Volunteer in Puerto Rico

“Over 90 percent of parents in Puerto Rico want their children to be totally fluent in English.”
– Luis Fortuno- former governor of Puerto Rico

Be the Change. Be a Global Volunteer in Puerto Rico

Support Puerto Rican Children

The beautiful island of Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States, a common destination for Americans seeking beach vacations with a Latin twist. But beyond the seaside hotels is a community asking for your help – students looking to sharpen their English skills, orphaned and vulnerable children needing psycho-social support, and community buildings in need of tender loving care. Lend your hands and heart; in just one or two weeks, you can make a difference and form lasting bonds with the people of Puerto Rico. See Covid-19 requirements.

Get Started in Puerto Rico

Serve in Puerto Rico’s Northwest Shore

Local time:

Call: 651-407-6100

Request Program Information

Quick Online Registration

FAQs:

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

Community Projects

Teach Conversational English to Students and Adults – English is the language of commerce, tourism, and opportunity – a critical skill for young Puerto Ricans. If you are a native English speaker, no teaching experience is required. All you need is a desire to visit with local people in English to help them improve their language skills through our local language camp and partnership with the University of Puerto Rico Aguadilla.

Provide Psycho-Social Support – Play with and care for infants and toddlers at a local children’s center. Your love provides critical nourishment to the most vulnerable members of the community.

Provide Outreach to Low-Income Residents — Prepare and serve meals or organize clothing and other donated items for distribution in 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.

Grant Writing – The community’s agencies need your help researching and writing grants to fund life-saving projects.

Dates & Fees

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 3:00 PM on Saturday and depart after 12:00 PM on the following Saturday. We will meet you and your teammates at the airport and transport you to your lodging in Aguadilla. We’ll return you to the airport at the end of the service program. You may also choose to rent a car and meet your team in Aguadilla.

The Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla (airport code BQN) is a joint civil-military airport only a short drive from the lodging in Aguadilla. Commercial airline flights are continuously being added to this airport, and if you prefer to fly into Aguadilla, we can provide more details after you register for the program.

You must confirm your flight/driving 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 an air-conditioned guest house just a few minutes from downtown Aguadilla. Accommodations in the apartment-style guest house are simple, but safe and comfortable. Volunteers will be in double- or triple-occupancy rooms with a shared bathroom and shower. Multi-occupancy rooms are available for families and groups. The facility has a game area with a swimming pool, foosball table and billiards as well as a basketball hoop, hammocks and an awesome view overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

For those that prefer single accommodations or a more hotel-like setting, volunteers can make reservations and pay for their own lodging at one of two nearby hotels: Parador El Faro or Hotel Villa Forin. Contact your volunteer coordinator for additional details.

Breakfast is self-serve at the shared kitchen space in the lodging and typically 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 lunch 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). Vegan and other restrictive diets cannot be accommodated, but 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.

COVID-19 vaccinations are not required to volunteer in Puerto Rico. However, some work projects may require volunteers to take a rapid COVID-19 self-test or wear a mask. Click here for Global Volunteers’ Covid 19 Policy for Service Programs in the U.S. and Abroad

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.

Our community partners in Puerto Rico require all adult volunteers to provide a current police background check and clearance through the national sex offender registry prior to volunteering. These background checks must be current, and not obtained until two months prior to your program start date. More details and instructions will be provided after registering for a program.

Program Mobility:
Accurately assess your functional mobility. Our work assignments and partner communities require varying levels of physical stamina and mobility. After you register, you will be asked about your physical capabilities relating to your mobility. Please answer the questions honestly.

Required Mobility for Puerto Rico: Somewhat mobile – Walk 0.5 mile, climb two flights of stairs, walk on uneven terrain, and get on and off buses and trains with assistance.

Team Leaders

Excellent Team Management.

Your team leader is a Global Volunteers staff member or volunteer alumni who has completed our comprehensive team leader training and is skilled in leading diverse groups of people. All team leaders are certified in CPR and First Aid, and have often served on or led multiple service programs. Further, they’re evaluated by the volunteers on each service program, and must consistently achieve a high level of performance in order to continue leading Global Volunteers teams. All our team leaders are exceptional and delightful people. You’ll receive background information on your team leader approximately four weeks before your service program begins.

Free Time

Explore the beauty of Puerto Rico.

Aguadilla is home to many beautiful Caribbean beaches, including the famous Crash Boat Beach, as well as museums, water sports, and shopping. You can explore downtown Aguadilla, learn about Puerto Rican history , or enjoy a beautiful sunset. The spectacular city of San Juan with its centuries-old fortifications, historic cobblestone streets, and fantastic restaurants offers additional options. Car rentals are available to visit these free time destinations

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 aged 13 and older 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.

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.

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 on for 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.