Community Development Volunteer Programs Abroad

Maximo Nivel is a locally based organization in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Peru. Volunteer abroad—get involved, make an impact, and learn to serve by working on local projects: - Working with Kids - Teaching English - Conservation - Construction - Animal Care - Eco-Agriculture - Medical and Healthcare To qualify: - Volunteers must be 18+ years of age or accompanied by a parent or guardian. - We require background checks from our volunteers. - Come with a great attitude and a willingness to pitch in. Since 2003, Maximo Nivel has been a leader in educational travel and study abroad. Our work-study-travel programs host more than 4,000 people per year. We are a professional, ethical, and hard-working organization that is completely dedicated to providing a great experience to every participant, student, traveler, and client! Every day, we strive to set ourselves apart and provide the best volunteer, education, and cultural experiences in Latin America, along with top-notch client service and great home-based facilities. Live it!

Find out why it's more fun and meaningful to volunteer with us! Volunteer for the Visayans (VFV) provides a wide range of program choices for people wanting to Volunteer Abroad in the Philippines through our local community partners and our very own community centers. VFV endeavors to improve the quality of life of the community by providing responsive, efficient, and high-quality community service through our programs and projects that promote self-efficiency, well-being, and prosperity of individuals, families, and communities throughout the Visayas Region. VFV has initiated programs to address issues in social welfare, education, public health, and community development in rural areas surrounding Tacloban City. The design of our programs allows prospective participants of varied skills and professions to get involved with various projects. We require that all volunteers are flexible, self-motivated, open-minded, sensitive to other cultures, and desire to challenge themselves in an unfamiliar environment!

Explore Internships and Volunteer Programs in Mexico with Adelante Abroad Mexico is a country renowned for its ancient ruins, vibrant culture, and stunning beaches. With Adelante Abroad, you’ll gain practical experience in your chosen field while fully immersing yourself in Mexican life and culture. Our internship programs in Oaxaca focus on giving back to the community while developing your professional skills. Choose placements in sectors such as Arts, Social Work, Psychology, English Teaching, Culinary, Education, and more. Programs run from 2 to 6 months, and new placements begin the first week of every month, making our volunteer opportunities in Oaxaca flexible and accessible year-round. Housing options vary by location. Interns can live with local families or other international participants, both of which provide excellent opportunities to improve their Spanish skills while experiencing life like a local. Adelante Abroad tailors each placement to your experience, skills, and program availability. Contact us to confirm your internship or volunteer program in Mexico and explore additional opportunities designed to boost your resume and cultural understanding.

Make a difference in Zambia by stepping into classrooms where every helping hand counts. Based in the vibrant town of Livingstone—near the world-famous Victoria Falls—this volunteer teaching program places you at the heart of rural schools filled with eager students and passionate local teachers. You’ll support learners who benefit immensely from extra time, attention, and encouragement. Teaching here goes beyond the classroom. From guiding a phonics lesson to helping with math clubs or organizing outdoor reading games, your impact will be direct and lasting. Afternoons are filled with community outreach projects, offering a rewarding balance of classroom support and hands-on involvement. No prior teaching experience is needed—just strong English skills, a positive attitude, and a genuine interest in education. This is a chance to support future generations while learning more about yourself along the way.

GoEco offers a wide variety of social work volunteer opportunities and internships worldwide. These programs provide support to children and adults in need, especially those facing one or more layers of disadvantage in society. Our programs aim to support these children and adults, as well as the local communities overall. A few examples of our social work programs include our Girl Empowerment in Cape Town, South Africa, our Community Aid in Rajasthan program in India and our Social Work Internships program in San Jose, Costa Rica. We also offer programs that help those with special needs, in both Israel and Chile. No matter which program you choose, your social work will make a difference both to these individuals and in these communities.

Volunteer abroad with Kaya and help make quality education accessible to children from rural areas. You will work at a voluntary school started in 2008 by a local community leader to encourage kids to learn English. This project had a largely positive impact, with more than 400 children attending either the morning or afternoon session. What’s amazing is that these children participate willingly and truly enjoy learning from international volunteers. Each class usually has 10-30 students and classrooms are equipped with basic resources, including a whiteboard and flashcards. You will teach in a traditional classroom setting, remaining within the school’s established curriculum and schedule. However, you are encouraged to be creative when planning lessons. Expect to work alongside local teachers and other volunteers, taking turns in giving instruction during the session. A love for children and patience are essential for this project. Besides passing your English knowledge test, you need to be able to share basic sanitation and hygienic practices as well as your own experiences and cultural background.

