Welcome to Voluntales, the number one resource in Voluntourism. Voluntales will provide you with the tools you need for volunteering at home or abroad - from picking an organization in the country of your choice, to setting expectations based on reviews from travelers like you. Voluntales also brings you articles about people and celebrities that will inspire you as well as travel stories and features to guide you through your journey. We'll show you how to get your hands dirty, and make a difference!
Carita Rizzo
I didn’t create Voluntales to write about myself. Don’t get me wrong – wanting to build a website that focused on good things that people were doing came from a growing sensation that I wasn’t making the world any better, but really, it wasn’t so I could talk about myself.
Today, I’m going to make it about me.
You see, the Emmy Awards were held last weekend in Los Angeles and the part of the city I’ve come to know so well had been starving itself for two weeks to fit into a dress for one day. How do I know? Well, for one, I’m Facebook friends with most of them. And yes, I’d been starving myself, too.
But when I was invited to an event thrown by an organization called A Better LA, that was taking place the day before the big ceremony, I decided I had to take a time out from the calorie counting and get my head on straight. Sure, it wasn’t the most convenient thing I’d done on a busy weekend, but it was an absolute necessity. more…
Hands on New Orleans
Name of Organization: Hands On New Orleans
Website: www.handsonneworleans.org
Project Duration: Varies
Location: New Orleans, Orleans Parish
Cost: USD 25/day – inlcudes Accommodation, Breakfast and Lunch
Type of volunteer work: Many different non-profit volunteer opportunities are offered on their calendar, easy to use
Necessary Skills: None, just enthusiasm and a desire to help
Country’s safety level at time of travel: Safe
Required vaccinations:
Rate this trip: 5 Stars
Would you recommend to a friend? Yes! more…
Fiona P and AIESEC
Name of Organization: AIESEC Ireland
Website: www.aiesec.org
Project Duration: 11 weeks
Location: Kenya
Cost: USD 400 – inlcudes Accommodation, Meals Administration Fee
Type of volunteer work: Not for profit – working with locals/business orientated
Necessary Skills: Depends on the internship – applicants much be either students or graduates and match the skills/degree of the placement. My internship required a candidate with experience in human resources as well as social sciences.
Country’s safety level at time of travel:
Required vaccinations:
Rate this trip: 5 Stars
Would you recommend to a friend? Yes
more…
Aotearoa Development Cooperative
Geoff Cooper is a development economist and co-founder of the Aotearoa Development Cooperative, a not-for-profit organisation working with poor communities in Myanmar (Burma) to establish community-owned microfinance institutions. Geoff lives in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Find Aotearoa at www.adc.org.nz
The five of us sat round in a circle on the dusty ground, the trees above us providing some relief from the thick heat beating down from the Burmese sun. We were discussing how a country moves from the status of a developing country to one of developed, over a pot of rice and boiled carrots. All four of them were looking intently at me, waiting for an answer that would give guidance for how they might escape the grasp of extreme poverty. The conversation suddenly turned very personal. I paused for a moment . . . I was well aware that it was a moment like this that I should have a pre prepared answer for. How exactly did New Zealand, the United States and Europe manage to develop? And why have so many struggled to grow, develop and be free from subsistence living? more…
WWOOF
Name of Organization: WWOOF
Website: www.wwoof.org
Project Duration: From a week to as long as you want
Location: More than 90 countries worldwide
Cost: about $25 per country
Type of volunteer work: Organic farming
Necessary Skills: None
Country’s safety level at time of travel: Varies
Required vaccinations: Varies
Would you recommend to a friend? Yes, to friends and everyone I meet more…
World Expeditions
Name of Organization: World Expeditions
Website: www.worldexpeditions.com
Project Duration: 1 week
Location: Tanzania
Cost: USD 2590 – inlcudes Accommodation, meals, safari
Type of volunteer work: Refurbishing a primary school
Necessary Skills: None
Country’s safety level at time of travel: No problems
Required vaccinations: Yellow Fever
Rate this trip: 5 Stars
Would you recommend to a friend? Yes more…
Heather helps others, and ends up helping herself in New Orleans
Heather Newgen is a freelance writer who is based in Los Angeles. She is volunteering in New Orleans for a week, and will detail her experience on Voluntales. Here is the final part of her journey.
The last few months have been hell. The year started off with my Grams passing. I have lived with her since I was 15-years-old and we were extremely close. It really sucked. About a month after she died, I found out I’m going to lose the house I grew up in because I don’t believe she fully understood the terms of a reverse mortgage and as a result, my childhood home is about to go into foreclosure. more…
Beacon of Hope
Heather Newgen is a freelance writer who is based in Los Angeles. She is volunteering in New Orleans for a week, and will detail her experience on Voluntales throughout her journey. Please check back often for more updates.
Today I was in the Lower 9th Ward–the area most affected by Katrina. I stood on vacant lots filled with debris–lots where people’s houses used to be. What I saw and learned is shocking and upsetting. more…