Volunteer Abroad

Anne Crotty from Kilkenny with fellow volunteers taking part in orientation upon arriving in Nepal.

The staff from Kinderland school in Ibadan, Nigeria with Laura McGrath, a volunteer from Dublin.

Volunteers can facilitate art and craft workshop such as in Barra de Potosi, a fishing village in Mexico.

Brona Higgins from Co. Monaghan with some of the Nepalese students she taught.

Teaching and Education projects in 18 countries. No specific qualifications are necessary for teaching placements.

Find your Project

Explore the world and make a difference!

EIL Intercultural Learning is an Irish not for profit organisation supporting local projects across the world. Our Volunteer Abroad programme involves living, working and making a difference in a local community while learning about a new culture and gaining a new perspective on global and development issues. We offer flexible and varied voluntary work opportunities:

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Projects: Teaching (e.g. schools, community organisations), Welfare (e.g. orphanages), environment and conservation (e.g. national parks), Health (e.g. community hospitals), Building, Sports (e.g. coaching football) and many more!
Volunteer in 18 countries across four regions of the world:
- Africa (Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa)
- Asia (China, India, Nepal, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam)
- Central and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru)
- Pacific (New Zealand)
Volunteer from 2 weeks to 11 months
Start dates all year round
Individual, group and intern volunteering programmes
Supportive Environment throughout your experience

Featured Country

Volunteer Abroad: Ecuador Group

Join a team of willing volunteers or start your own and to contribute to the development of a disadvantaged community. For two weeks you will live and work alongside local people and learn more about their culture and the challenges they are facing. The project in Ecuador takes place in a struggling afro ecuadorian community located in the tropical region of Puerto Quito. You will travel in a small team of 8-12 with an Irish group leader.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: Guatemala Group

What better way to spend a few weeks this summer than by getting on a plane and travelling to Guatemala to volunteer on a local community project while learning Spanish, hiking volcanoes and trekking through the countryside? By volunteering in Guatemala your group can help a struggling indigenous community while experiencing the warmth and hospitality of local people, the richness of their culture and learn more about the challenges they are facing.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: South Africa Group

What better way to spend a few weeks this summer than by getting on a plane and travelling to South Africa to volunteer on a local community project while discovering the beautiful Cape Town area? By volunteering in South Africa your group can help a township community while experiencing the warmth and hospitality of local people, the richness of their culture and learn more about the challenges they are facing.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: Ecuador

Ecuador is the smallest of the Andean countries, but contains a huge diversity of indigenous cultures, wildlife and scenery. With the tropical beaches of the western lowlands, the volcanic peaks of the central Andes and the dense rainforests of the Amazon basin, Ecuador is a country of startling variety and contrast. Poverty reduction remains Ecuador's main development challenge. In 2005, about half of the entire population was living on two dollars a day. Volunteering in Ecuador is an opportunity to discover Ecuadorian culture, while at the same time contributing to a worthwhile development project.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: Brazil

Multicultural Brazil, a vast country of rainforests, shanty towns, football matches and Carnival, is also the only Portuguese-speaking country in the Americas. Give yourself the chance to feel the pulsating rhythm of the samba, the soft sand of the amazing coastal beaches, and most importantly to work in a community project as a volunteer.. Although Brazil is the ninth richest economy in the world, there is a vast discrepancy between rich and poor. Volunteers can make a difference by working with schools and non-governmental organisations throughout the country.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: Chile

Almost isolated from the rest of the world by it's natural barriers, this long, thin country is the jewel at the end of the South American continent. In recent years, Chile has experienced an economic boom that has resulted in improved socioeconomic stability compared to other countries in the region. Unfortunately, this economic growth has not been well balanced and has created a wider gap between rich and poor. Volunteers are invited to work with local organisations on a variety of projects.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: Argentina Group

Join a of a team of willing volunteers or form your own and to contribute to the development of a disadvantaged community in the lively city of Santa Fe. For two weeks you will live and work alongside local people and learn more about their culture and the challenges they are facing. The volunteer project is a local school in a very disadvantaged area of the city. You will travel in a small team of 8-12 with an Irish group leader.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: Internships in India

Targeted towards students and graduates interested in gaining hands on work experience in areas related to international development, education or social work, an internship in India offers a broad range of meaningful work experience placements.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: South Africa

Often referred to as ‘the world in one country’, South Africa is a land of extraordinary beauty, magnificent wildlife and rich cultural diversity. It is also a country where the extremes of modern development and poverty live side by side. Volunteering in South Africa gives participants a first hand experience of a new nation working towards a vision of unity and prosperity. Many serious problems such as poverty, AIDS and inequality need to be tackled if this vision is to be realised, and this is where volunteers can make a real contribution. There are many important volunteer projects available, mostly near the beautiful city of Cape Town.

