Volunteering your time while on vacation can offer a sense of satisfaction, new experiences, and an introduction to a different culture. Opportunities for volunteer vacations are all over the world. If you have your heart set on the Latin American countries, the next steps are to decide on the kind of overseas volunteer work you want to do, the duration, and of course, the destination.
Central and South America have an abundance of volunteer opportunities, including teaching English, environmental jobs, working in hospitals, helping out in an orphanage, community development, and more. This region is covered with diverse landscapes and offers travel opportunities in big cities or places off the beaten path. Volunteering in this part of the world gives visitors a great way to not only make a difference, but to experience the different environments.
Research the Location Before you Choose Your Volunteer Vacation
Although volunteer vacations are on the rise in Latin America, there is still no shortage for volunteer opportunities. Some places in Latin America are thriving while others experience poverty, poor education, and tensions from political and civil wars. As you begin to narrow down your location, a few resources to conduct research on a particular country include The Department of State, Center for Disease Control, and other travel warnings.
Even some of the more developed countries like Argentina and Costa Rica have a large number of the population living below the poverty line. There are plenty of safe places in Latin America that need volunteers, but before you choose a destination, be sure to research the area.
Locals in some of the Latin American countries don’t speak fluent English, so it would help to brush up on some Spanish or even take a class as part of your volunteer travel. For instance, Ecole Idiomas offers language classes as well as volunteer trips in Ecuador or the Galapagos.
Besides location, you need to decide what type of volunteer work you want to do.
Teaching English in Latin America
English teachers are in high demand in some countries in Central and South America. In places like Belize, English is the primary language, so you will not find as many volunteer jobs there for teaching English. However, countries like Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica have a higher demand for English teachers.
GeoVisions.org has a program that only requires 15-20 hours a week of conversational English in Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, or Costa Rica. The rest of the time is free to explore the area or relax.
Conservation and Environmental Volunteer Work
Between the Amazon, the Andes, the various mountain regions, and beaches all up and down Central and South America, conservation volunteerism plays a important role. The Amazon rain forest has diminished and with it so have many animal habitats. Natural resources are depleting in other parts of South America as well.
The list of environmental jobs vary from the preservation of sea turtles in places like Costa Rica to wildlife, national parks, and trail rehabilitation projects in various centers throughout the region. You can focus on marine life or the rain forest and anywhere in between. Many of these jobs do not have special requirements, just a desire to work and a love of nature and animals.
Volunteering in Health Related Services
A significant portion of volunteer needs in Latin America are in the health services and education field. In some Latin American countries, there is either a lack of infrastructure or skilled personnel like doctors and nurses to maintain adequate health facilities.
Even if you are not a qualified medical professional, many organizations could also use volunteers for various duties including administrative, moving equipment, and answering medical calls.
Lack of health education also means that health problems arise in some of the smaller communities. There are also needs that require teaching and mentoring in health education. For example, uVolunteer has a program that needs volunteers for a drug rehabilitation center in Nicaragua.
Volunteer for Community Development
There are always needs for improving community conditions and services. In places throughout Central and South America, there is a disparity in wealth, and many local families need support and improvement in the community in which they live.
There are a variety of ways to help improve Latin American communities. Consider construction projects to help improve the infrastructure and roads. Small villages and communities throughout the region could use volunteers for repairs or reconstruction.
Volunteers can help clean up the local neighborhoods, provide education to orphans and underdeveloped schools, coach sports, or help with social programs. Many of these projects will benefit the society as a whole. If community service is your area of interest, you are likely to find a place that could use your help.
Where can I find these jobs?
There are many websites that provide multiple volunteer jobs, including GeoVisions, Cross Cultural Solutions, International Volunteer HQ, and i-to-i.
GoAbroad.com is a good place to begin your research on volunteer travel. The site provides volunteer opportunities sorted by location, duration, or program type for multiple organizations.
Volunteer travel can require a lot of hard work for some jobs, but the end result is gratifying because it is one way you can truly make a difference.
Related: Is Volunteer Travel Right for You?
Julie McElroy - Freelance travel writer with published articles about places all over the world, including Italy, Colorado, Japan, Germany, and Spain.
