You wanna donate your time, your expertise, your money. But you’re not sure which program to choose? I was in the same situation; for almost 12 years before I finally went to Ghana, an international volunteer experience was a must-do in my life.
The good news is there are so many options out there.
But where to start looking? The Internet gives you a fantastic resource to learn more about the many deserving organizations. If that’s just too broad of a base start with your local church or local community organizations and just ask the other members. Chances are, they’ve either volunteered internationally themselves or know someone who has.
How to decide from there? Well, this may sound counterintuitive, but be selfish. Okay, maybe that’s not the right way to put it. But ask yourself, what are you most passionate about? The environment, economic sustainability, education? Women, men children? It could be anything. Remember, loving what you will be doing is more important than what you do while volunteering. Why? Because most likely you will be in situations you will not feel comfortable and amongst people who will be asking why you’re doing what you’re doing. Both before you leave, while you’re there and afterwards. Having passion for the cause and a personal desire to want to do the work will give you the energy you need to explain and promote the experience.
Once you’ve got that figured out what works for you in your current situation. For instance, when I decided it was time to volunteer internationally, I was newly engaged to my now-husband, very satisfied in my current career, basically on my way to settle down so that ruled out anything longer than a month. Fortunately, I was able to take a sabbatical from my job and had the funds available. This doesn’t have to be your situation to do this. You may have to determine if you’re at a crossroads in your life. Can you take some substantial time out of your life to travel; is that the right decision for you? Many of the people I met while volunteering were in between jobs and were volunteering for longer than a month.
The point is choosing to volunteer or not, internationally or locally is a very personal choice. As I continue to share my stories of my experience I hope to give you a glimpse into my thoughts as the experience changed me, affected me more than I affected the people I visited. You will be doing a wonderful service by volunteering but remember that the people and the wisdom they will impart on you will be more valuable that can be described. Enjoy the adventure! Have any questions? Deciding to volunteer yourself? Post a comment to my blog and share the experience with others.