Volunteering in Asia

[CupcakeMD]

Hi everyone,

I'm graduating this year and I would like to visit Asia in the summer, before I start grad school. I would also like to volunteer while I am there. (This isn't to boost my app or anything, it will be too late to put in my resume anyway. I just want to be productive while I am there, and see another side of a culture and health care system).

I am a girl, so I wouldn't want to pick some random organization and head there alone. Are there any volunteer abroad programs at your school, that is going to Asia specifically? Or is anyone else interested in volunteering in Asia this summer?

Thank you!

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[JeetKuneDo]

Hi everyone,

I'm graduating this year and I would like to visit Asia in the summer, before I start grad school. I would also like to volunteer while I am there. (This isn't to boost my app or anything, it will be too late to put in my resume anyway. I just want to be productive while I am there, and see another side of a culture and health care system).

I am a girl, so I wouldn't want to pick some random organization and head there alone. Are there any volunteer abroad programs at your school, that is going to Asia specifically? Or is anyone else interested in volunteering in Asia this summer?

Thank you!

You could teach English there. I can't name any organizations off the top of my head, but I do know that there are a lot of teaching abroad programs, if htat's something you're into.

 

[parafilm]

I'm going to Africa this summer, with eliabroad.org, which was recommended to me by a friend who just went to India on one of their programs. They do several programs in Asia.

It's pricey, I definitely had to do some saving up for it. But they're one of the cheaper programs around and I think it'll be worth it in the end. Some programs are cheaper than others... Nepal I remember being one of the cheaper ones I considered.

 

[sarahg]

If you do i-to-i or Cross Cultural Solutions you probably won't be going in alone. I don't like the idea of voluntourism agencies because you're throwing money that you could put into the local economy at companies that are typically US or UK based and it's pretty well-known that they rip you off-money wise, sometimes winding up without any work for you to do or not enough volunteers to do the work and they'll take advantage of you and make you do extra. Looking through all the companies I do think that Cross Cultural Solutions, despite being outrageously expensive, seems like it would offer the best experience because it seems like they keep a lot of supervision over their projects -- you stay in their housing and all rather than the company taking your money and handing you off to a locally run project. I think they're more likely to take care of you regarding housing and all, and less likely to take advantage of you, than a locally run project.