Washington and Lee University
Amigos de las Americas is an international, voluntary, not-for-profit organization that, through service, provides leadership development opportunities for young people, promotes community health for the people of Latin America, and facilitates cross-cultural understanding for the people of the Americas. For over 30 years, Amigos de las Americas has provided a unique opportunity for high school and college students in the United States to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors in Latin America. Through the unparalleled "AMIGOS experience" over 18,000 young volunteers have completed extensive leadership and language training programs that prepare them to spend a summer as volunteers in on-going public health projects throughout Latin America.
Belize
ProBelize Service Corps continually seeks dynamic and motivated individuals to help drive its development efforts forward. For those individuals who apply there are two fundamental questions that must be answered: what type of program and what type of project. This section explains the distinct characteristics of each of the ProBelize Service Corps programs. The two program models for participation with ProBelize are: 1) NGO Internships – independent projects based on your skills and community need, available throughout the year, and 2) Group Trips - groups of volunteers working on one or two large projects like building a school, available throughout the year for private groups and during pre-established dates for individuals joining our groups.
Chile
Project CHILE is an innovative international internship program developed to promote an understanding of world business, global awareness, and Spanish language skills among students and in partnership with the international business community. Students participating in the program have the opportunity to work in a Chilean firm for up to six months. The internships are available in a variety of areas and are designed to provide students with high-level international management experience.
Costa Rica
Fundación Ríos Tropicales, a nonprofit organization working under the auspices of the whitewater rafting company, Ríos Tropicales, and dedicated to the protection and conservation of some of Costa Rica's major rivers is searching for volunteer environmental educators
TheISA Experiential Learning Abroad Program (ELAP) facilitates hands-on learning through community involvement in Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, and Argentina.
Outward Bound Costa Rica often has openings in its outdoors programs.
Dominican Republic
Educacion Para Todos (EPT) offers individuals the opportunity to live and work in a rural area of the Dominican Republic, providing socially and environmentally responsible health, nutrition and education programs.
IDDI is a non-profit organization created in 1984 with the sole purpose to fight poverty, in urban as well as rural areas. Our organization is made up of motivated men and women who, working with the participating communities themselves, help others help themselves. IDDI promotes community involvement in the solution of their own problems, identifying and supporting those individuals that are willing to assume a leadership role in favor of the whole.
Ecuador
ELIpartners with organizations from around the world that make a difference in their communities. And we work closely with these groups to ensure ELI volunteers get meaningful experiences at reasonable prices. ELI's full name, Experiential Learning International, reflects our philosophy. We believe that the most compelling life lessons come through experience, and that international experiences are among the most profound influences on our sense of self and our view of the world.
Mexico
AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) offers two summer programs in Mexico.
C.A.S.A. is a private, non-profit health and social service agency which serves the indigent poor in Guanajuato, Mexico. They offer volunteer positions through their clerkship program in various public health, education and administration areas. For information, please contact: Nadine Goodman, Director, C.A.S.A., Umarran 62, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico 37700 .
Los Niños is an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for Mexican children and their families through education, self-help community development public health initiatives, and more. They offer both summer and yearlong service/study programs in Mexico to assist in these projects. The cost for the summer program is $900. Information is available from: Los Ninos 9765 Marconi Dr., Suite 105 San Ysidro, CA 92173 tel. 619-661-6912.
The Tulane University Community Development Internship Program provides participants with an opportunity to work directly with communities in rural Mexico. Students will work side by side with project beneficiaries on projects that they have designed and are implementing. Interns can spend from six weeks to a year in the program working on projects in the fields of agriculture, reforestation, animal husbandry and micro-enterprise, among others. Starting dates are flexible The cost of the program is $2900.
The ISA Experiential Learning Abroad Program (ELAP) facilitates hands-on learning through community involvement in Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, and Argentina.
