Charity work abroad

poipleshadow

Volunteering is great if you find the right place, before starting my own charity I spent 8 months volunteering for a children's charity in Goa, and although I was originally dragged into by a friend it was such fulfilling work, unfortunately the charity I volunteered for wasn't right for me, but it did change my life, I then started a children's charity ( Children Walking Tall - link above ) just down the road and although completely and utterly shattering it's the best thing I've ever done.

I would recommend everyone to try your hand at volunteering, although a lot of effort should be put into finding if the charity is the right one for you. Visiting for a day is different from spending 1 to 3 months there...

We are very lucky and get lots of volunteer requests (we're pretty much full for the next year), but there's lots more smaller charities that can only really be found once you arrive in India (or Africa) or where ever you want to volunteer. A good source could be the Lonely Planet, although these usually only list places that have been open for 3 or more years.... Otherwise travel for 6 months and use the first month finding somewhere.. It would always be good to have a police check done first (it's a requirement for us) as if the charity has any links with the west this might be a requirement, also a TEFL course or something might make them more interested in taking you on.

To be completely honest the best volunteers we've had are the ones who just put the effort in, doesn't really matter if they're qualified or not, if they have the passion to put their goals aside and think of how to make it better for the children then - hey presto!