Have you wanted to volunteer overseas but didn't know how to go about it ?  Want to do some good in another part of the world but don't have two years to spend in the Peace Corps ? Do you want to be able to be a better judge of which volunteer programs would best suit your individual goals ?  Or perhaps you would like to organize your own thing, something you could do apart from any existing organized volunteer program ?  I'll give you enough information so you can at least know where to start, and how to evaluate what's out there. A good place to start would be to decide what your goals are, what you hope to learn or do or accomplish from the volunteer experience.  Do you want to learn about life in a third-world village ? Do you want to help poor people in some impoverished place?   It helps to be realistic about your goals – we can't change the world overnight, but we can make a start.  Also keep in mind that the people you will volunteer among aren't dumb, usually they just lack resources – sometimes they will benefit from better ways of doing things, but be respectful of their way of life, even if they don't do things the way you've been used to doing them.  If you only learn one thing from this article, remember this: the person who will be changed the most from the experience won't be anybody you are volunteering among, but you.  You will see the world a little bit differently, you'll probably see how few resources most people in the world have, but still they manage to get along.  It's a great introduction to living overseas.  You might even find a country to settle in as a result of your volunteer experience, one that you wouldn't have considered before.  If you haven't traveled extensively overseas, you might want to start with a relatively easy country to volunteer in – perhaps Costa Rica or Panama or Poland, someplace with decent health conditions that is  easy to get around.  If you haven't traveled much and choose a more challenging place like India or parts of Africa it can take quite a bit more adjustment, not to mention preparation.  But if your heart is set on it, don't let me stop you.

Previous lifestyle articles: The Lone Ex-Pat - A few weeks ago, due to an unfortunate series of events, I found myself stranded in a foreign country. I was sick, alone, and without funds; hard times can feel scarier and bigger when you are abroad. Being on your own suddenly doesn’t seem like such a good idea. Every expat will tell you that the hardest part of living abroad is the isolation. Expat in a Foreign Environment - A living abroad experience, as a whole, can be greatly enjoyed and valued.  The key to this result is handling day-to-day life.  Learning how to keep your head above water, or as I prefer to say to, how to stay AFLOAT, will enable you to make the most of your abroad experience. Time of Opportunity - Let me tell you one thing I believe: we're living at a time of unprecedented opportunity.  Never before has it been more possible to start a new life in another country. The Global Nomad Experience: Living in Liminality - Global nomads are persons of any age or nationality who have lived a significant part of their developmental years in one or more countries outside their passport country because of a parent's occupation.  Children raised as global nomads can be the offspring of diplomatic, international business, government agency, international agency, missionary, or military personnel, or indeed of people living internationally mobile lives for any professional reason.  Typically, global nomads share a unique cultural heritage. start earning an automatic income online opportunities abound in the field of internet commerce.

If building houses for the poor sounds appealing, you could give Habitat for Humanity a try.  They offer numerous opportunities to actually build houses for the poor in many parts of the world. Their short term  programs usually last 1 to 2 weeks, some longer.  Their web site is  www.Habitat.org . The program that involves overseas volunteering is called Global Village – volunteers pay a fee to participate, depending on location, length, etc. 

If you're more adventurous, you could consider looking up local affiliates in other countries, and going there on your own, and asking if you can volunteer by basically just showing up on your own.  They may or may not let you do this, but if they do they often charge you just for room and board – so it can be less expensive than going with the Global Village program.  I did this in Costa Rica several times, and a friend did this in Bolivia.  If you choose this route, you can search for affiliates on the Habitat site.  Keep in mind that if you go on your own you should speak at least some of the local language, and remember, you're on your own.  But it is more flexible and cheaper than going with a group, if you have an independent streak like I do it's an option.  Note that volunteering with Habitat often (usually) involves physical labor – you get in there and  pour concrete, set concrete blocks, haul bags of concrete, etc.  Outside of the states most of the world is made out of concrete or bricks.  The programs vary from country to country, so it isn't all the same, and volunteering with Habitat overseas is much different than volunteering in the states.  I'm not endorsing Habitat, but my experience with them has been good. 

There are several reference books that are full of programs and ideas.  “Alternatives to the Peace Corps”, edited by J.S. Willsea is a great book – in this book I found a program in India that I spent some time at, volunteering among tribal people in a very isolated area.  The experience changed my thinking about a lot of things, and it also got me to India, a country which I probably wouldn't have visited otherwise.