Peru
U.S. Commercial Service Intern Trade Assistant The Commercial Service in Lima has for many years offered challenging and rewarding internships for American Undergraduate and Graduate students currently enrolled in a university program specializing in international business, economics and marketing. Strong business analysis, excellent writing, and communication skills are a must. Spanish command is an asset.
ProPeru 's NGO Internship Programs place participants in focused development projects with one of our 20 affiliated non-governmental organizations (NGO's). An NGO Internship experience provides a high level of cultural immersion and independence. Participants may choose to work alone or in small groups. Program lengths may vary from one month to one year.
Operation Crossroads Africa is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that promotes cross-cultural sharing and understanding. It sponsors two programs: the Africa Program and the Diaspora Program based in Brazil. A typical Crossroads summer includes three orientation days, six work weeks in the field, and one travel week. Prior to departure, participants receive a brief, but intense, immersion in cross-cultural training. But the Crossroads experience is based on the belief that one can truly enter another culture only by living and working in it.
Visions in Action offers 6-month to yearlong internship programs in several African countries in a variety of service areas. These include such fields as education, health, children and women, communications, the environmental, fine arts, food/nutrition, and refugees/relief. Volunteers receive a small monthly stipend and VIA will help with fundraising ideas to cover the costs of the program.
World Horizons International offers summer community service programs in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Projects last 6 weeks; past projects have focused on work in a game reserve in Botswana and on school refurbishment and day camp assistance in Zimbabwe.
Ghana
VOLUVoluntary Workcamps Association, Ghana, West Africa conducts workcamps which involve people living and working together in simple conditions and working voluntarily, mainly by manual labour for the benefit of the community. VOLU's camp fees are MINIMAL & cover transportation & living costs during the 1 to 4 wk long project. ALL AGES welcome. Volunteers must provide own airfare to/from their country, also basic living expenses during period before and after project(s). Most volunteers participate in at least 2 community development camps/projects, usually located in rural areas & offering a great opportunity to explore and to be immersed in traditional culture. Campers take part in work like clearing bush, mixing cement or building. The projects undertaken are mainly building roads, schools, latrines, hospitals or clinics in villages and small towns. The function of the camp is not to do the work for the people but to help them help themselves by working alongside them. VOLU has co-operation with over 100 workcamp organisations worldwide. VOLU has organized around 750 workcamps since its launching and its current membership is over 13,000 youth & adults; we sponsor nearly 30 workcamps per year.
Senegal
ECOYOFF (The Yoff EcoCommunity Program) is centered around the following components of sustainability: (1) culture and spirituality, (2) education and training, (3) economy and food safety, (4) health, population and nutrition, and (5) environment and infrastructure. ECOYOFF has welcomed more than 50 international volunteers and interns in the past three years, aims at the following objectives;
South Africa
Southern African Student Volunteers offers short-term work camp opportunities on community projects, primarily in rural South Africa. Longer term volunteer opportunities may also be arranged. . For more information, contact: Christoph Heyns Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa, e-mail: cheyns@econ.up.ac.za
China
Abroad China will work with students and their educational institutions to be able to use their coursework to satisfy degree requirements.Our primary goal is for students to experience the wonders of China through study, work, living, travel. The interns benefit from experiencing Chinese society while helping their fellow employees to improve their English.
US-China Education and Culture Exchange Center offers a Teaching English as a Summer Language program.
India
Bombay Sarvodaya Friendship Centre provides hospitality and guidance to foreigners interested in the Gandhian movement. Directed by Daniel Mazgaonkar. Friendship Building, 1st Floor, Kajupada Pipe Line Road, Old Kurla, Kurla West Bombay 400 072 .
ELI partners with organizations from around the world that make a difference in their communities. And we work closely with these groups to ensure ELI volunteers get meaningful experiences at reasonable prices. ELI's full name, Experiential Learning International, reflects our philosophy. We believe that the most compelling life lessons come through experience, and that international experiences are among the most profound influences on our sense of self and our view of the world.