Click here to learn more.

Volunteer Abroad: New Zealand

Experience the vibrant culture of New Zealand - an exciting mixture of traditions and ethnicities from around the world mixed in with the "local" Maori culture. You will have the opportunity to learn about the Maori while working alongside Kiwi and international counterparts on a range of conservation and social projects, such as restoring bird habitats and reversing the rapidly declining coastal forests or helping young people from a disadvantaged background.

Click here to learn more.

News & Events

The Power of Naija (2)

Jack Hamilton, from co.Down, volunteered in Nigeria during the summer 2010, on return he shares his experience with us.

I found that it was immediately impossible to put the experience into a concise article as ‘Nigeria’ itself refuses to be categorised. The people identify themselves primarily through their tribe rather than nationality, the international press fails to account for the complexity of the country and therefore any stereotype of Nigeria is doomed to be extremely limited if not entirely false.

The Power of Naija (1)

Jack Hamilton, from co.Down, volunteered in Nigeria during the summer 2010, on return he shares his experience with us.

The fact of the matter is that Nigeria is an incredibly vast and complex nation, most of which is not represented by newsworthy stories that seep from the problematic Oil Delta Region and in more recent times, the Middle Belt.

The majority of this article was written while on my way to the airport to leave Nigeria. The bus bounced and cajoled its way from Osogbo to Lagos as I sat with my head out the window, as far as common sense would permit. Dust battered my face as the sun set over the forests of palms trees and the reckless driver veered between potholes and oncoming tankers as if the two were equal obstacles. This, for me, was Nigeria. A complete barrage on the senses but in an utterly addictive way.

Back to reality

Hi Everyone,

So I have made it back to Ireland after a fantastic two months in Ecuador. I have to say this is the post I was looking forward to writing the least because it means I am out of Ecuador. While I am glad to be home I have definitely noticed a change in myself. I think I had gotten very used to the relaxed atmosphere, coming back to my work and study and everything else moving at 100 mph was a bit of a shock to the system. Although now that I am back I want to fill you in on the last and possibly best moments of my time in Ecuador.

There are no innocent victims of HIV and AIDS.

The Betrayal of Tea

People at home have stopped asking if I would like a cup of tea, simply because they know my reply will be yes! All my family, friends and even most acquintances know how much I love my tea! Before I left for South Africa my mom asked if I was going to bring tea bags with me and when I replied no, she was shocked.

Cape Town and The Cape: Orientation Overdrive

My first week here in South Africa was hectic. It started as it meant to go on as well! After being in Cape Town for a few hours, and just meeting my orientation group, we all decided to hike to the top of Table Mountain for our first day.

La Zonda and El Jefe del Comedor!

¡Hola!

Apologies again for the delay between my posts. My only excuse is that I have been so busy, I haven't noticed the time passing! Hard to believe it, but I am now in my second last week in Argentina.

Feedback from our volunteer coordinator in Thailand: "More great participants from EIL Ireland!"

Gerardine was a great person and her work helped tremendously changing so many lives, especially her work at the special needs children center. We appreciated very much her hard work and effort plus her lovely personality as well. Thanks to you for sending her over. We are looking forward to meeting her again in the future... Once again, thank you so much for sending wonderful volunteers over. It was a pleasure knowing each of them. Also I am looking forward to meet more Irish volunteers in the future.

Sports, Monkeys and Earthquakes!!!

Well as I mentioned in my last post it was sports week this week in my school here in Puerto Quito. Which as you can imagine is exactly what it says. But of course it just wouldn't be Ecuador with out a bit of a show. On the first day the students had a parade around the town dressed in the uniform of their chosen sports team. I was on the teachers side and we were wearing a not so ligitimate Brazil football kit. But first, as I mentioned in my last post I was asked to be 'El Padrino' or 'El Cabellero' for one of the sports teams.

