If you want to generate positive changes in society, you should pay attention to international volunteering, since it is an excellent way to help others while traveling the world with all expenses paid.
Joining an international volunteer program will make you a more empathetic human being, give you the tools to work for a fairer world, and maximize your personal development.
Think about it, it is a golden opportunity for you to contribute your grain of sand, and best of all, you will receive significant financial remuneration from the organizations with which you decide to partner.
Can you become an international volunteer?
Absolutely! It is enough that you have the desire to help others or to change their realities so that they can live as they deserve: with dignity, respect, and equal opportunities.
Surely serving as an international volunteer will be a transformative experience that you can never forget in your life.
That is why in this article we will explain how you can join 5 great international volunteering campaigns with which you can boost your personal development like never before.
International volunteering, the great engine of change:
Understanding that international volunteering works as a great engine of social and humanitarian change is vital to achieving the expected results.
Becoming an international volunteer reveals your gifts of altruism and highlights your fondness for living on a more equitable, noble, and just planet for those who inhabit it.
So in this article, we will tell you what international volunteering is, how you can join this social initiative, and what the remuneration you will receive consists of while you travel to other countries and communities looking to leave them better than you found them.
First, what is international volunteering:
You probably know very well what international volunteering is since it is a concept that has become very popular in recent years.
And is social programs continue to gain supporters worldwide at a rapid pace, which denotes the urgency with which significant changes in society need to be made.
If you are passionate about working to improve the conditions of the most disadvantaged populations, and you also consider yourself a citizen of the world, then you are just one step away from becoming a great international volunteer.
Main international volunteer programs
Below we will present 5 international volunteer programs, to help you identify the one that best suits your interests, passions, or affinities.
Although most volunteers do not offer you payment for the work performed, the truth is that there are a few that offer you important benefits.
1. World Life Experiences:
This program will simply pay you to travel the world while doing high-impact work.
You will become a frequent traveler, so much so that for a year you will explore 20 different cultures and learn new skills as a volunteer since you will work hand in hand with several Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
The objective of this program is to promote sustainability and the defense of sustainable goals that make the world a better place.
How can you apply to this volunteering?
- Visit their official page and register.
- Apply to volunteer by completing the form that is presented to you.
- Cancel 9 euros (these are destined for the aid fund of the NGOs allied with the program).
- Wait until the date defined by the program to find out if you were selected.
The endowment that you will receive with this volunteering:
The best part is that this international volunteer will cover all your expenses and will even pay you a monthly salary of 2,500 euros for the support you give to the causes with which they work.
2. European Voluntary Service:
It is endorsed by the Erasmus+ European Program and is financed by European Union funds.
In other words, the EU grants subsidies to allied organizations so that they can cover their international volunteering initiatives.
Through this help, you can become a great agent of the change mainly in European territories, or those countries supported by the EU, around issues of international mobility such as Iceland, Norway, or the Republic of Macedonia.
How can you apply to this volunteering?
The first thing you should do is enter their website and define how you want to join the program, you have two options:
- Through an authorized entity, in which case you must select your country and then the “Sending Organization” option.
- By your own means, that is to say, you will take care of managing all the aspects related to volunteering. To do this you must choose the “Receiving Organization” option.
The endowment that you will receive with this volunteering:
In one way or another, the European Voluntary Service will cover your accommodation expenses, 10% of the cost of plane tickets -round trip-, learning the language in the country that welcomes you as a volunteer, and maintenance known as “pocket money”.
This amount ranges between 200 and 400 euros per month since it varies depending on each country, and it is used to pay for your meals and some other personal expenses.
3. Solidarity America:
This is a Colombian initiative that advocates the construction of a continent without children living in poverty.
Consequently, it promotes a large network of volunteers dedicated to working with communities to overcome this social scourge that plagues thousands of children and infants in the American region.
Specifically, its activists address the following causes: lack of water, illiteracy, precarious education, malnutrition, precarious family income, family, social or school violence, or deprivation of access to health.
How can you apply to this volunteering?
- Go to its official page.
- Select the “Volunteer” option.
- Complete the application form: indicate your name, nationality, country of residence, profession, work experience, and many other details.
- Submit your application.