Gandhi Peace Foundation does not have regular on-going volunteer programs in India but may be able to help locate such placements through their connection with several rural development agencies. Contact them with information about your background, interests, and experience at: Gandhi Peace Foundation, 221-223 Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, New Delhi 110002 India tel. 3317491 .
Joint Assistance Centreoffers workcamps in India which allow overseas visitors to experience India and learn about the richness of its cultural heritage, its people and their concerns while making a positive contribution. Based in Delhi, they also work with other groups throughout India involved in different areas of education, the environment, community development, health, and more. For information on volunteer opportunities, contact: JAC, H-65 South Extension-I, New Delhi 110 049 India.
Project India is run by Cross-Cultural Solutions, a non-profit, public benefit corporation whose goal is to empower the underprivileged, facilitate cross-cultural communication, and promote international understanding through direct people-to-people contact. Project India is dedicated to providing short-term volunteers the opportunity to contribute while experiencing India.
Japan
The Nambu Foundation offers a summer internship program open to graduate students and select undergraduates "who have demonstrated intellectual curiosity, a proven academic record, and a genuine interest in the history and culture of Japan." The two-month program places interns in the Japanese corporate environment and offers a stipend and transportation All candidates must be highly proficient in Japanese. Information is available in the internships section of the OIE Resource Room. The deadline for the summer program is Jan. 29, 1999.
Nepal
English teaching in Nepal Skills Required: English Nepal
Lily Thapa, an Ashoka Fellow in Nepal, is looking for volunteers who can teach English to widows. Her organization, Women for Human Rights, is a women’s group that works with widows in Nepal. For more details, visit www.whr.org.np. For more information, contact Lily Thapa at lily@mos.com.np
Chhahari Group Nepaloffers volunteer positions in English Teaching, Medical Electives, Orphanage, HIV/AIDS, Information Technology, Journalism/Photography, Health
Social Service National Coordination Council in Nepal has no formal volunteer programs but can make arrangements for volunteers with interests and experience in the fields of health, education, environment and other areas. For more information, contact: Social Service National Coordination Council, Samajik Sewa Mandir, Lekhnathmarg, Laincohur Kathmandu, Nepal
ELI partners with organizations from around the world that make a difference in their communities. And we work closely with these groups to ensure ELI volunteers get meaningful experiences at reasonable prices. ELI's full name, Experiential Learning International, reflects our philosophy. We believe that the most compelling life lessons come through experience, and that international experiences are among the most profound influences on our sense of self and our view of the world.
Volunteer on a farm in Ladakh, through the International Society for Ecology and CultureÆs Farm Project. Ladakh (sometimes known as "Little Tibet") is a predominantly Tibetan Buddhist region in the extreme north of India. Volunteers live and work with a Ladakhi family on a traditional Ladakhi farm. This program is part of ISEC and the Ladakh ProjectÆs ongoing effort to educate people about the destructive impact of Western-style development on traditional cultures. Farm stays are a minimum of one month, and are available between June 1st and October 30th, 1998. Volunteers are responsible for transportation to and from Leh, a $150/ú100 placement fee, and a small fee of 20 rupees (about 70 cents) per day, to be paid to the host family in exchange for room and board. If interested, contact: ISEC, 850 Talbot Ave., Albany, CA 94706; or phone (510) 527-3873.
HEC's "Volunteer Nepal Himalaya" offers participants a unique opportunity to volunteer in local Sherpa village in the Himalayas. Participants spend the first ten days in Kathmandu, doing an orientation in Nepali language and culture. Volunteers then fly to Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu region of Nepal, and teach English in a Sherpa school for three months (while living with a family). Although these villages are near the Lukla airstrip, few Westerners venture off the "beaten path" to discover them, providing a unique opportunity to experience traditional Sherpa culture while only beiNg an hours walk away from many Western amenities. While not teaching, volunteers will be free to stay in the village or explore the endless trails and villages of the Khumbu region. Participants can also plan a longer trek to Everest basecamp at the end of the session. The first program will start in September, 1998. A second program will begin in March, 1999. For more information, please contact the HEC at himexp@aol.com or call (303) 494-9656.