The International Directory of Volunteer Work by Victoria Pybus and Volunteer Vacations :Short Term Vacations That Will Benefit You and Others by Bill McMillon are two more excellent references.

How Do You Separate the Good From the So-So From the Bad?
I have personally never paid much to volunteer – usually just equivalent to the cost of room and board, along with paying my own travel expenses. Lots of programs out there charge $300 or $500 or more per week.  If it's just for a week, fine, but for a longer period of time it really adds up.  If you want a smooth experience and don't want to have to organize everything on your own, then it's often worth paying the money to a program – but still shop around and do your homework.  Just because a program charges a lot doesn't mean it's the best program.

You will generally find that the locally-run programs charge less than programs run from Western countries, and sometimes are more in touch with the local people.  The above references will give you some local programs to choose from.  You can find all sorts of volunteer programs on the internet, but keep in mind that you should do your homework, not just pay your money and fly overseas.  It's a big commitment for you – time, plane ticket, cost of the program, etc.  Do it right and have the best experience possible. 

If you find a program that you like, ask for references, contact information for other people who have volunteered in the program.  They may have glowing references on their web site, but you'll get a better low down by taking a little time to correspond directly with former volunteers. 

You may want to shy away from programs that cost a lot - $800 or $1000 a week or whatever, unless they include plane fare.  If the locals are making $5 a day or less, why should you pay $150 a day to volunteer?   Believe me, room and board in a poor country is not expensive, and for most projects that will be their only expense on your behalf, apart from local ground transport.  One possible exception is if they are using a large part of your program fee to fund some particular local program – like building a clinic, etc.  It's a fair question for you to ask how much of your program fee will go to the actual work of the project – and not just to home office salaries, advertising, home office overhead and so on.  Just because they charge you a lot doesn't necessarily mean all that money is going to the work of the project.  If you want to spend a lot of money, better to find a project that doesn't charge a lot, and offer to help them fund some need that they might have – like school books or a well pump or whatever.  Your money will be doing a lot more good.

Do you have any special interests you would like to explore as a volunteer?  I'm not a medical professional, but I've been interested in village medicine, and medicine in poorer countries in general.  I organized several of my volunteer trips around that, had an amazing time in parts of the former Soviet Union.  If you have a special interest, explore it, find out what you can volunteer at that would fulfill your interest.  Maybe you want to work with handicapped children, or teach refugees English so they can get jobs in the tourist industry.

As an aside, an excellent reference if you plan to spend any time in a very poor country is the book, 'Where There Is No Doctor' by David Werner. It's for people living in area that lacks a doctor – an amazing book.  You may not have to deal with childbirth, tuberculosis, snakebite or appendicitis, but it's all covered in there, symptoms, treatments, etc. 

If you're already in a foreign country, you can also ask around about local volunteer opportunities.  You may have some special skill like a medical background, or maybe you can just teach English at a local school.  If you have some time and the desire, ask around.  Ask other foreigners and tourists if they know of anything – particularly expatriates who've been in the country for a while.  Go to an internet cafe and look for programs, maybe there's something up your alley that isn't too far away. 

I've found some of my most rewarding volunteer opportunities just by asking local expatriates, and by looking at bulletin boards in the hotels or hostels where I was staying. 

Before you sign up for a program, find out what sort of work you will be doing as a volunteer.  It may come as a surprise to think you will be building a school or painting a mural or something, and when you get there you end up playing with children.  Fun anyway, but maybe not what you had in mind.   Also keep in mind that most poorer countries have plenty of manual laborers, they don't really need you for that, but if you wish to do manual labor (I sometimes like to) you should be welcome.  Be flexible and do what they need you to do, not just what you want to do. 
 

. The Fitness Starts @ Home Training Guide - We can all use more motivation.  That's especially true if we are starting an exercise program, or if we want to take it to the next level.  At last, all the motivation you need is right here, because right now you can access the secrets the fitness professionals have kept hidden for years! After helping thousands of individuals to achieve their deeply personal objectives through seminars, personal training, coaching, one-on-one and group sessions, boot camps and fitness classes, Sean Trask now makes them available to you in this powerful eBook.  .

Volunteering Long Term
If you're in one place volunteering for a longer period you'll have more ability to leave a lasting contribution.  If you have a block of time, good health, and lots of patience and energy, few experiences are more rewarding.

