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NGOabroad
International Careers & Volunteering
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International Volunteer Programs
Central & South America |
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Our opportunities in the Americas have a range of roles so most sites
can fit for everyone.
Email answered Questionnaire & we can find one that is right for you.
The challenge: I did not get it
until I got there: the Andes and west of the Andes are bone dry. Where
do they get water? They don't. Crops wither. People are scattered in the
highlands. If a mother has complications giving birth, it may be a three
day walk to the nearest hospital. Calling life in the high Andes
"remote" is an understatement. Kids walk two hours to school. But why
bother? There are no jobs after all that walking and studying. Hoping
for a better life, families migrate to the cities. But there are no jobs
there, either. Kids bring in the family income by shining shoes. Parents
can not feed their kids so leave them at the orphanage. Parts of
Central & South America are affluent & very well developed; and parts
are very poor.
We need your head & your heart to solve these challenges.
Microfinance:
a Ticket out of Poverty
The organization, Accion, will
tell you that microfinance originated in South America.
What is new is how the idea has caught fire. Microfinance is not
about infusing money.
More, it is about the skills gained, the pride & power when you
see your enterprise fly.
We need people who can teach incremental skills:
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Teach math,
bookkeeping & accounting.
Experience in small business development.
Entrepreneurial skills.
Weaving, embroidery & village crafts. |
Knowledge of
banking & finance.
...of cooperatives & credit.
Experience with eCommerce & Fair Trade.
Farming & rural livelihoods. |
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Learning to
Lead by Laughing
This microfinance
organization is directed by one of the funniest & warmest
directors that I have ever met.
Needless to say, she has a strong & happy team. I believe there
is much to be learned from this director.
Great for Public Administration, Business, International
Development & Social Work internships! |
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c. David Zimmerly |
Health
Professionals & Students Needed
We have various Levels of Challenge
for: nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, midwives, Public
Health, dentists
--a clinic not far from Machu Picchu that seeks both
professionals and students.
--a private hospital setting in Central America. (licensure can
be tricky here)
--the need for seasoned professionals that can manage
independently in remote locations.
--non-medical organizations that can provide those in need:
---can you pull teeth? set bones? & dx without labs or x-rays?
You are needed.
Let's discuss which sites
are best suited to you. |
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For me, this is
the Sacred Valley.
My colleague told me that I must visit this place and these
people.
"It has a special feeling," she said. I have never had such a strong
sense
that this is a place where Heaven & Earth forces meet.
Our colleagues here generate income
through their spa, restaurant & resort
that then feeds & funds their development projects in the
surrounding communities.
Who and what are
needed. Volunteers to:
--hospitality marketing: help to upscale spa & resort
--expand adventure travel services; fly-fishing & birding
--marketing agriculture & fruits.
--sustainability--farming on dry land, eco-tourism, straw bale &
solar.
--people to help build soccer stadium to generate income.
--"all the nurses, doctors & public health volunteers that you can
send." |
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c. David Zimmerly |
Mujer-a-Mujer
Working with women in other cultures requires the utmost of
grace & a fresh perspective:
what are their priorities & needs? Emphasis is building skills -
"capacity building."
We have opportunities to work with women in South America & the
Caribbean.
You need not have professional skills. Life skills are often
more pertinent.
We need help with:
Domestic Violence: counseling, advocacy, legal assistance &
community education.
Literacy, vocational training.
Civic education & participating in democracy.
Income generation & micro-finance.
Health: community education & treatment.
Environmental: sustainable agriculture; community education.
Refugees & human rights, esp. Haitians in the Dominican
Republic. |
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AIDS in the Americas?!
All too often we associate the AIDs
pandemic with Africa
and neglect those impacted in other parts of the world.
We have 2 separate programs dedicated to AIDS:
working with AIDS orphans
& preventing the transmission of AIDS from mother to child.
Can you help a kid develop life & vocational skills?
Help to the grandparents who are raising 10 - 15 kids?
Help educate community & mothers
about AIDS transmission?
Help care for infants with AIDS?
Skills needed:
People who love children & youth. Parents & grandparents.
Teachers. Early childhood education. Tutors. Art Therapists.
Nutritionists. Nursing. Medical. Dental. Social work & psychology.
Construction. Project development & project management.
Business development. Artisan marketing. Soccer!
