Volunteer Programs
A Broader View has partnered with licensed, vetted, established childcare programs that provide children with good quality food, housing, education, and healthcare. Many of these children have been abandoned or have been rescued from a life of child labor. Some children have lost their parents to disease or drug abuse or mental illness, leaving them vulnerable and without proper support.
Volunteering with children is a rewarding but challenging volunteer abroad experience. All volunteers are carefully chosen, fully screened and should have some experience working with youth. We encourage long term commitments for all our childcare programs, although short term options are available in daycare facilities, afterschool children’s programs, and temporary shelters for children.
Volunteers should see themselves as mentors, trainers and the role of a counselor when working with overseas children. Aside from helping with the daily upkeep at the children’s centers volunteers help in several ways including::
- Providing basic English education
Promoting basic health and hygiene talks
Organizing sports lessons
Organizing recreational games
Engaging in art and craft activities
Washing and cooking
Playing games
Organizing parties and fun activities
Changing diapers and caring for small children
While part of our A Broader View program working with children you will have the opportunity to learn a new culture from inside out. Working with children from impoverished backgrounds to provide adequate care and support. Live with a local host family and explore the day to day life in your host community.
The children in these orphanages may have been alone for a very long time and the level of care that you provide to them is genuinely all they are likely to receive. You can definitely be a voice of love and kindness in their lives and this could make a huge difference for them forever.
+ What Orphanage programs are available to volunteer Abroad?
| ABV Program | Groups | Solo | Couples | Families |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belize | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Guatemala (Quezatenango) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Nepal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tanzania | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Peru | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Honduras | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| India Jaipur - Udaipur | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| India Udaipur | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ecuador | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
A hug and a smile provide meaning to the life of kids who had grown up deprived of love and care. Male and female volunteers are needed as big Brothers and Big Sisters. Volunteers are asked to provide basic English education, promote health and hygienic habits, organize recreational games and sports lessons and assist the staff in counseling the children. In these projects, you could find yourself painting, changing diapers, organizing a soccer game, washing or cooking for the kids, or simply leading a sing a long. Bring as many board games, cards, soccer/tennis/volleyball balls, you can make small parties for the children with cakes, sodas, candies to celebrate birthdays.
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Volunteer Ghana in an orphanage and work with children that come from a variety of situations including loss of one or both parents, physical and sexual abuse, extreme poverty, and more suffering than many of us can imagine. Our two orphanage projects have children from 4 years and older. Most of the children range between 11-14years old. Many of these children have been denied the chance at an education as well as the basics for survival-food and shelter.
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- Hits: 33109
Volunteer Colombia, This program is a public facility that provides daily child care services, pre-school and kindergarten classes to small babies and children in this Torices neighborhood in north Cartagena. This center is located close by to downtown and only 10 minutes from the airport.
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- Hits: 26558
Volunteer Guatemala. At this program, poor children suffering from malnutrition are provided a safe haven, medical support, education, food and a place to recover. Most of the children are under 6yrs old and come from all over Guatemala for care. The project focus is care and support, feeding, health checks, and monitoring. This program is also recommended for pre-medical students and those interested in a medical career path. Also attend spanish schools antigua guatemala to learn spanish while volunteering.
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- Hits: 26446
Volunteer Honduras in a local day care community center which provides services to children of mostly single mothers. The center has about 100 children who range in age between 1 year and 10 years old. The children are provided care and attention, and lunch. Volunteers will help with pre-school lessons, playing with the kids, stimulating conversation and learning, helping in the kitchens and any other necessary chore. We also work with a residential orphanage home to about 20 children from ages 8 -15yrs old. The volunteers duties would be the same, with a focus on education games, interacting with the kids, reading books, and even light chores like cooking, cleaning, sweeping.
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Volunteer in Belize, There are currently 44 children residing at the orphanage. The children range in age between 4 years and 17 years old. Our volunteers support the staff in terms of their daily routines, and also offer outside input for activities and recreational ideas. During the school term volunteer will help with the children’s breakfast, and escorting them to school. A Daycare / Headstart project is open in the orphanages pre-school. Volunteers can help with assisting with baby/toddler care and pre-school activities with the little ones. Work tasks at this center include: farming, gardening, animal care, cooking, laundry, cleaning. After school activities with the children including reading, helping with homework, arts and crafts, playing in the ball fields, and being present and available to the children.
