Volunteer Holidays
Instead of taking ordinary holidays this year, hundreds of Britons will be helping to build orphanages, teaching street children or working with AIDS patients in Africa, Asia and South America.
Joining a volunteer project is a great way to enhance your experience of a country while also giving something back to the destination. This isn't something just for gap year students either, as there are many short-term projects suitable for everyone from young professionals to families to OAPs.
Here are some suggestions of where and how you can make a difference in just a two week holiday.
Work with orphans in the Philippines
You'll be placed in an orphanage with up to 100 abandoned, impoverished children, many of whom will be suffering from malnutrition and neglect. These youngsters thrive on the love and attention volunteers give them, but sadly the orphanages are severely understaffed. Your role will be to teach, organise arts and crafts or sports activities and help out with basic chores such as feeding the kids.
Two-week placements, working four hours a day, are available throughout the year with volunteer travel company i-to-i for £395pp, which includes accommodation with a local family plus two meals a day and a 40-hour online TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course. Flights, insurance and visas are not included.
Build a family home in Mexico
This 12-day trip starts in San Diego from where youll drive over the Baja Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico
join other volunteers building a village house for a needy family. When the project is completed, you'll get some R&R at a beach resort in El Rosarito where you can swim, fish, kayak and hike.
The trip, booked through Hands Up Holidays
is quite pricey at £1,650, not including flights, but there's no slumming it involved. Reasonable quality hotel accommodation is provided for 10 nights with breakfast, lunch and dinner most days.
Save Amazon Dolphins in Peru
Not only dolphins but also giant river otters, monkeys and various birds are in need of protection in the Amazon and you will be working alongside Peruvian biologists collecting information about wildlife in one of two river areas, Lago Preto or the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve.Based on a vintage boat, you will carry out river surveys from motorised canoes and join expedition staff to meet and talk to local people about their hunting, fishing and conservation efforts.
The 15-day trip with Earthwatch costs from £1,895 including accommodation on board the ship, all meals and training. Flights cost extra.
Teach football in Uganda
Real Africa Excursions has a number of sports volunteer projects in Uganda and Kenya, designed to help youngsters to develop social skills. You will be working in the slums and poorest areas Africa. You will be asked to assist coaches and help organise training sessions and competitions in football and other sports such as basketball, volleyball and hockey. The cost of the 15-day trip, booked through real-africa is £800 for food, accommodation and sightseeing, which includes several game drives.
Care for the elderly in Russia
If you have only one week, you've still got enough time to join a project with Insight Abroad, which has several short placements in Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Peru as well as Russia.
In the beautiful, historic Russian city of Yaroslavl on the banks of the Volga, you can choose from a number of social service projects including looking after the elderly, who are sometimes the most neglected group in society. You can make a difference by providing mental stimulation through singing and dance lessons, leading exercise sessions, playing games and developing arts and crafts projects. Volunteers may also be asked to perform basic tasks such as preparing meals and feeding the elderly.
Insight Abroad charges £922 for the one-week programme, which includes accommodation, meals and transfers.
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