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c. Thomas Muirhead |
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Healing Torture
after Pinochet
on hold
Under Pinochet's dictatorship,
over 3,000 people disappeared & were murdered; over 30,000 were
tortured.
Years later, torture survivors
are still haunted by memories & nightmares.
Our colleagues are dedicated to help with the healing
Trained psychotherapists,
psychologists, counselors, & social workers are needed. |
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Community Mental
Health
on hold Have experience
working with:
--sexual, physical &/or alcohol abuse?
--depression, suicide or suicide prevention?
--schizophrenia &/or bipolar?
Trained psychotherapists, psychologists, counselors, & social
workers are needed.
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Help in the
high, High Andes
The organization is indigenous and the director is well
versed in how international development organizations work, i.e.
"project cycles" & "monitoring & evaluation".
If you want to learn how internatinal NGO's work...you can get a
helpful sampling here.
Bolivia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the
world.
Bolivia also has high malnutrition in children. We need you to
help with:
Mother & Child Health; Nutrition; Health Promotion.
Sexual Reproduction: Nursing & Midwives.
Equally important, we need assistance with: |
Income Generation.
Aquaculture & agriculture. |
Water Sanitation. Micro-irrigation.
Natural Resources & environment. |
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Bolivians, after
years of servitude, are asserting their rights. This is an exciting
place to teach Human rights education.
Help with Disaster prevention & preparation.
The Andes have frequent earthquakes that bury people in the rubble.
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Teaching ESL &
Academics in English
Single mothers are the
driving force behind this school.
These struggling mothers wanted life to be better for their
children.
The mothers feel that the ticket out of poverty is being able to
speak English.
Needed:
Native English speakers, ESL or TESOL training a plus.
Adept in teaching math, social studies, reading & English
but you do not need a teaching credential.
Strong people skills essential and you must connect well to kids.
Very cool: Organization provides food & room. |
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What is so,
so funny?
That people think that they need to study
and speak Spanish in South America!
The language spoken in the highlands,
the language of the ancestors of the Incas is Quechua. |
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We have two
sites where you can learn Quechua
and
a vast world where you need it to get the jokes! |
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Programs on hold or in-the-making:
Creative Commons |
The Arctic
This is a
placement-in-the-making. Ask if interested.
(Listed on this page because it is part of the Americas.)
Climate change has brought attention to the Arctic.
We would like to improve the lives of the Arctic people.
Needed:
Experience in drug/alcohol treatment, suicide prevention, domestic
violence, mental health &/or restorative justice. +Engaging youth;
community economic development; eco-tourism. |
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c. Meghan Colvin |
Serve
& Surf
on hold You would not believe
how many people say,
"I love surfing! I want to volunteer where
I
can surf." We aim to please.
Here is where adventuring meets service.
Skills needed:
Youth & social workers, counselors,
drug counselors, mentors
"Outdoorsy people", surfers, hikers.
Administrative & organizational help. |
c. Manoocher Deghati |
Photo credits, thanks to: Citizen X; David
Zimmerly & Jeroen Neele.
How the International Volunteer Programs work:
Looking for
a Volunteer Vacation or to Volunteer Abroad? We offer more real &
challenging. More affordable.
Frugal: 1/4th the price of most programs.
See fees & how to apply.
Challenging: harness your skills to tackle real challenges.
Real Deal for "Grown-Ups": other programs offer group
experiences & send a chaperone. We are for volunteers who want
the real deal: willing to do both the grunt work & the glamorous;
able to live humbly & make a real contribution.
Personalized: rather than one-size-fits-all approach,
we believe that if you are really going to make a contribution, we
must match your skills to where they are truly needed.
Flexible Schedule: You can go
at any time of year though school schedules or hurricane season may create some constraints.
Duration of your stay can be determined with the Host Director.
Your schedule can usually be
accommodated.
Home Stays keep the cost down & deepen your understanding of daily life. Or you can stay at a guesthouse.
Adventurous: We believe that you can immerse in other cultures
if you are well prepared: Travel Consults
maximize health & safety.
Transportation: Some people wonder who pays airfare.
97% of the time: the volunteer.
Your host organization cannot afford to pay your airfare. 50% of
humanity earns <$2/day. |
Travel Consult with Mary Ellen is often recommended
to volunteers going to Americas.
See info about usefulness of Consult with Mary
Ellen. |
NGOabroad is a Limited Liability Company (LLC)
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