The endowment that you will receive with this volunteering:
If you end up joining this program, you will receive help for food, transportation, housing, visas, health insurance, and vaccinations, and they will even give you $100 a month to cover your personal expenses.
4. UN Volunteers:
The International Volunteering programs of the United Nations Organization (UN) are some of the most recognized and emblematic in the world due to their great impact.
The first of these is known as “Development Assistance” and focuses on solving health, educational, development or sustainability problems, while the second is known as “Humanitarian and Peacekeeping Operations”.
The latter provides humanitarian aid in countries affected by war or natural disasters.
How can you apply to this volunteering?
- Enter the official website of UN Volunteers.
- Define if you want to volunteer locally, abroad, or online.
- Complete your profile.
- Click on “Register now in our pool of candidates”.
The endowment that you will receive with this volunteering:
If you join this UN project you will receive some benefits such as accommodation, monthly financial remuneration to cover your basic expenses, air tickets, travel, health and disability insurance, and a final subsidy before returning to your place of residence. source.
5. El Bassma Association:
This non-profit association was founded in 2008 by a group of young Spanish and Moroccans to defend the rights of children in the town of Errachidia, in Morocco.
Today it has a solid program called “Volunteering in the orphanage”, and the idea is to provide comprehensive assistance to the children and babies that are part of the Dar Tifl orphanage in Errachidia.
You do not need experience as a volunteer to join this initiative, but you do need to meet a certain profile such as having graduated from one of these university degrees: Medicine, Nursing, Pedagogy, Psychopedagogy, or Physiotherapy.
How can you apply to this volunteering?
- Visit the official website and complete your registration.
- Provide the information requested online such as full name, address, email, telephone, and profession, among others.
- Accept the terms of use and submit your application.
The endowment that you will receive with this volunteering:
If you are chosen, the association will take care of providing you with accommodation in the home of a Moroccan family, and will also give you a contribution of 220 euros during your first two weeks of work in the orphanage, and then this will be 50 euros per week.
Additionally, they will cover your administrative expenses and any material you need to carry out your tasks successfully.
Benefits of doing international volunteering:
In the next few lines, we will tell you what are the greatest benefits you will receive if you dare to do volunteer work.
You become a great change agent:
There is no doubt that by doing volunteer work you become a great agent of change.
You simply focus on giving a 180-degree turn to the lives of people who face situations of inequality, poverty, injustice, illiteracy, or more.
You learn about other cultures:
Volunteer abroad programs allow you to learn about new cultures, thus enriching your life to the fullest.
This opportunity is perfect to nurture yourself with new life lessons, experiences, and unforgettable anecdotes that you will treasure with great affection.
You earn money:
Although it is not about becoming a millionaire while doing international volunteering, it is still valid to mention that you will receive some economic endowments for the work carried out.
In addition, certain associations or NGOs have online programs that allow you to earn money working from home, which is truly practical and functional.
You access new business opportunities:
If you have properties available to be rented, you could reach good agreements with NGOs that carry out international volunteering.
Are you wondering what is the meaning of this? Well, these organizations generally cover the accommodation costs of the volunteers, and therefore, this becomes a good business opportunity that you should take advantage of.
Another good idea is to use the Airbnb platform to list your properties in the areas where they volunteer the most, and you could earn money with Airbnb reliably.
Or conversely, if you decide to volunteer abroad, you can list your house or apartment on Airbnb, become a host, and earn money while you travel.
Objectives of doing international volunteering:
International volunteering attends to the performance of voluntary actions within a certain non-profit organization to deal with conditions of violation or deprivation of fundamental rights.
When these situations arise in the most disadvantaged communities or populations, it is when citizens are activated and organized, to provide solutions that guarantee greater cohesion and social justice in the affected environments.
In this sense, all volunteer programs pursue laudable and socially egalitarian goals, or in simpler words, they advocate the construction of well-being, peace, and happiness.
Start your volunteer abroad
On this note, we share 5 great international volunteer programs that you can join to leave an indelible mark on the communities and countries where your NGOs operate.
So if you are determined to change the world, do not hesitate to become an international volunteer; We assure you that this experience will be positive, and will also make you a more humble, sensitive, proactive, and empathetic human being.
