Recently, a friend of mine asked me for help in finding a program that she could volunteer with for six to eight weeks in South America or Africa. I thought that it would be more than easy to come up with a program for her. I started contacting friends and doing some research online, but I wasn't as successful as I had thought I would be. I was finding many programs, but most required that she pay a substantial fee. I know there are more than enough organizations that would be glad to have volunteers, and if she had wanted to go to Jamaica, it would have been no problem at all for her to stay in my friend's house, volunteer with any number of local organizations, and have very little expenses. I am sure that there are many opportunities like this out there, where a friend could put someone in touch with organizations in country that would love to have a volunteer for a short period of time, but making those contacts tends to be difficult for many well-intentioned volunteers. On another note, many of the pay to volunteer excursions have extra benefits such as insuring you or navigating visas, country restrictions, and local customs. They also help to maintain your safety, making sure you end up in a proper experience.
I am continuing to do research on this and would love to hear about programs or opportunities that others may know about.
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