10 of the Best Volunteer Abroad Organizations

Volunteering is becoming more common place in the United States, and while there will always be more to accomplish locally, there are also ways to serve world-wide. Consider voluntouring or volunteering abroad.

Here is a list of reputable agencies that offer numerous experiences:

1. GO ECO

WHAT: If you love travel and are passionate about planet conservation, Go Eco is your resource for pairing your hobby with meaning.
JUST CAUSE: Challenged communities, wildlife and the environment.
WHERE: All over the world.

2. GLOBAL CITIZEN YEAR

WHAT: A bridge year program that places graduating seniors in projects in far-flung and challenged regions. Global Citizen Year's mission is to cultivate prospective societal leaders and social entrepreneurs, giving them experience and tools to create impact.
JUST CAUSE: Various projects in challenged regions.
WHERE: Brazil, Ecuador and Senegal.

3. ONE WORLD 365

WHAT: Self-described as a “directory of meaningful holidays and travel opportunities”, One World 365 offers a wide variety of volunteer and offshore temporary holiday jobs.
JUST CAUSE: Various.
WHERE: Worldwide.

4. WWOOF

WHAT: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF, is a global network of organizations that matches volunteers with organic farms worldwide. In return for volunteer work, hosts provide food and accommodation.
JUST CAUSE: Organic farming.
WHERE: Worldwide.

5. BUNAC 

WHAT: A large variety of volunteer, work and summer camp programs is available on Bunac, an organization that has been around the block since 1962.
JUST CAUSE: Various.
WHERE: USA, Canada, New Zealand, Ghana, Australia, Britain, China, South Africa and many more.

6. AMERICAN HIKING SOCIETY 

WHAT: The American Hiking Society runs volunteer vacations in the form of trail building projects in the US. If you love the outdoors, you’ll love this opportunity to explore - volunteers enjoy backpacking or hiking tours provided by the host agency or organization.
JUST CAUSE: Building trails in public American land.
WHERE: All over the US.

7. GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS 

WHAT: A pioneer of volunteer vacations organizations, Global Volunteers was founded in 1984 - that is, long before it was a trend. It has since been recruiting short-term volunteers for various projects overseas.
JUST CAUSE: Projects for the benefit and welfare of children and youth.
WHERE: All over the world.

8. GO VOLUNTOURING

WHAT: A user-friendly search engine for volunteer abroad projects culled from a variety of organizations.
JUST CAUSE: Categories include Community Development, Environment & Wildlife, Learn Abroad, Teach & Coach Overseas and Women & Youth.
WHERE: Worldwide.

9. PROJECTS ABROAD

WHAT: Projects Abroad one of the more large-scale volunteer abroad organizations out there; it matches volunteers with a tremendous range of projects worldwide. According to their website, they cater to volunteers aged from 16 to 75; as it turns out, there's a growing interest in volunteer abroad projects among retirees and career breakers.
JUST CAUSE: A variety of projects from archeology and building to sports and medicine.
WHERE: Worldwide.

10. GEOVISIONS

WHAT: GeoVisions offers opportunities for volunteering abroad alongside paid English teaching and au-pair gigs.

JUST CAUSE: Various.

WHERE: Worldwide.

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley has numerous current volunteer opportunities available with 159 local non-profit agencies. To secure volunteer opportunities call the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at 272-2087 or email information@vccv.org.Volunteer opportunities may also be accessed at www.vccv.org.