Internship Nepal(IN) is a non-profit organization and is committed to personal development through excellence in experiential education. It was conceptualized by a small team of professionals, including journalists, university professors, social workers, ex-volunteers as well as interns.
Internship Nepal believes that internships provide the best way to become aware about your future career.
Australia
Australian Trust for Conservation is a national, non-profit organization undertaking practical conservation projects, including tree planting, seed collection, flora/fauna surveys, endangered species, coastal restoration, habitat protection and more. A six week program costs approximately AUS$840.
BUNAC work/travel programmes offer students and young people an enriching and affordable alternative to package tourism. On a BUNAC programme, you have the chance to live and breathe another culture from the inside rather than simply passing through as a tourist. Authorized by the Australian Government, BUNAC's Work Australia program allows young Americans to spend up to four months working and traveling in Australia. You'll have the chance to stop off at some of the world's most exotic and exciting places on the way!
Stablemate offers a variety of jobs working with horses, for a minimum of four months up to two years. In the U.S., contact Bev Gilmartin, Communication for Agricultural Exchange Program, PO Box 677, Fergus Falls, MN 56538, 1-800-432-3276, Fax 1-218-739-3832.
WWOOF - Willing Workers on Organic Farms form of cultural exchange in which WWOOFers live and work as family with host farms, and learn about the skills of organic growing and the area they are visiting. WWOOF Australia and their hosts make travelling in Australia easy, safe and more fun for both Australian and Overseas Visitors.
New Zealand
BUNAC work/travel programmes offer students and young people an enriching and affordable alternative to package tourism. On a BUNAC programme, you have the chance to live and breathe another culture from the inside rather than simply passing through as a tourist. Work New Zealand is a program authorized by the New Zealand Government to allow young Americans (aged 18-30) to travel and work in New Zealand for up to 12 months.
Farmstays in New Zealand , free room and board in exchange for work on a farm. Contact FHINZ, Warwick and Heather Grady, Kumeroa Lodge, RD1 Woodville 5473, New Zealand for more information.
Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisationsis an International Non-Governmental Youth Organisation that represents national organisations which promote intercultural education, understanding and peace through voluntary service.
Au Pair in Europe through American Institute for Foreign Study offers au pair positions in England, France and Spain for a semester or academic year. Participants are given room, board, and approximately $75 per week, a free flight to Europe, and a chance to study while abroad. Program fees are about $3500 per semester, $5000 per year.
France
La Société Française Volunteer Exchange Program is a summer experience for students interested in cultural and social differences in other countries and community service. It provides students with an opportunity to challenge themselves by learning how to adapt to many different situations, living for 2 months in France or the United Kingdom. Participants spend six weeks on the volunteer assignment working 4-8 hours per day, five days a week. The remaining two weeks are set aside for travel or other interests. For further information, contact: La Société Francaise de Bienfaisance Mutuelle, 210 Post St., Suite 502, San Francisco, CA 94108 USA, tel. 415-477-3667
Germany
STUDIENFORUM BERLIN offers internships in a vast variety of public and private institutions and companies in Berlin, Germany.
CDS Internationaloffers internship and training opportunities for Americans going abroad. Through their Work Authorization Services college juniors, seniors, and recent graduates can get assistance in acquiring work permits to undertake an internship in Germany. Through the CDS Placement Services juniors, seniors and graduates from a variety of disciplines are placed in paid internship positions in Germany. The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals is a 12-month work-study fellowship program in Germany for U.S. college students and recent graduates; the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program is 9-month work-study fellowship for those with graduate level training.
Internship Program of the German Bundestag through Humboldt University of Berlin offers a small group of American graduates an opportunity to intern in the office of a member of the German Parliament and spend a semester at Humboldt studying. Applications are available in the Office of International Education or by email to the program at ipp@uv.hu-berlin.de.
