Choosing to volunteer abroad in retirement can be the most fulfilling decision you make! Unencumbered by work schedules, you can respond to needs worldwide and in the U.S. as they occur, and be assured that your contributions are appreciated and useful. What’s more, the personal connections you make on a service program with Global Volunteers can be profound and life-affirming. Request our full-color volunteering catalog to learn how you can use your retirement for global impact. Read the three main reasons to volunteer abroad in retirement below!
Volunteer Abroad in Retirement
You may be surprised to find your status elevated in other cultures, and as a curator of wisdom and history, you can teach from your own experience. At the same time, you learn first-hand about the daily lives of the children and families you serve. Consider how volunteering abroad can enhance your retirement years:
1. Use Life-Long Skills
The experience and knowledge you’ve acquired over six, seven or eight decades is an invaluable resource in our partner communities. Venture near or far, and teach conversational English to students of all ages. Share your talents and expertise with local teachers, trades people, farmers, medical aides, caregivers, administrators and more. Your knowledge is multiplied in communities requesting outside assistance.
2. Help Children Thrive
Shower your patience and compassion on children who crave extra attention. In orphanages, children’s homes, hospitals and childcare centers, you can guide and encourage children who are disabled, abandoned or living in poverty. Hold and feed babies, play with toddlers, teach kindergarteners numbers and the alphabet. Regardless whether you’ve raised children yourself, you supply the “helping hands and loving arms” children need to feel loved and confident.
3. Make New Friends
Volunteer abroad in retirement for one, two or three weeks, and expose yourself to a broad expanse of personal stories and perspectives on a team of caring individuals. Working together, you serve alongside local people who share their lives, dreams and struggles. In team meetings, daily assignments and evening meals, you cultivate relationships that can greatly enhance your journey of discovery. And, you might make lifelong friends!
“I felt like Queen Elizabeth of England when it was time to leave. All the students were assembled to wish me ‘Buon Vioggio.’ After singing an Italian farewell to me, I got to shake hands and kiss 175 beaming faces. I stood at the top of the stairs and waved goodbye until all the children were out of sight. I was so grateful. The whole experience was more than I could ever imagine.”
– Katherine Cox, Italy Volunteer
You’re needed now in the Cook Islands, Cuba, Greece, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Tanzania, USA (Montana and West Virginia), Vietnam, and nine other countries worldwide! Join the corps of retirees worldwide this year! Request a free, full color e-catalog on volunteering opportunities.
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