Spring 2023 volunteering update

The Director of the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO),  has announced that the Covid 19 Global Health Emergency has ended. The disease hasn’t left us, and we need to be cautious, but the announcement will facilitate international travel and volunteering. The world certainly needs the help of humanitarian volunteers and workers.  Climate change, and war, …

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Interview with author Susan E. Gibson

The number of Covid infections are in decline world wide.  We are now able to plan international trips and volunteer assignments with reasonable confidence that we can complete them. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author Susan E. Gibson.  Susan has written what I believe is the most useful and practical book on international …

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Planning Retirement Abroad

Image of a arrow-shaped sign with the word "Retirement" on it nailed to a tree trunk. Background features a beach with tropical palm trees.

Just when we thought we were seeing some light in the Covid 19 crisis along comes Omicron.  As I write, the Omicron threat is fading, vaccination rates have risen, and some countries are loosening their travel restrictions.  It will be a while before travel and international volunteering will return to its pre-Covid levels. That doesn’t …

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International Volunteer Sending Organizations Resuming Operations

view of an inner rainfores

International volunteer sending organizations are resuming international operations and sending volunteers..  If you are interested in a volunteer assignment abroad, I strongly suggest you first choose the type of assignment you would like and the part of the world in which you would like to serve.  You can do this by visiting Volunteer Programs on our website.  …

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Effects of COVID-19 on Global Volunteering

image depicts a person walking out of a tunnel on to a narrow road, pulling a suitcase

Times continue to be difficult for international volunteer organizations.  The Covid-19 variants are wreaking havoc in areas  that previously had the outbreak under control.  It is very difficult to plan and schedule volunteer assignments and trips.  Virtual international volunteering continues to be an important way for the volunteer to stay involved and to help.  Until …

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Planning for Renewed Global Travel

Image shows the hilly, tropical island of Dominica, with ocean in the foreground

Many of us are planning global travel later in the year.  For those of you who are considering an international trip, there is a list available of which countries have opened up, and which have not, Visit  World Nomads. All international volunteer sending organizations have been affected by coronavirus travel restrictions.  I suggest that when you contact …

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March 2021

photo of medical staff performing covid tests

At the time of this writing, the number of Covid-19 cases world-wide is diminishing.  Parts of the world are beginning to open up to travelers.  However, it will be a while before one can plan an international volunteer trip.  To obtain the latest information on world travel and health conditions visit the Personal Health section of our …

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Fall 2020

6 ways to volunteer abroad

Hello All, Travel and international volunteering continue to be deeply affected by the prevalence of the Covid-19 corona virus in the world. I was personally affected recently when an international election observation mission in which I was going to participate was canceled due to the virus. However, there is a way we can stay involved …

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Not Exactly Retired

david jarmul

Hello All! In this time of the Covid 19 pandemic, when we are personally distancing and limited in our ability to travel, it is a good time to reflect on our interests and abilities and plan for future volunteering missions. Reading about the travel and volunteering experiences of others is an engaging way to gain …

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Volunteer Medical Missions to Rural Guatemala

Colonial architecture in ancient Antigua Guatemala city, Central America, Guatemala

Hello All! Peace Corps Volunteer Todd Peterson, while serving in a remote area of Guatemala, saw that the villagers in the area had a need for surgical care but were unable to obtain it. When his father, Frank Peterson, visited Todd, he noticed the lack of a framework between the remote rural communities of and …

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