In Good Hands at the HIV centre in Kayamandi

I’m into week three at this stage, which means I'm starting to get used to the place. By no means would I say that I know the ins and out of Kayamandi, the shacks are like mazes with only tiny routes going through them all. My mental GPS is quite confused still when it comes to navigating around the shacks, shack E157 could be right in front of you and then, shack D89 beside it. So it's safe to say I'm still getting the hang of things.

Photos & Videos

Click to watch World Humanitarian Day: 19th of August 2010:

The 2010 World Humanitarian Day project is a collaborative film shot in over 40 countries in under 9 weeks, on a shoestring budget - with the goal of showing the enormous diversity of places, faces and endeavours of humanitarian aid workers in 2010.

It was filmed by humanitarian staff and freelance filmmakers from around the globe (over 50 contributors in total) with all time donated.

Click to watch First tank: Joseph McLean is spending 6 months volunteering in Huehuetenango, Guatemala where he’s working with rural communities to help with the construction and maintenance of Wells, Greenhouses, Rainwater Harvesting, Latrines and Crop Irrigation systems.

Access to clean water can be difficult particularly during the dry season, supplies are limited and often a long distance from the families that need it. This video he prepared which demonstrates the technique he used to help construct from basic materials semi-underground water tanks capable of holding around eight thousand litres. Water is channelled from the gutters of the houses into the tanks, providing a ready and clean supply of water for each family.

Click to watch Volunteer in Thailand: Whether it is the excitement and energy of Bangkok or the beautiful beaches and islands dotted around the coast, Thailand has long held a draw for travellers to South East Asia. The only country in the region never to have been ruled by a European power, Thailand is renowned for its Buddhist traditions, friendly people and delicious national cuisine.

Economic growth over the last two decades has been impressive. However, huge disparities remain, and the benefits of economic progress have not been shared by all in Thailand. This is particularly true for ethnic minorities, migrants and refugees.

Volunteers can contribute their time and energy to a wide range of projects in the region of Chang Mai, while gaining a real understanding of the country, its culture and the challenges faced by local people. Placements are available in the following areas: teaching and education, health and HIV/AIDS prevention, women's empowerment, refugee education and assistance.

Click to watch Peggy and Tom invite you to volunteer in China: Peggy and Tom are the volunteer coordinators who match the skills and interests of volunteers with the needs of a network of local projects in three provinces of China: Shanghai, Su Zhou and the Si Chuan.

Click to watch Volunteer in Amecameca: Video of Cecilia Gamez, Coordinator of the Volunteer Programme in Mexico, and Kevin Hickey, Director of EIL Ireland, talking about volunteering in Amecameca, Mexico, working with disabled children, helping in the maintenance of the house, and gardening at the Pequeño Cottolengo home.

Click to watch Volunteers in Mexico: EIL volunteers Karen and Brian working in conservation, welfare and teaching in Mexico.

Click to watch Human Trafficking in Ireland : During the April network weekend, Gillian Wylie (TCD)& Gillian Kennedy (Immigrant Council of Ireland)facilitated a workshop on Human trafficking. Mark Moore - EIL Development Education Committee member interviewed them

Click to watch EIL Argentina visit to Isonza School: One of our pet projects is to help these wonderful children who live in a school in the middle of the mountains in Isonza, Salta, Argentina.
A group of US students spent some days there with them and this is what came out of it...enjoy!!!....and if you want to help
to keep them smiling.....contact me....Love from beautiful BA - Val from EIL Argentina

Click to watch Dupe Davis on Volunteer in Nigeria: A message from Dupe Davis, EIL Coordinator of Volunteer Programme in Nigeria. She describes the volunteering projects and is seeking people to get involved.
EIL Intercultural Learning is an Irish not-for-profit organisation and part of an international federation of non-profits. If you like to learn more about volunteering in Nigeria or elsewhere, please see:
www.volunteerabroad.ie
www.partnershipvolunteers.org

Irish Day in Min Hang Kindergarten, Shanghai