Description

Spend time in Colombia lending a hand to those in need. From teaching, orphanage work, child or elderly care, feeding the homeless, and construction and renovation work, volunteers are always needed and appreciated. International Volunteer HQ offers an experience that will change lives.

* Teaching
In Colombia there are many schools that do not have enough staff, money or equipment and in many cases the teachers are under-qualified. This problem is not just primarily with teaching English. The children here might never have a chance to learn a wide range of other subjects, therefore volunteers will assist with the teaching of as many subjects as possible. In Colombian schools the teaching of mathematics, sciences, humanities, music, sports, dance and art are just as important. The volunteers are not only here to assist and teach these subjects but to encourage the children to find their dreams. The children need to have a goal and even though they might come from the poorest backgrounds we want to make the children believe they can be the doctors, teachers, sport stars, artists and mathematicians of the future. This work is highly rewarding. As soon as you walk into that classroom you will realize just how much this means to the children. We want our volunteers to share their knowledge and experience and show them that with a bit of hard work anything is possible. NB - Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: Colegio Ricaurte De Soacha
This school is located in Soacha in the south of Bogota. It is in a poor neighborhood outside of the city centre, approximately a one hour bus ride from the apartment. The school is split into two buildings, one for kindergarten and creche and the other for children in first grade to ninth grade. The schools are very close so the volunteer has the choice of which building to work at (this is also dependent on volunteer numbers at the time and availability of placements within the school). There are about 30 to 40 children in kindergarten. The volunteers will help assist the two teachers with lessons, play times and feeding. The lessons will consists of drawing, building and teaching things like the numbers and the alphabet in Spanish. There is a lot of fun to be had with the children during the playtimes and the feeding is generally a small snack. There are also children with learning difficulties here so they need a bit of extra care, attention and affection. On Saturdays the school holds a dance and acting class for the children with learning difficulties. We give the volunteers a choice if they wish to attend. It's a lot of laughs and smiles and is a great opportunity to interact with these children a little bit more. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Colombia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

* Orphanage Work
All South American countries are suffering from huge numbers of orphaned children whose lives have been disrupted from war, murder, neglect, abuse, poverty and disease resulting in a larger number of orphanages in countries such as Colombia. Contributing to this disproportionate number of orphanages is the fact that in some cases the parents are simply unable to provide for the children or they have been abandoned. Therefore, there is a huge need for volunteers within our orphanages. Not much money and support go into these houses from the government so there are very few people who work there all day and everyday. The majority of the children are not able to go to school so it's vital the volunteers can teach and educate them as much as possible. They could teach anything from English, Math, Sciences, Arts, Music and Physical Education. Some of the children do go to school and they will need help with their homework. Along with teaching, volunteers who work in an orphanage will help with general work and daily chores and will generally work from 8:00 am till 12.00pm or 1.00pm till 4.00pm. Your participation in an orphanage project is not only appreciated by the children but also by the local support who work there. This work ranges from cooking and cleaning, assisting with feeding programs, caring for the children and the babies.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: Asociacion Hogar Ninos Por Un Nuevo Planeta
Located in an underprivileged district in Bogota, this particular project is home to about 150+ children and the majority of them live in the orphanage. The children are of all ages, from new born babies to 18 year olds so the work is varied. You can spend the first hour of your time feeding and tending to the newborns, then move on to entertaining and playing sport with 11 year olds, and finally to teaching English to 15 year olds. These children receive very little education and so there is great need for volunteers here who are willing to teach. In addition to teaching, the volunteer will also spend their time playing games, dancing, drawing, painting and reading with all the children. The children here are very cheerful and cheeky so it's constant laughs and giggles as soon as you walk through the door. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Colombia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

