International service opportunities?

May 27, 2008 5:14 PM

I'm interested in a relatively low-cost international service project to join for late summer/early fall. Any suggestions?

So I realized recently that I'm sadly undertraveled for my age, and I'd like to fix that. I figured a good way would be to look into programs that engage in some kind of service to communities in other countries, like Habitat for Humanity, and join an existing project.

I'm looking for some more recommendations on different charities that run programs like this. I'd prefer one that skews to a younger demographic (i.e. early 20's), that doesn't mind randoms joining the group (I'd likely be going alone), and one that isn't overtly religious. I'm mildly religious and I don't mind going with a religious group, but I'd rather not spend any of my time exhorting people to give their lives to Christ. 10 days is probably the most I could devote to any trip.

Any ideas?

posted by downing street memo to travel & transportation (2 comments total)

i-to-i has some volunteer opportunities that match your criteria, depending on your budget:
Ecology conservation in Kenya: $575 (1 week)
Build homes in La Esperanza, Honduras: $775 (1 week)
Community work with children in Sri Lanka: $965 (2 weeks)
Nature conservation across New Zealand: $945 (2 weeks)

All of the volunteer opportunities I've seen are priced at or above this level...unless you go with a smaller local group these prices seem pretty fair.
posted by hulahulagirl at 5:43 PM on May 27, 2008

Same concept, slightly different focus is Earthwatch Institute. You go as a volunteer to help out on various scientific research projects going on around the world (you don't have to know any science). You help do things like do transects in forests, check traps, record data, spot specimens, tag and release, take measurements, etc. Then it's time for some good local food and maybe a drink or soaking up some local life. They have them literally all over the world and they range across many topics. Most have to do with plants or animals, some have to do with conservation studies, some are cultural studies, some are archaeology, some are ecological systems studies, etc. You can pick Brazil, Madagascar, Mongolia, Montana and a hundred points in between. It's great for just the reason you noted - you can go by yourself but not be by yourself. It's perfect for the single traveler who wants to actually DO something rather than just see sights or relax. You're guaranteed a lovely introduction to local culture in addition to an education. They have them for anything from a long weekend to more than three weeks. The ages range from teens through retirees and it's often a satisfying mix. I believe that this one is actually tax deductible since it's technically a donation and not technically a leisure trip.

If you have any political/social/economic/environmental interests in what's happening in countries around the world, another similar concept is Global Exchange's Reality Tours. This is the best way I've found to learn a lot about the realistic scene in another country in a short amount of time. They advertise it as a way to get around the media filter that obscures so many countries. They go to all the "bad" places too, which can be a real eye opener. Even Afghanistan, for example. Most of the trips are about a week and a half, some a bit less, some a bit more. But you get a level of access that you'd never be able to arrange on your own. Depending on the nature of your trip, you'll meet with political leaders, labor leaders, media figures, community leaders, human rights advocates, thinkers, teachers, and more, all of whom will give you a firsthand view of what's really happening in the country and a firsthand perspective of how it affects people. GX has all of the contacts and they set up the meetings. You just show up, and your excellent trip leaders walk you through it and provide help and context. You do a few purely fun things like visiting a notable local site or two, but most of it is a nonstop, omnifaceted learnfest. In my experience so far, there haven't been any teens or college students, and not many retiree-agers, though I'm sure both do participate. The trips require disposable income, political awareness, a modicum of fitness, and a small amount of tolerance for imperfect settings of somewhere south of 100% comfort. So that narrows the field a bit. Same with Earthwatch, I suppose.

I've done both of them and just love them. I'd like to go to maybe Vietnam with one of them next. You're just about guaranteed to be with interesting and intelligent people due to the subject matter and motivations in both cases. The world is your oyster (but this hemisphere of the oyster is quite a bit cheaper in most cases).

If I recall, Earthwatch has sales. If a trip hasn't filled up enough and the date is getting closer, they'll drop the price. Check it out.
posted by kookoobirdz at 6:45 PM on May 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]