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- Hits: 35523
Volunteering in Chile, In La Serena volunteers support an orphanage/children's center. Currently the center offers nursery to about 20-25 underage children, some of which are orphans and live at the center full time. This is a very proactive project with over 20 babies and toddlers 9 (numbers may change if they are adopted or in foster care). One of the main characteristic of this project is the incorporation of the families and the community to the educational work. The parents of the children are so poor that they cannot afford to keep their children healthy or well fed. The projects serve as a day care, kindergarten and support center.
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- Hits: 30903
Volunteer in Costa Rica at a local orphanage in a suburb of San Jose (Guadalupe). This residential facility is home to about 25 children who range in age between toddlers to pre-teens (2yrs-12yrs old). The “Tias” or caretakers at the orphanage need help with everyday tasks for the children.
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- Hits: 15808
Volunteer in Ecuador, this orphanage, located about an hour outside of the city, provides a safe place for local children who have suffered violence, physical and psychological or other risk to their lives. Created to have a family environment, with emphasis on education, the children are provided with a positive outlook on the lives.
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- Hits: 16579
Volunteer in Ecuador, this project has been in the works since 1949 for children who have been orphaned, abandoned, or whose families are unable to care for them. The family approach in this Children's Village is based on the three following principles: each child needs a mother, they grow up naturally with brothers and sisters, and they live in their own house within a supportive village environment.
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- Hits: 16878
Volunteer in Ecuador, this is a public kindergarten that offers education, nutrition, health and affection to 220 children from 4 to 6 years old distributed within 8 classrooms. Most of children come from poor families. It is located inside of the Itchimbía Park in Quito’s central area. The most important skill needed to work with these children is patience.
Volunteer Information
Volunteer Schedule
Day One: Our local coordinator/staff will give you an orientation and will accompany you to your program. You will be shown how to manage the commute (bus, taxi, walking). You will be introduced to the site director and discuss your role at the project. Volunteers typically work a morning and an afternoon shift each lasting about 3-5 hours.
Weekdays: A typical volunteer day is as follows:
- 7:30 AM Breakfast at the volunteer house/homestay.
- 8:00 AM Volunteers depart, and travel to their project site.
- 8:30 AM to 13:00 PM Volunteer work and a lunch break.
- 14:00 PM to 17:00 PM Language lessons or afternoon volunteer work.
- 18:30-19:30 PM Dinner at the volunteer house/homestay.
Note: This is an example schedule. Volunteer work hours can vary depending on the program and the location.
Evenings: For peace of mind and to ensure the well-being of our volunteers, a nightly curfew of 21:30PM is in place from Sunday to Thursday. Curfew is set at 12:00AM for Friday and Saturday. (All volunteers must comply with their home country’s legal drinking age).
Communication While Overseas
Volunteers have several ways to stay in touch with their family/friends back home and with the ABV local staff while they are overseas. All city/urban program locations have access to internet/cyber cafes which typically charge hourly rates ($1-$2). The majority of ABV guesthouses, homestays have WIFI access (fees apply), and have land line telephone numbers. Even rural program locations have mobile phone service, and small towns nearby with internet facilities. All ABV staff use mobile phones to stay in contact with their volunteers.
Before traveling volunteers should contact their mobile phone provider and ask about international call/texting plans. Volunteers should consider buying a portable wifi device (especially in rural locations). If planning on traveling with your own mobile phone volunteers should look at apps like Skype, FaceTime and WhatsApp to stay connected through messenger or short calls home. Volunteers can rent a wireless phone or buy a cheap throwaway phone once they arrive in-country. In some locations you can do that for less than $50. In fact, your regular carrier may even offer overseas rentals. ABV local staff will assist you and show you where to purchase SIM cards.
Once you arrive in-country and settled in, our ABV staff will help you contact home to let someone know you arrived safely. All volunteers are also given an emergency phone number on their Volunteer Guide/summary, which is available 24/7 to contact ABV staff.
When can I travel?
Easy. Choose the dates that work best for you. Although some programs have date restrictions the majority of our volunteer programs are available year round. Volunteers select their own program start date and complete an online application. Once you have been accepted and dates approved, ABV will ask you to confirm your registration by paying a us$120 included in the overall fee.