* Childcare
The centers for children in Colombia are not organized the way most people are used to seeing in the USA, UK or any other Western countries. Colombia has a huge family-oriented culture and orphans tend to be taken in by extended families or are even sometimes taken in by neighbors. Children from all over Colombia find themselves here in Bogota due to displacement from the more rural areas. Wars and fighting in the 1980s and early 1990s have forced thousands of families to flee their homes and head to the large cities. Without anywhere to live they have to share with whoever they can. These added men, women and children put a huge strain on the families who take them in and so the children are sent to centers for certain hours of the day to receive education, interaction and food. Volunteers must understand that the children usually do not live at the Centre and are only there for a few hours in the day. We need as many volunteers as possible to ease the workload for the local workers who care for these children. These children are in desperate need for some love and attention and volunteers are the perfect people to get the job done.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: Hogar Madre Teresa
This is a centre for the children of central Bogota. Most of the children here have a family, but cannot afford to look after them. The care workers and sisters take in the children everyday just to give them shelter and feed them. There is a great need for volunteers here. There can be up to 40 children on one day and not nearly enough helpers to look after them properly. The volunteers' main job will be to keep the children entertained and care for them. They will be able to dance, play games and organize group activities with the children as well as teaching English and reading books with them. The work can also involve some cleaning, cooking and generally helping out with the feeding program. It is so entertaining to be in the company of these children, many volunteers feel they never want to leave. This project is 100 meters down the road from Hogar de Cristo (another IVHQ placement) easy and safe for volunteers just to go back and forward from each one if needs be. The sisters here also speak English very well so it is easy for all volunteers regardless of Spanish ability to communicate with the local staff. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Colombia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

* Caring for the Elderly
In a large majority of Western countries, our elderly have homes, centers and care workers readily available for them. However, in Colombia there is very little or no financial help from the government to help their own elderly people. Once again due to war, neglect, poverty and disease, families may find themselves living in homes with up 8, 9, 10 other people. They cannot afford to feed every mouth and with about 70% of elderly folks suffering with one or more form of long term illness, the families simply cannot afford the medication either. This unfortunately leads to more and more elderly people being abandoned and left to fend for themselves on the streets of Bogota and when suffering from certain illnesses such as dementia and pneumonia, this is extremely difficult. This is where volunteers can assist. Our volunteers support centers for the elderly who literally rescue women from off the streets and put them into care. Here the ladies can receive love, food, shelter, and medication. With the help of our volunteers the local staff can increase the number of women they can look after. The volunteers can help with everything from medication to feeding.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: Hogar de Cristo
This is a home for elderly ladies. These ladies are found on the streets throughout Bogota and have normally just been left by their families who cannot afford to look after them anymore. The ladies suffer from a wide range of problems such as blindness, deafness, some are unable to talk, arthritis, dementia and general day to day illnesses such as the flu and colds. There is never a dull moment whilst volunteering here. The volunteers main job will be to keep the elderly company and to keep them entertained. There is not really a lot arranged for the elderly to do here and that is why the volunteers are required. They can play a wide range of games (such as bingo) and board games with the elderly, whilst also arranging drawing and painting activities and even reading to the ladies. The ladies also love to dance which is a great form of exercise for them. The volunteers can bring their own music if they wish but the ladies prefer the traditional Colombian music of course. They need to exercise at least once a day so dancing is by far the most effective method of doing this as they enjoy it. Some of the elderly are in wheelchairs and thus are unable to dance but they need exercise too, the volunteers can take the ladies for walks but there are also physiotherapy facilities available. The ladies also have monthly trips to the doctors, the staff need as much assistance as possible from the volunteers here. At around 11.00am it is time for lunch. The volunteers help take all the ladies upstairs to the dining area where they will serve the food and drink. Once finished the volunteers can help wash and tidy away the dishes. When lunch is finished it is usually about 1.00pm. Finally, there is also maintenance such as painting, cleaning and sweeping to do. Anything just to ease the workload for the staff here. The sisters work there too and they are almost fluent in several languages which makes it easier for the volunteers. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Colombia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

* Feeding the Homeless
This project is one of the most eye opening that IVHQ has to offer. Similar to many third world countries Colombia has its fair share people living on the streets. What makes this project so incredible is it gives the volunteer a chance to help everyone from young to old to women to the disabled. Homelessness can effect anyone whether the cause being substance abuse, mental health problems, unemployment, domestic abuse, natural disasters or forced eviction. This project gives the volunteers the opportunity to help, reach out and interact with all types of people. In one day you could help feed around 200 men, women and children. It is important to note that because of the small amount of time this project takes (in regards to the total week), volunteers will also have to involve themselves on another placement to ensure they are busy throughout the week.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: Hogar Madre Teresa
This feed the homeless project is every Wednesday night at 7.00pm the volunteers will spend 2 hours helping, looking after and feeding the homeless of Bogota with the staff of Hogar de Cristo. The volunteers can have a go at cooking the food if they wish, they then hand the food out and clean up afterwards. It is an amazing experience to help those really in need, as well as being a great way to learn some Spanish. Our soup kitchen project is very similar and takes place Monday to Friday with the staff of Hogar Madre Teresa at 12.00pm.