The German Chancellor Fellowship provides for a stay of one year in Germany for professional development, study, or research. Applicants design individual projects and decide at which institutions or organizations to pursue them. Successful candidates have come from such fields as government, social and policy sciences, law, journalism, communications, management, finance, economics, architecture, public service, the humanities, the arts, and environmental affairs. Candidates from the life sciences and engineering will be considered if their topics have a compelling social or humanistic dimension.
RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) through DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service offers summer internships of 6 to 12 weeks. Students in the fields of biology, chemistry, earth sciences (geology), engineering and physics get the chance to spend a summer working with German doctoral students on serious research projects. The doctoral students help integrate the undergraduate directly into the lab work and serve as personal and professional mentors. All participants receive stipends from DAAD to help cover living expenses, and the partner universities and research institutions provide housing assistance.
Work with Children offers volunteer positions working with mentally handicapped young people (6-16) in family-style house communities. Room and board provided. Contact: Mr. Bruno Wegmuller, Heimsonderschule Brachenreuthe, 88662 Uberlingen, Germany, fax 49-7551-8007-50.
Italy
The Etruscan Foundation offers internships at their Spannocchia headquarters outside of Siena. Spannocchia is an estate centered on a medieval tower with 1200 acre farm around it. Interns work full-time on the farm and in the estate (often doing fairly menial labor) and in return have an opportunity to experience this wonderful part of Italy. Room, board, and a stipend are provided.
Russia
Camp Counselors USA offers a summer program in Russia for students to spend 4 or 8 volunteering in a youth camp or orphanage. The cost of $1475 includes air travel and room and board.
Tahoe-Bakikal Institute - Summer Environmental Exchange Internship in Siberia and the Sierra Nevada. This is an international non-profit working on environmental stability through this cultural exchange at Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia and Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada. Participants will have the opportunity to serve as Americorps volunteers as they explore topics in ecology and limnology, environmental restoration and planning, cultural preservation, public policy, and resource economics. The program is designed for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, as well as young professionals with environmental interests.
Scandinavia
The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) is a publicly supported, nonprofit organization that promotes international understanding through educational and cultural exchange between the United States and Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Jobs in Scandinavia are available in 1998 for American students in certain technical fields through ASF's training program. Students gain international work experience, earn income, live in a community abroad and get to know the people and their culture. There are opportunities for students of agriculture and related subjects to live and work on family farms in Finland. Positions are available in Finland for Teachers of English as a Foreign Language through ASF's training program, which offers the unique opportunity to live and work abroad. To be a self-placed trainee, you need to develop your own position and you should make inquiries through any business or personal acquaintances with contacts in Scandinavia. If you can locate a training position and arrange housing, ASF will be happy to assist you in obtaining the necessary work permit.
United Kingdom and Ireland
BUSINESS-MANAGEMENT INTERNSHIPS IN THE U.K. are available for the summer and other times of the year for qualified students. GROWTH, a private, government-subsidized agency in the U.K., can arrange internships with a variety of companies and non-profit organizations. Students apply directly to GROWTH which then markets your application to prospective internship sponsors. There is a fee for this service (approximately $990.00) but the internships are paid (generally $200-300 per week) to help offset the cost of the program. For more information or to apply, see William Klingelhofer, Director of International Education, in Tucker Hall Rm. 316. The application deadline is Feb. 1.
BUNAC sponsors a program which provides a work permit for the U.K. valid for up to six months for any current U.S. student (or anyone who has just graduated). The special BUNAC Blue Card working document allows Work in Britain participants to take any type of employment, subject to government approval, anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Using program or personal contacts, Work in Britain participants have taken a wide variety of jobs including career-related or study-related jobs, ranging from waiter to banker, secretary to balloon bender!
British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) is the U.K.'s largest practical conservation charity, creating opportunities for over 84,000 volunteers each year to take practical action to protect their local environment. BTCV runs over 600 Natural Breaks and international conservation working holidays throughout the year. These offer the chance to meet people, learn new skills and most importantly have a great time. Examples of holidays include a bat bonanza in the Pennines, to enhance roosting sites and learn about bat ecology; managing the heathland habitats of the lizards and sand-burrowing wasps of the Wirral nature reserves; creating footpaths in a seashore national park on Cape Cod and a tree-planting safari in the mountainous deserts of Andalucia. For information contact: BTCV, 36 St Mary's Street Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 0EU tel: 01491 839766.
