Sustainable International Volunteerism
On December 13th, 2018, I received some incredible news. After holding my breath for three months, waiting for complete strangers at admissions offices of distant universities to evaluate whether I was worthy of being accepted into their programs, I answered the phone on a Thursday morning and suddenly my dreams became a reality. I was admitted to Duke University and will be heading to Durham in July 2019 to pursue my MBA. Thrilled, relieved, exhausted. All accurate emotions. But more than anything I was ready to hit the reset button on life and take some time off work to do some exploring.
For 12 months, I expended every ounce of my energy on the all-consuming MBA application process (the GMAT, the essays, the interviews). My friends tell me I’m good at diving into a project and only coming up for air days, weeks, or months later. I must admit, when I set a goal, I obsess about it. I give it everything I have because when the dust settles I’ll be satisfied with the outcome; win, lose, or otherwise. I would call it one of my greatest strengths, just as long as I’m setting the appropriate goals. While I initially contemplated vacation options and adventure destinations for my upcoming summer, which I fully intended to spend unemployed, getting lost in some faraway land, and enjoying some much needed R&R before the grad school gauntlet begins in August, I realized that I need something to obsess about. I decided to harness my energy and funnel it towards something meaningful. Yes, I decided to spend my summer volunteering abroad. But where to begin?
Behold, the power of Google. Naturally when trying to determine my best options for international volunteer programs, I opened the search engine. I began typing, “international volunteer programs” (not very creative, I know). The results? Websites like volunteerhq.org or my personal favorite, goabroad.com. Feel free to use either of these options if you’d like to drain your entire savings account to be placed in an overly-structured program by a glorified travel agency. My advice: dig a little deeper. Like most things in life you will be rewarded for putting in the extra effort.
For those of you looking to volunteer abroad, or even if you’re just searching for a virtuous organization that you can support locally, I highly recommend Idealist.org for all of your altruistic researching needs. Agriculture, Animals, Arts & Music, Children & Youth, Civic Engagement, Climate Change, Conflict Resolution… so begins the list of issue areas you can filter by on the site. Internships, volunteer programs, job opportunities, organizations searching for sponsors or donors or partnerships. Given my interest in renewable energy and climate change, I utilized a few basic filters and before I knew it was browsing through environmental conservation and sustainable community development programs in Thailand, Nepal, India, Ecuador, Argentina, Uganda, and more.
Better yet? Each posting includes a fairly detailed overview of the position and program / organization. Accommodations provided by the program (meals, housing, etc.) are listed for each volunteer opportunity as well as any associated costs to volunteer, an especially useful feature for all of us on a budget. Because let’s be honest, spending thousands of dollars on volunteer placement fees just isn’t feasible for most of us. You’re already sacrificing your time and energy plus any income you’re giving up by not working while you volunteer. A direct link to the posting on each organization’s page is also provided, along with specific instructions on how to apply; Idealist.org has it all.
Admittedly, I am a bit biased. Idealist has altered the course of my life. Literally. In 2016, while searching for jobs across the social sector I found my current employer on Idealist, which brought me to Washington DC two years ago. I also discovered a volunteer board position with DC Net Impact using the dynamic search platform. This go around, Idealist led me to an organization named Integrated Villages, an NGO based in Masaka, Uganda. Two months after initially reaching out to the program director of Integrated villages, I have my flight booked for Africa and have been devoting nearly all my free time to the organization. I will be living in Uganda for three months starting in April with the intention of developing a financing program that will distribute affordable solar systems to homes and schools in rural communities across southern Uganda. More to come on that initiative in future posts. For now, check out Idealist and support a cause near and dear to you. You never know who you might meet or where it may take you.