Step into London, one of the world’s leading business, finance, and cultural capitals, with an international internship designed to accelerate your career. This program blends hands-on professional experience, global networking, and cultural immersion, equipping students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals with the skills and connections to thrive in today’s competitive job market. Internships are available across sectors including business, marketing, finance, PR, technology, entrepreneurship, and NGOs, with placements tailored to your career goals. Through partnerships with 3,000+ leading companies, start-ups, and NGOs, you’ll gain meaningful experience that strengthens your résumé and prepares you for future opportunities. Alongside your internship, you’ll benefit from mentorship, professional development workshops, and networking events. Please note: If you solely hold a UK passport and have lived only in England & Wales for the past five years, you must join a program outside the UK. Whether you’re exploring your path, taking a gap year, or advancing your career, our London program offers an unmatched blend of growth and global experience.

The Real Uganda's volunteers assist our partners with a variety of empowering community-based activities. Volunteers split their time between these locally requested interventions: Public health and clinical work: Volunteers work in rural clinics providing testing, treatment, counseling services, and prevention education. Nutrition, vegetable gardening, and community sanitation programs are also ongoing. We aim to support rural public health in Uganda. Teaching and childcare: Volunteers work in rural classrooms, choosing what ages and topics to teach. Art and sport are the most popular. Traditional teaching in Uganda is rote learning and memorization. We aim to encourage teamwork, fun, creativity, literacy, and general knowledge in primary schools. Organic farming: Volunteers work alongside women and community members to maintain gardens. Depending on the season, volunteers prepare the soil, plant seeds, spread mulch, weed, harvest, and chase birds and other pests. Learn from Ugandan farmers, and share your ideas as well. We aim to teach efficient land use, organic pest control, and nutrition.

The farms of Isabela Island are working in greenhouses to optimize production year-round in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The highland town of Tomás de Berlanga is about 10 miles uphill from the coastal part of town, where IOI headquarters, your accommodations, social life, and the beach are located. Nestled on the side of Volcano Sierra Negra, the highlands are fertile, lush lands with rich volcanic soil - perfect for agriculture! Volunteers will learn local techniques for sustainable tropical agriculture and help create food sovereignty, reduce the carbon footprint of island life, reduce waste from shipping materials, lower the cost to local consumers, increase local income, and increase the nutritional content of the food available in Isabela. Requirements for this program: - Some ability to speak and understand Spanish is beneficial - Genuine passion for the outdoors and conservation of nature - Physical ability for hands-on construction work and laborious gardening-type jobs outdoors with potential allergens and sun and temperature exposure - Ability to work independently as well as in a team - Basic knowledge of non-motorized tools and their safe usage

Joining a Raleigh Costa Rica Expedition is a truly unique experience that allows you to take part in different projects, equip yourself with new skills, create lasting change with the communities we work with and take urgent action on environmental issues. Work with local initiatives and organisations to help preserve Costa Rica's natural resources, as one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. You will improve access to national parks by working with park rangers. On the Community project you will work with local indigenous communities to improve access to education for some of Costa Rica’s most marginalised children by improving educational infrastructure. Lastly, build your skills on the adventure leadership trek. Challenge yourself on trek and help lead your team through a variety of stunning routes.

International human rights include the right to work, to an adequate standard of living, to participate in cultural and political life, to education, and to freedom of religion. Even though Tanzania has ratified some human rights conventions, they are far from complying with them all in practice. A human rights center in Arusha run by a small, private NGO aims to provide legal aid and counseling services to poor and disadvantaged women and children in both rural and urban areas. It operates by conducting seminars, workshops, camps, and conferences as well as organizes legal aid, socio-economic support, and human rights education at the center and in the media. The Center strives to help as many people as possible but focuses primarily on women. Depending on your experience, education, and interests, you will be involved in various activities. The longer you stay, the more interesting your tasks will be. This program is open to both volunteers and interns. We welcome participants with a background or experience in law and human rights.

Gain practical social work experience during this exciting internship program in Cape Town, South Africa. You'll be part of a community center in Masiphumelele, a township on the outskirts of the city that provides a safe and stimulating space for up to a hundred children every afternoon. Many of these children have experienced different levels of trauma, and as an intern, you'll assist the program in providing stimulating activities and counseling sessions for groups of children when needed. This internship is a great opportunity for getting practical experience in social work while supporting an important social development program. Your tasks will include offering individual or group counseling sessions to children with troubled backgrounds; helping create stimulating, educative, and fun activities for the children in the aftercare program; and helping cook for and feed the children at the center, among others. Preferably you'll have an academic background or experience in sociology, social work, community development, education, pedagogy, or something similar.

Build your own experience in Sri Lanka with flexible start dates (any Sunday) and program lengths of 2, 3, or 4 weeks. Your journey begins with arrival in Colombo and transfer to Kandy, the island’s cultural capital, where Week 1 focuses on immersive discovery. Highlights include language lessons, guided tours, traditional dance, temple visits, meditation, Batik art, cooking classes, tea and herb garden visits, a boat ride on a lake, and an Ayurvedic massage. You’ll also share meals with locals and enjoy free time to explore sites such as Sigiriya Rock Fortress, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, or Kitulgala. Week 2 transitions into a meaningful project tailored to your interests. Choose Turtle Conservation in Ambalagoda, where you’ll help care for injured turtles, clean beaches, maintain tanks, and possibly assist with hatchling releases, or join a Restoration program in Kandy supporting temples, schools, and community spaces through painting, construction, and creative work. Whichever path you choose, you’ll gain hands-on experience, cultural insight, and the chance to make a lasting local impact.