Camphill Village Trust runs eight communities in the U.K. where adults with mental handicaps can achieve richer, more meaningful lives. Young people who would like to assist in the running, upkeep and development of these communities should contact Head Office for more information about volunteer opportunities with one of the villages: Delrow House, Hillfield Lane, Aldenham, Watford, Herts WD2 8DJ U.K. tel. 01923 856006.
Community Service Volunteers offers summer and longer term placements as volunteers performing social service work in Britain. Most CSV work involves direct human services care, working with the disabled, the elderly, the homeless, children in need. There is a registration fee but a small stipend is paid and room and board are provided for the length of your stay. Information is avaliable from: CSV, 237 Pentonville Road, London N1 9NJ U.K. tel. 171-278-6601.
Conservation Volunteers Ireland, PO Box 3836, Ballsbridge, Dubliun 4, Ireland. Fax: 1-668-1844
Land Use Volunteers (LUV) provides assistance and volunteers to projects in the U.K. using horticulture as therapy for people with disabilities by providing a volunteer with horticultural skills. If you have experience and/or basic qualifications in horticulture, have worked in some capacity with people with special needs, and are looking for a way to use your skills, LUV will place you in a project that reflects your own particular skills and interests. Minimum period of service is three months, the maximum one year. Board, lodging and pocket money are provided throughout your stay. For information contact: LUV c/o Horticultural Therapy Goulds Ground, Vallis Way Frome, Somerset BA11 3DW U.K. tel. 01373 464782 .
Mountbatten Internship ProgrammeFounded in 1984, the Mountbatten Internship Programme is dedicated to the promotion of educational and business links between the USA and the UK. The Programme is named in honor of the late Earl Mountbatten of Burma, a noted supporter of international education and training. The mission of the Mountbatten Internship Programme is to foster international and cross cultural understanding through experiential education, practical training and residence abroad, and to provide opportunities for personal growth and professional development
National Trust for Scotlandoffers 'Thistle Camps' ranging from several days to several weeks for volunteers wishing to work on a conservation projects at one of the Trust's many properties spread throughout Scotland. The costs are very low, the settings are outstanding.
BUNAC-USIT Participants on Work in Ireland have the opportunity to explore Ireland and to get to know the Irish people and their ways through living and working in Ireland for up to four months. This special, reciprocal program, operated in conjunction with the Irish student organisation, USIT, allows eligible US students to take any job anywhere in the Republic of Ireland. Typical jobs might be associated with tourism, or in retail or office work. Dublin, with its sophisticated business and cultural lifestyle, is the main destination.
Winant-Clayton Volunteers spend mid-June to mid-August working in Great Britain on one of a variety of community projects with the mentally ill, with Bengali teenagers, with pre-school children, with battered women, with people living with AIDS, on an inner city farm, with the elderly, etc. Volunteers receive free room and board, and enjoy the hospitality of British families as a seven-week Winant Volunteer in Britain.
Established in 2001,Zajelis an international self-financing, non-profit, educational program mainly supported by Partner Organizations. Zajel is the Arabic word for the well known carrier pigeon, used during many years as an important mean of communication, It represents the way how we see those participating in our exchange programs: people that will deliver a message of peace and solidarity across the world. Through Zajel Study Visit, participants will get a rare opportunity to know a different version of the conflicts that have been taking place in the Middle East in the last decades, becoming capable of influencing misunderstandings and negative images about the Palestinians and their struggle for their rights. Zajel International Workcamp is a response to the increasing number of young people who wish to acquire cross-cultural skills and gain experience for their personal and professional development. This desire is best met through direct exposure to new situations, life-styles and cultural values and real-life happenings.
