There’s almost as many summer volunteer programs abroad as there are countries and people in the world. Ideally, you should focus on your interests and skills, but there’s also nothing wrong with trying something new. Below are some of the most common fields for summer volunteering:
Disaster Relief. From natural disasters that strike to refugee crises, there’s an entire population of people forced out of their homes. This field is commonly understaffed, but always in high demand. If you want to give immediate aid or are pursuing social work, disaster relief is high in rewards and commitment.
Medicine. Nurses, doctors, dentists, and the health-conscious are great candidates for summer volunteering in the medical field. Some placements are at hospitals, while other occur in field clinics. There’s also high need for volunteers to help with physically or mentally disabled children, and preventative health care is a rising field.
Animal Welfare. If you would like to improve the animal kingdom a bit, try a hand in animal conservation projects. Popular summer volunteer placements include monitoring the nesting of sea turtles, marine preservation, and wildlife reserves. Be a cool cat while befriending a few feisty felines during your summer abroad.
Orphans. Who doesn’t love chubby babies? If you are one of the rare few, this field isn’t for you. However, for those that enjoy playtime, sticky hands, and the reward of a child’s eternal love, working in an orphanage or day care is a noble (and heartbreaking and fun) way to spend your summer.
While language barriers shouldn’t keep you from pursuing any sort of summer volunteer work, it is always recommended and encouraged to at least pick up the basics of the local language. The necessity of this varied across the board, but it’s definitely easier to communicate with children and comfort refugees when there is a common tongue.
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