Volunteer Building Projects and Habitat for Humanity

You don't need well-honed carpentry skills to help people rebuild their lives. Volunteer programs such as Habitat for Humanity (or its international version, the Global Village Program) recruit people who can wield a paintbrush, hammer a nail and open their hearts.

Volunteer Programs in Communities Overseas

While all you need is a bit of physical endurance and a willingness to learn, volunteer programs are happy to recruit people with special skills, particularly as teachers and project managers. Plumbers, electricians, architects, teachers, gardeners, landscapers, roofers and irrigation specialists are in great demand in devastated communities or areas of poverty.

Repair programs are plentiful. You might be assigned to the crew painting houses, or the window repair team. Volunteer programs certainly offer variety of opportunities.

While you might be helping to finish the roof on a school one weekend, you might be working with local people to build desks and chairs for the school the next. In between, you can take the time to visit the area, shop, rest and socialize with the members of the community.

Specialized Volunteer Programs

The Global Village Program, the international arm of Habitat for Humanity, has broader goals than building homes. It seeks to build cultural ties and mutual understanding, a benefit of critical importance to our shrinking planet.
 
Some programs specifically assign volunteers to live with host families during their overseas stay. Volunteers learn local customs, taste the food, experience the workday, participate in social functions and interact with children each day. While no single volunteer program can guarantee that each of its members will find peace and happiness from the volunteer experience, those who leave themselves open to new experiences are bound to thrive and grow.

Realistic Expectations

Although volunteers in the U.S. bear little expense as volunteers for Habitat for Humanity, those who travel overseas are usually expected to bear the costs of immunization, documentation, insurance and travel. You can even expect to pay a modest fee to organizations that plan your travel and match you with a host family. Clearly, host families cannot bear the cost of feeding you, so you can expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000—a real travel bargain in some of the exotic outposts of Europe, Asia and Africa.

Different volunteer organizations have differing guidelines about length of stay. Some programs are as brief as two weeks, so if you can tear yourself away, you can be home before you realize you haven't seen indoor plumbing in fourteen days!

Prepare for your trip by reading all you can about the country, its languages, its climate and its hazards, including insects, diseases and wildlife.

Don't assume that you'll be chosen on your first try. Overseas volunteer programs have age minimums (usually 18) and often require proof that you're in good health. People with prior experience may be chosen ahead of you, and popular destinations fill up faster during summer months. Don't give up, though. Choose a less traveled path, volunteer at home to build up your experience base and apply again. Your day will come.