Safety and Security
The safety of our volunteers is paramount for A Broader View Volunteers. The majority of ABV Volunteers travel and serve without major incident. However, programs are based in some of the least developed countries and in some of the most remote areas in the world, health, safety, and security risks are an unavoidable part of life and international service. To address these concerns and to safeguard the well-being of our program participants, A Broader View has safety protocols and security procedures for all programs:
- Security: All project sites, local in-country staff and accommodation sites have gone through a rigorous filter and have been hand selected. ABV has spent almost 11 years cultivating and strengthening of our local partnerships & host family relationships. In-country staff visits, daily research of local conditions, as well as weekly checkup of our host families and accommodations are conducted. Site selection is based on criteria including; access to medical, banking, postal, and other essential services; access to communication, transportation, and local markets; availability of adequate housing and living arrangements.
- Pre-Departure Guide: Your ABV account will have a detailed volunteer guide. Volunteers are provided country information, packing lists, customs and language information, and much more. ABV also provides information about visa requirements, vaccinations, climate, weather, and safety and security issues specific to the country.
- Volunteer Summary: A full month before traveling volunteers are provided a detailed account of their volunteer project (including supply/donation list), arrival procedures, emergency contact information, accommodation details and the full name, phone and email of their local ABV Coordinator.
- Overseas Staff and communication: Our local staff support is immeasurable in their professionalism and dedication to the volunteers under their charge. The majority of ABV staff coordinators have been involved since the very start (over 11 years) and are well experienced handling the unexpected such as situations where volunteer students become ill, suffer accidents, are the victims of pick pockets. ABV staff is trained to react in a responsible and levelheaded way when emergencies do arise. They will do whatever is necessary to assure this, whether this means obtaining prompt and appropriate medical attention, embassy intervention or local authorities.
- Host Families and accommodations: Our local volunteer guesthouses, onsite project dorms and host families have been hand-picked. A Broader View accommodation have specific standards for the hygiene, cleanliness, location and comfortable living conditions for our volunteers. Telephone access is available 24/7 and most sites have internet access. Volunteers have to follow the curfew of the host accommodation.
- Arrival Meeting/Orientation: ABV programs provide a customized arrival plan. We can arrange your arrival/pick up at the airport, bus station or local hotel. Start your program with peace of mind, having the local ABV staff meeting you when you arrive in-country. Volunteers are provided orientation before starting their program. Orientation schedules vary from country to country but will include acclimation tours of the local town/city, accommodation neighborhood, geolocation map description, program location, main interesting points in the city or area. Emergency and medical protocols will be discussed and also address safety and security issues specific to the community volunteers live and work in.
Every staff member of A Broader View is committed to providing volunteers with the support they need to successfully meet the challenges they will face to have a safe, healthy, and productive service. The success of each ABV volunteer is our prime goal. We rely on volunteers to exercise personal responsibility and demonstrate both a keen awareness of the world around them and a willingness to adjust their behavior in a manner that will enhance their safety and well-being. In the end, your efforts will be rewarded with an incredible, unique experience.
The emergency lines are staffed by an A Broader View:
- Communicate late/missed/flight connections during travel days
- Notify a Volunteer of an emergency (e.g. critical illness or death of a family member)
- Respond to family questions about a Volunteer's status (if problem occurring in-country)
ABV in a nut shell
- 501 (c)3 nonprofit USA based organization – you can tax deduct the program fees.
- Available year-round. You choose your own program start and end dates.
- 27 country locations to choose from. Programs available from 1 week up to 3 months in length.
- 245 perfectly balanced projects - experience, price, service.
- 100% cultural immersion including local home-stay and guesthouse accommodations.
- Program fees include airport transportation, orientation, housing/meals, 24/7 in-country support.
- Suitable options for solo travelers, gap year, honeymooners, families, mature travelers & groups.
- Excellent safety record and Platinum rated non-profit organization per Guidestar ABV alumni reviews.
- Between 1500-2000 volunteer per year with a high percentage of repeat volunteers.
How may we help you?!
Our staff has extensive travel and volunteer abroad experience. We have the answers to all your questions about volunteering with ABV. We can customize any of our programs to your needs and dates.
Call/chat with our team members:
(1) 215 780 1845 [email protected]