When they’re forging connections and building valuable relationships around the world, what’s not to love about a group of people who choose to spend their time helping others? There’s no way to begin to quantify how volunteers make a difference in our world, but there they are, still putting in the work! These amazing people, spreading joy and compassion, deserve to be recognized for their amazing volunteer experience.
Here are ten photos of volunteering highlights from 2016 GoAbroad participants, coupled with ten reasons why people should volunteer abroad and all the reasons why we love volunteers so. Darn. Much. After all, they make the world go ‘round, don’t they?
1. Volunteers make the little things count.
Tasks that may seem miniscule or “too small to make a difference” actually have the opposite effect. Volunteers help improve areas around the world by completing any and every task, from mending fences and picking up trash to painting a community building or filling a classroom with necessary supplies. How volunteers make a difference is by recognizing no task is too small or insignificant.
Volunteer programs you might like:
- Impact Reforestation with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation in El Salvador
2. Volunteers teach people ways to take care of themselves and their homes.
Education is a huge component of volunteering abroad. By providing people with essential physical and mental tools for success, volunteers create an educational foundation that communities around the world can utilize forever. Another one of the many reasons to volunteer abroad, and why we love international volunteers.
Volunteer programs you might like:
- Start a life-changing journey with Cross-Cultural Solutions
- Contribute to Health Education in Bali through International Volunteer HQ
3. Volunteers fill in the gaps.
An orphanage may have a small full time staff that works tirelessly throughout the year, but international volunteers provide organizations with extra hands, love, and commitment in order to make sure that as many needs as possible are met. That’s how volunteers make a difference.
Volunteer programs you might like:
- Volunteer with Children in Thailand through GVI
- Spend Time Helping at an Orphanage in South Africa with Khaya
4. Volunteers provide comfort and support to all people.
How many more reasons to volunteer abroad could you need? International volunteers provide an outlet to people around the world that need it most. They spend Saturday mornings in soup kitchens and Friday nights in rehabilitation facilities giving hope and direction to people who may be missing it.
Volunteer programs you might like:
5. Volunteers foster community development and success.
There are many small organizations with big hearts that simply can’t afford to pay for all the work they want to do. No need to ask how volunteers make a difference here, as are the enthusiastic and willing workers committed to making incredible projects take flight.
Volunteer programs you might like:
- Join Máximo Nivel and Volunteer in Costa Rica, Guatemala, or Perú
- Contribute to a Food Rescue in Portugal with IVHQ
6. Volunteers commit to saving lives.
Volunteers fly around the world to do what’s needed whenever it’s needed. This is the most obvious way volunteers make a difference. They provide help in making areas safe after natural disasters, provide emergency support, and deliver vital goods like water, food, and medical supplies to areas in desperate need.
Volunteer programs you might like:
- Volunteer with GoEco in Sri Lanka and Assist with Child Care and Community Work
- Support Projects Abroad's Disaster Recovery in Nepal
7. Volunteers rehabilitate wounded or endangered animals.
Volunteers step in to speak for and work with endangered animals around the world. They provide food and water, rehabilitation, research, maintenance care, and most importantly, give animals love. When volunteering abroad, volunteers are dedicated to helping animals be released back into the wild and removing them from violent and life-threatening situations.
Volunteer programs you might like:
8. Volunteers make dreams come true.
Maybe it’s tutoring math, coaching a soccer team, or teaching valuable life hacks to better a community, but people around the world develop lifelong skills from volunteers. They are a talented bunch that love to help other people realize their potential. Do you still need more reasons to volunteer abroad and join this elite and caring bunch? Don’t worry, we’ve still got ‘em!
Volunteer programs you might like:
9. Volunteers create homes.
In developing countries especially, many community development organizations rely heavily on the working hands of volunteers to build houses, create clean water systems, and provide other maintenance tasks for communities in need of some TLC.
Volunteer programs you might like:
- Volunteer in Building and Construction Projects in India with GVI
- Become a Construction Volunteer in Zambia with Love Volunteers
10. Volunteers help everyday society function.
Imagine for a second if no volunteers showed up to their posts for a week. Who would teach kids in schools and who would support the community development organizations? How many afterschool programs, shelters, and medical outreach groups would shut down? You can imagine what would happen, and this illustrates how volunteers are an invaluable piece of our global community.
Volunteer programs you might like:
- Dedicate Yourself to Community Outreach with Connect-123 in Argentina
- Join Volunteering Solutions in UgandaLittle by little, volunteers join hands around the world and help to construct a cohesive whole.
Each volunteer (with their amazing volunteer experience) is a tiny piece of the puzzle with a large purpose in making change and creating opportunity throughout the world. Without their amazing hearts, generous souls, and skills beyond compare, our world would be substantially less connected and enormously less beautiful.
GoAbroad gives an astounding THANK YOU to all volunteers and invites you to join hands with this group of caregivers and lovers of the world and all its people!