s Respiratory Virus Prevention Spread Protocol

Team Leader

Your Puerto Rican Team Leader is Looking Forward to Welcoming You!

In addition to facilitating every aspect of your service program in Puerto Rico, Yanira (Yani) Ocasio will share insights about cultural traditions, cuisine, language lessons, must-see attractions, and more. You will be in good hands!

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Yanira moved to the island’s west coast in 2017 to work with communities in distress. She has over 30 years of HR experience and 20 years of humanitarian work in disadvantaged communities like Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. She founded For Such a Time as This, one of our community partners and Global Volunteers’ host organization in Puerto Rico.

“I could write a book about the attributes of Yani. She is a true leader with excellent communication skills, a thoughtful planner, and genuinely caring, respectful, and selflessly giving. She makes Global Volunteers shine. She’s truly a gem!” ~ Jorjanne Arnold Gausman, Puerto Rico Volunteer

“Yani’s contribution to the program was unmeasurable. The knowledge of the culture, people, and area as well as the ability to build relationships made this the richest experience.” ~ Anne Gardner, Puerto Rico Volunteer

“Pleasant, fun, energetic, great communicator, dedicated, flexible, spontaneous there are not enough words to describe such an excellent leader. Yani was a delight from start to finish!” ~ Debby Edwards, Puerto Rico Volunteer

Free Time

Explore the beauty of Puerto Rico.

You’ll have ample free time in the evenings to enjoy area’s cultural and natural attractions. All free-time activities are your responsibility. Some options around Aguada include visiting the beach, exploring a nearby waterfall, and a night market in nearby Rincon. A local transportation company can be hired to take you to and from these activities.

Farther afield, if you choose to spend more time in Puerto Rico before or after your service program, the city of San Juan is a historical goldmine with an abundance of shops and restaurants. Puerto Rico is home to the only rainforest in the United States – El Yunque National Forest. Please note that a rental car is required to visit most of these attractions.

Family Opportunities

The family that serves together, learns together.

Research shows that volunteering helps teens gain/improve new abilities including leadership, communication skills, dependability, time management, and decision making. Teens engaging in community service have higher self-esteem and improved resilience. Moreover, working with people from different cultures and ethnicity, reinforces the lesson that people the world over share common hopes and interests – that we are all far more alike than different. In Puerto Rico, your daughter or son can fully participate in work projects, team meetings, and free time activities. They likely will create life-long friendships with local youth who share their interests and experiences. Please click here for minimum age requirements.

Parents and guardians are expected to supervise their children and collaborate with our team leader and local partners to maximize the service experience for everyone.

To ensure a positive experience for everyone, you must comply with Global Volunteers’ minor supervision policy.

Minimum Ages for Family Service Projects

Parents and legal guardians of minors – under age 18 – must complete a Minor Registration and travel with their children. Children 15 and under must work closely with their parent or legal guardian on family service projects.

Country	Community	Min Age	Notes
China	Xi'an	10
Cook Islands	Rarotonga	8
Greece	Maleviziou, Island of Crete - Summer Camp	6
Greece	Maleviziou, Island of Crete	12
Italy	Castelvetrano, Sicily	12	school year
Italy	Castelvetrano, Sicily	10	summer camps JuneAugust
Malaysia	Johor Bahru	7
Montana	Blackfeet Reservation	8
Nepal	Kathmandu	10
Peru	Lima	7
Poland	Reymontowka - School Year Program	6
Poland	Reymontowka - Language Camp Led by Ukrainian Team Leader	6
Poland	Siedlce - Polish-Ukrainian Summer Program	6
Puerto Rico	Aguada	10
St. Lucia	Anse La Raye	8
Tanzania	Ipalamwa Area	13
Texas	San Juan	12
Vietnam	Hanoi	10	Summer Camp
Vietnam	Hanoi	15

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Group Opportunities

Imagine your group here!

Global Volunteers’ Puerto Rico service-learning programs provide meaningful and stimulating volunteering opportunities for groups of students, professionals, educators, employees, and like-minded people. Because of our on-going relationship with our community partners, every member of your group can fully engage their unique skills and interests in meaningful service. We work with you to customize your program to learn about each other in a non-traditional way as an intact volunteer team. With advanced preparation, you can be certain that your unique contributions on genuine development projects advance the futures of those you serve.

Many groups return year after year to our programs to serve the local people and further understand the history, language, culture, and modern life in a decidedly “non-tourist” manner.

Opportunities for high school and college groups

Read details on group volunteering:

About Global Volunteers in Puerto Rico

Be The Change.

Through important, full-day volunteer assignments and free-time activities, you learn about culture and the significant ways you improve children’s and families’ 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 community-based projects, and in doing so, you’re accepted as family. Our commitment to engage short-term volunteers on long-term community projects in partnership with local people enables you, in just a short time, to serve as a critical link in a chain of volunteer support spanning three decades.

Volunteer in Puerto Rico

Be the Change. Be a Global Volunteer in Beautiful Puerto Rico

Get Started in Puerto Rico

FAQs:

About Global Volunteers in Puerto Rico

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