Join us in Osa, Costa Rica, for an unforgettable volunteer experience where you’ll play a vital role in protecting sea turtles and their habitats. Nestled on the stunning Osa Peninsula, home to 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity, you’ll patrol pristine beaches, safeguard turtle nests, and release hatchlings into the wild. Beyond conservation, you’ll engage with the local community, help with environmental education, and explore breathtaking rainforests, waterfalls, and vibrant wildlife. Live at the heart of nature in our rustic jungle camp and make a tangible impact while creating memories that will last a lifetime.

All Hands and Hearts provides community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief. With the frequency and intensity of disasters on the rise around the globe, there's an urgent need for a more thoughtful approach to how we respond and help impacted communities recover. When a disaster strikes, All Hands and Hearts arrives early and stays late to address the immediate and long-term needs of vulnerable communities. We work alongside the local leaders and deploy our unique volunteer model to enable direct impact — helping families and communities recover by building safe, resilient schools, homes, and other community infrastructure. Thanks to passionate volunteers, donors, and partners, we've provided nearly 20 years of disaster relief support to over 1.3 million people.

Bucara Voluntours offers a meaningful way to connect with communities while exploring the vibrant culture of Bucaramanga, Colombia. This program combines social engagement with adventure, allowing participants to support local foundations while experiencing the best of Colombian life. Whether playing games with children, participating in language exchanges, or spending time at a dog rescue, every activity fosters genuine connections and cultural understanding. Participants can volunteer for as many days as they wish, engaging in sports, table games, or English classes with local youth. Beyond volunteering, the program offers outdoor activities such as hiking, paragliding, and cultural excursions. Spanish lessons with certified teachers help enhance communication skills, making the experience even more immersive and effective. From visiting coffee farms to learning Latin dances, this program offers a balance of social impact, education, and adventure in one of Colombia’s most welcoming cities.

Experience the power of visual storytelling during this unique humanitarian photography program in a town just outside Cape Town—Stellenbosch, South Africa. As a photographer on this program, you'll learn how to document the work of local nonprofit organizations effectively, and you'll put that knowledge into practice during photographic assignments. You'll be tutored by a professional humanitarian photographer with extensive experience and a deep passion for nonprofit photography. Through personal guidance, you'll be sure to grow both in skill and confidence as a photographer. This workshop is a wonderful way to make an impact through your lens and experience South Africa in a unique way. During your stay in Stellenbosch, your accommodation, transport, and meals will be taken care of. You'll be based in a comfortable lodge in the city center, allowing you to easily explore some of the many highlights Stellenbosch and Cape Town have to offer. To qualify for this NGO photography program, you'll need to have basic camera skills and some photographic experience. The workshop runs several times a year, and you can join us for 2 to 4 weeks.

Mente Argentina's International Volunteer Program in Buenos Aires has been thoughtfully designed to promote change in the communities of Buenos Aires as well as in the individuals who participant in the program. Throughout the course of the program, participants will be giving the opportunity to work on locally run projects, which will improve the environment and lifestyle of community. They will also have the chance to live like a local, build relationships with the people, and dive into the rich Argentinean culture. Marte Argentina has partnered with volunteer organizations and NGO's in order to give volunteers a variety of different opportunities. Among some of those opportunities are: working with children, education, HIV/AIDS counseling, and medical/health volunteering. No matter what program volunteers choose, they will have the opportunity to engage with the people and language of the beautiful country of Argentina and be changed by the experience.

Join VWI as a volunteer and help care for elephants in Heritage City—Jaipur, India. Support the local community in taking care of these elephants and their mahouts. Volunteers will help mahouts to feeding the elephants, bathing them, cleaning the area, bringing water, oil massaging the elephants head, trimming their nails, taking elephants for walk, make bundles of hay and chapati(Indian Roti) for elephants in a mud stove to eat. You will work around 3-4 hours per day everyday in morning and in the afternoon twice a week to make chapati's for Elephants to eat. Elephant mahouts are living with their families at the project site and are responsible to give right care, fed properly & keep them healthy and fit. The program is located in the village near Amber Fort which is also known as Elephant Village. where elephants get care by their mahouts everyday. It is also one of Elephant Sanctuary in India. Elephant Village Jaipur is India’s first and the world’s third elephant village also known as “Haathi Gaon“. The area is spread in 30 hectares of land; it has stable blocks for each elephants with attached housing; it also a big man-made lake for elephants to swim and washed down.