Volunteer vacations

Ever travelled through a developing country and wished you could help out? Or read about environmental damage and wondered how to make a difference? It might be hard knowing where to begin, but there are options for people keen to spend their vacation time volunteering in a foreign location. Sure, you won’t change the world in two weeks, but you can do your bit. We talked to four volunteers to get the lowdown on how they paid it forward, and what you should expect.

Voluntour #1: Habitat for Humanity 

This Christian charity organises teams of volunteers to build houses for communities in need of basic shelter. The projects take place around the world, including nearby Batam, and workers can stay for up to 12 days. Volunteer Chuck Grimm, 44, said he enjoyed the sense of achievement he got from building in India and in Mongolia. ‘You can give people a home. You build with the families who are going to live in the houses, so you meet the people and see the culture in a way you normally wouldn’t.’ While doing manual labour for eight to ten hours a day isn’t exactly relaxing, Grimm thoroughly enjoyed the experience. ‘I sit behind a desk 250 days a year so I really enjoy the construction work,’ he told us.

Volunteer rating: 9/10 

Details: Volunteers are required to pay their own costs and make a donation to Habitat for Humanity. Go to www.habitat.org.sg for more information.

Voluntour #2: I-to-I 

This UK-based business organises a wide range of volunteer placements around the world, covering everything from turtle conservation to teaching English in monasteries. Placements last from one to 12 weeks, and the experience can vary. May Chiew, 24, spent nine weeks working at the Siphal Children’s Home in Nepal. ‘There were no real guidelines as to what our work was to be – we ended up providing recreational after-school activities for the children, such as craft, dance and sports.’ Chiew added that the support she received was somewhat dubious. ‘The in-country manager was a strange, strange man; he briefed us on giardia and gastroenteritis and spent a large portion of time discussing his love of ferns,’ Chiew says. ‘You have all these expectations about changing the world and making a difference, but this sort of volunteering isn’t sustainable. Kids grieve after someone they’ve become attached to leaves the project. As the volunteer you get more out of it than the beneficiaries.’

Volunteer rating: 6/10

Details: Costs vary, but aren’t cheap. Go to www.i-to-i.com for more information.

Vietnamese children (credit: AmberLouise Hart)  

Voluntour #3: Friendship Foundation of American Vietnamese

This not-for-profit organisation takes groups of volunteers to travel and work in Vietnam over Christmas and New Year. Amber Louise Hart, 31, went on a trip with 20 other volunteers. ‘We visited hospitals and homes for disabled people and gave food packages. We also visited schools and taught English,’ she says. While the travel was exciting, the volunteering didn’t quite measure up. ‘We got to go into areas you’d never go just as a tourist – we went to a war memorial in the middle of rice fields, which I would never have found on my own. But two weeks isn’t long enough to make a difference. I came out of it wishing I had done more research into the actual programme.’

Volunteer rating: 4/10

Details: No donations are required by the volunteers, however each individual is responsible for their own travel to and from Vietnam, and have to pay a project fee (food, accommodation, travel, guides). Go to www.ffavn.org for more information.

Voluntour #4: WWOOF (Willing Workers On Organic Farms)

If you’re prepared to get your hands dirty and learn a thing or two about working the land, the WWOOF programme can hook you up with organic farms all over the world. Anna Boin, 32, spent a week at a permaculture farm [one practising the use of renewable natural resources and enriching ecosystems] in Leongatha, Australia. ‘I did it to learn about permaculture, and also because [having] extra people means the farm can do larger projects. The longer you stay there, the fitter you get, and the more helpful to the environment you become,’ she says. ‘There was a great community feel and the farmer encouraged us to ‘steal’ cuttings of plants for our own gardens.’

Volunteer rating: 9/10

Details: The farm provides the food and accommodation, and volunteers work four hours per day. Go to www.wwoof.org for more information.

Longing for a change

If you are a dedicated do-gooder with a year or two to spare, you could consider an organisation such as Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) – an international development charity that matches skilled volunteers with long-term roles. If you’re feeling even more adventurous, you could wing it in India or Nepal. Many travellers tell of advertisements in backpacker cafés requesting volunteers for local charities – try Kolkata as your first port of call.

For those who want to help out closer to home, National Parks Singapore has volunteer opportunities. For example you can learn to be a nature guide, habitat restorer and wildlife researcher on Pulau Ubin, which feels so different to Singapore that it seems like you’ve left the country.