Maintaining good health becomes more of an issue over a long period – if you don't take some precautions you could end up with some of the same health problems the locals might have.  Eat right, take vitamins, and take care of yourself – if you're sick you won't feel like helping anybody.  Use your mosquito net if malaria is endemic to the area.

A great reference for products that would be useful in a village situation is : www.thesustainablevillage.com  If you plan to spend a long period of time in a poorer country, many of the products on this web site would be invaluable.  A very interesting product is their CD library of development books – it's $500, but includes roughly 100,000 pages of  information, from hundreds of books – you'd be hard pressed to find all this information collected together in another place.  You would be amazed at some of the products on this web site – low tech, high tech, all geared toward developing countries.  Keep in mind that the technology used in villages often much different than what you are used to, and if you haven't worked in development you probably have never heard of most of this stuff.  You may find some products on the site you'd like for your own personal use, but keep in mind that some products they will ship only to addresses in developing countries.  Take a look at some of the products available, and see if any of them would be useful and practical where you are headed. 

If you're looking for a training program to work in development, Solar Energy International offers several class of various lengths, in addition to their main offerings of renewable energy classes. Www.solarenergy.org  In any event, if you plan to be in a village situation for a period of time it can be helpful to read up on solar cooking, gardening, etc. 

If you decide to volunteer overseas for a longer period, there are some foundations and charities that may be able to assist you with the expenses involved, maybe even within your own city.  If you belong to a church or civic organization you could try a little fund raising there as well.  It doesn't hurt to let people know what you are doing and ask for a little help if you need it.  It's usually pretty inexpensive to live in a poorer country, but it can still add up if you plan to stay for six months or a year or more.  Some long term programs will offer free room and board, a few will offer some sort of small stipend, but if you have your own funds it may provide you with a wider choice of projects. 

Be Prepared
Come prepared for the local conditions.  If you're going with a group your leader should keep you filled in on what you'll need.  In areas with malaria I like to bring my own mosquito net – don't know what they will have there, and mine doesn't have any holes in it.  Malaria is something to be taken very seriously.  If you're going to a very isolated area you might bring something for water purification – again if you're going with a group your leader should have this covered.  Once I even brought one of those black plastic camping hot water things, since it was out in the boonies and I like a hot shower once in a while.  I left it at the project for future volunteers since there was hot water and running water in the cities, but not at the project. 

If you're going to an isolated area without running water or electricity, a quick trip to the camping store can make a world of difference in your trip, for a relatively small amount of money – but try not to bring any heavy stuff.  If the local villagers can use it, consider leaving some of your camping gear for them – you can always buy more gear at your camping store, they may not have access to what you've got anywhere in their country.  Something like those flashlights you shake instead of using batteries are perfect for a village situation. 

You might also consider bringing some little things for the local children.  I like to bring a couple bags of balloons if it's a poor area.  You can get several hundred balloons in a small package, they don't weigh anything.  That way you can give a lot of children a balloon – some children in poor villages really don't have any toys, a balloon is a big deal.  Or a box or two of pencils if you prefer.

Be sure your shots are up to date.  Few countries require anything, apart from a yellow fever shot if it's an endemic area, but a quick trip to your county health department will inform you of what kind of bugs there are where you plan to go.  Try to do it at least a month before you plan to go overseas -  sometimes you're tired for a few days after vaccinations, save your energy for the project.  Don't freak out, just be prepared. 

General Reference and Background
If you aren't already familiar with the country you plan to volunteer in, pick up a copy of  the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide books for the country. Consider getting a phrase book if you aren't conversant in the local language.  Lonely Planet also has an excellent web site with general information about most countries – www.lonelyplanet.com.

After You Return Home
You've got new friends overseas, and a new outlook on things.  Consider sharing your experience with others, especially if it was unique.  Do a power point presentation or a slide show for your church or civic group.  Put up a web site with pictures.  If the project you volunteered at had special needs, consider assisting them in some small way, if it's practical, maybe by raising money or sending essential products or whatever. Maybe they don't have a web site already and you could do one for them. 

See The World In A New Way
Sometimes it may seem like a lot of effort to go overseas and volunteer, but it's the best way there is to see how other people live in the world. You're a lot more than a tourist, you've stepped outside of the normal tourist path and entered the lives of the local people, and some may become good friends.  You may well come to cherish your volunteer experiences as I do, more than almost anything else I've done.