* Construction and Renovation
This project is a chance for volunteers to break into a sweat and get their hands a little dirty! Some families, schools and even some hospitals in Bogota cannot afford professional people, tools and supplies to build or renovate. With homes, classrooms and hospital wards bursting at the seams due to the number of children, and patients increasing they drastically need assistance. Volunteers do not need any building or renovation experience to help here but you will need to have a reasonable level of energy and fitness and of course dedication and determination. There is a foreman on sight who is always there to point you in the right direction (he will always find something for you to do). You may find yourself knocking down walls, installing kitchens, fixing chairs, painting walls or renovating roofs. IVHQ construction projects concentrate mainly on schools in poor areas at the moment where there are not enough classrooms, chairs or desks to cater for all the children. This is your chance to leave an amazing, long lasting and permanent mark of your own. NB A surcharge of US$5 per day is added to the program costs of this placement to cover construction materials.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: Colegio Ricaurte De Soacha
Our construction and renovation projects take place in the same area as our schools and kindergarten in which we work, in the district of Soacha. We are concentrating our efforts on helping the Colegio Ricaurte De Soacha to build new classrooms and be able to accommodate the full number of children in the school. The majority of the existing classrooms in the school need to be renovated with a good paint job also. The school has dreams for the future to open a creche for the babies of Soacha, and this will require a tremendous amount of work. At the moment they only have a couple of men who do everything. The roofs need fixing, walls need clearing, walls need building, kitchens and store rooms need to be installed, desks and chairs need to be made, windows need fitting and finally everything needs to be decorated. This project is also a call for the budding artists out there - he school always needs educational and motivational posters and murals. If you fancy designing and painting a huge mural on a wall then this project is something for you. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Colombia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

Highlights

* Extremely affordable program fees
* Quality Programs
* Flexible Placements
* 24/7 Support
* Loyalty Program
* IVHQ Information Booklet
* Discount Spanish lessons

Travel Types

• Heritage Tourism
• Homestay
• Student Tours
• Volunteering

Qualifications

Volunteers must be 18 years or older at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education.

We recommend that all volunteers regardless of their Spanish language ability (unless they are extremely fluent), take advantage of the very affordable Spanish lessons offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers by our program staff in Colombia. Past volunteer feedback has shown us that volunteers feel they can contribute far more with some Spanish ability. Spanish is NOT a prerequisite for our Colombia program, however on certain placements the level of work a volunteer can do will be restricted with limited Spanish. Our local staff in Colombia offer hugely discounted Spanish lessons to our volunteers and a wide variety of options.

Minimum Education

High School

Intern Types

• Sustainable Development
• Education
• Psychology
• Social Sciences
• Social Work
• Sociology

Languages

• English
• Spanish

Cost in US$:

Program Fees from USD 270 (1 week) to USD 2,380

Cost Includes:

• Excursions
• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Language instruction
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

What do my fees pay for:

* Registration Fee (Refundable if you choose not to go)
- 24/7 support from IVHQ staff
- program marketing costs
- information pack
- administration costs
- travel costs to inspect programs and communication costs with volunteers
- You will also receive a dedicated program coordinator

* Program Fee
- Airport pick up
- orientation
- program supervision
- accommodation and meals during volunteer placement period
- In-country 24/7 volunteer support and In-country administration costs

Credit Available

yes

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Age Range

18 to 75

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Apartment/Flat
• Dormitory
• Group living
• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 2-6

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 week

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad

International Volunteer HQ's Mission Statement

International Volunteer HQ aims to provide volunteers with quality, flexible, safe and highly affordable volunteering placements in developing countries. In addition to providing aid and assistance to these countries, International Volunteer HQ endeavors to increase education and heighten awareness through not only the skills and expertise taken by volunteers to their host communities and institutions, but also through the experiences and lessons volunteers will in turn take back to their own countries and cultures.

Year Founded

2007