Why VolunteerVolunteering overseas is a unique way to connect with the world. You travel with a purpose, find a role and learn to live within a culture different from anything you might know. With the right approach you have the opportunity to make a useful and positive contribution to a developing country whilst learning about yourself and the world at the same time.

Whether you teach English in Kenya, help conserve rainforest ecosystems in Peru, work in maternal health clinics in Sri Lanka or care for children with special needs in Samoa, your hard work, initiative and enthusiasm will result in a travel experience with amazing rewards. By taking part in a volunteer or internship placement you will also experience great cultural insight and enhance your understanding of the world around you.

You will contribute to worthwhile ongoing projects, engage at a grassroots level and interact with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Volunteering allows you to travel with a purpose, become part of a community, live as a local and get to know everyday life in your host country.

Our projects are challenging, but rewarding and constructive. This experience will give you a new outlook on life and change your understanding of yourself, the world and the way you communicate with others.

Why Projects AbroadProjects Abroad was founded in 1992; since then it has supported thousands of volunteers from all over the world. With a global support staff of 500 (350 are in developing countries) Projects Abroad provides unparalleled support. Projects are now offered across a range of fields and cater for all experiences, ages and interests. From humanitarian projects such as care, teaching and conservation to internship-focussed work experience including human rights, law and medicine; Projects Abroad is continually developing new initiatives and unique opportunities. Much of this can be attributed to our hard working in-country staff who continually support, sustain and work with local placements to ensure volunteers are given the tools to positively contribute to the development of communities around the world.

Volunteer in safe, sustainable, constructive and worthwhile placements in 29 developing countries

Volunteer Overseas

Teaching: VietnamProjects Abroad offers much-needed teaching placements in primary and secondary schools in Vietnam’s capital city, Hanoi. The schools are varied and volunteers may have the opportunity to teach students of all ages. Many of the schools are bustling with students some educating 2400 pupils every year. The main role of the volunteer is to give students the opportunity to learn, engage and practice their English with a native speaker. The students’ English skills range so volunteers have the chance to teach all abilities, using a variety of fun techniques and resources. Our staff are also always happy to help out with ideas! Volunteers work beside local teachers and are thrust into a teaching environment immediately, giving them a chance to grow and develop their skills from day one. Volunteers not only contribute to educational development, but participate in constant cultural exchange with their students, as both learn more about each other.

Case Study 1

From my very first day I could see that I was very welcome there. Although I was originally only meant to teach English, I quickly organised with my supervisor to teach Maths, Physics and Chemistry subjects as well. I never realised how attached I was to the kids until it was time for me to say goodbye. In my last few days, I was showered with gifts and well-wishes from students and teachers alike.

Philipp A, Adelaide

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Project OptionsCare placements are offered in all 29 destinations. Volunteers become part of a constant effort to empower and support

disadvantaged children who, ordinarily, are not offered a great deal of opportunity in their lives. From working with HIV-positive children orphaned by AIDS in Cambodia, to supporting street children in drop-in centres in Senegal, from caring for malnourished children at a nutritional rehabilitation clinic in Nepal to supporting single-parent families in Kenya; all our care placements are aimed at improving the lives of disadvantaged children around the world by providing them with love and compassion. Tasks can include feeding to singing, playing, cooking, teaching and becoming involved in rehabilitation exercises. All enthusiastic and active volunteers create a positive impact on a day-to-day basis and contribute to the mental and physical development of underprivileged children across the globe.

Conservation volunteering is a unique opportunity to live in remote and fragile ecosystems, while helping

to develop and preserve the surrounding biodiversity. Each project is based on extensive scientific research and aims to protect, conserve and enhance the natural environment by which they are surrounded. Volunteers play a vital role and these projects would not be possible without the constant stream of support, hard work and dedication provided by volunteers. There is a wide array of projects in some of the world’s largest and most diverse ecologies. These include animal rehabilitation in the Peru Amazon rainforest, seahorse protection in Cambodia, enhancing Himalayan ecology in Nepal or observing and protecting wildlife in the African savannah. All of the conservation projects run continuously throughout the year, ensuring their sustainability, but also flexibility for volunteers.

Teaching placements vary greatly and allow volunteers to make connections with students from very different backgrounds

and circumstances. In Peru we work with the country’s Ministry of Education to update the English curriculum in 23 schools in the rural Sacred Valley, in Sri Lanka we work at educating Buddhist monks and disadvantaged teenage boys and in Ethiopia we work with students to improve their language skills, as many secondary school subjects are taught in English. Teaching placements are for people of all ages and from all backgrounds; the variety of settings is endless and the placements are both worthwhile and rewarding. These projects are not only suited for those wanting to teach English, but subjects such as science, sports, drama, dance and music are also available! They are a great way to promote the need for education in developing countries, whilst allowing the volunteer to become an integral part of their host community.

Animal Rescue Centre: PeruOur Amazon conservation project is home to Taricaya, Peru’s first and leading Animal Rescue centre which has paved the way for animal release laws in Peru. The centre hosts a massive range of exotic animals, including tapirs, jaguars, macaws, and monkeys, all of which are being rehabilitated back in their natural environment; with the successful release of over 24 species of mammal, 13 species of bird and 4 species of reptile back into the wild. Taricaya continues to pioneer work in this field and have begun the reintroduction of spider monkeys that had been locally extinct for 50 years - 2 groups have been successfully released and this will continue with an additional group each year. The centre has now begun ambitious plans for a captive breeding programmes.

Case Study 2

“My final week inevitably rolled around. Not in the sluggish fashion I imagined it would on my first day at Taricaya, three months ago. I remember the first day I arrived vividly and I thought to myself that day, “what have I got myself into!” Well now I know. I got myself into a chance and experience of a lifetime. I met people from all walks of life, brought together by a passion and intrigue for this amazing part of the world, the mighty Amazon rainforest.”

Elle S, Sunshine Coast

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GHANA

TOGO

MOROCCO

ETHIOPIASENEGAL

KENYA

BURMA

TANZANIA

SOUTH AFRICA

ROMANIA

CAMBODIA

PHILIPPINES

NEPAL

VIETNAM

SRI LANKA

THAILAND

CHINA

MONGOLIA

SAMOA

MOLDOVA

INDIA

FIJI

JAMAICA

MEXICO

COSTA RICA

ARGENTINABOLIVIA

PERU

ECUADOR

CARE

CONSERVATION

TEACHING

For anyone interested in social justice and human rights in action, these programmes offer a practical and

constructive way to support positive action among disadvantaged communities. In South Africa, Ghana and Argentina volunteers work in dedicated Projects Abroad Human Rights Offices. Their roles will vary working on community support, education and legal aid clinics; focusing on areas such as refugee rights, young offenders, domestic violence, discrimination, child trafficking and women’s rights. In other countries such as Mongolia and Tanzania, volunteers are placed in local NGOs focusing on land rights, employment issues and women’s rights. Under experienced supervision, volunteers will have a varied workload and the opportunity to gain a first-hand perspective of human rights advocacy, whilst supporting marginalised groups.

Students and professionals who work in a developing world healthcare setting gain a very different perspective on their

vocation and pick up many new skills. These programmes are a fantastic learning experience; from rehabilitation centres in Nepal to busy hospitals in Tanzania and leprosy missions in India to rural outreach programmes in Ghana. Students and volunteers learn about different techniques, conditions, resources and communication in a global health context. The placements can be formative and eye opening and are available in medicine, nursing and many areas of allied health. The projects are flexible and varied and offer the opportunity, with the right approach, to become a useful member of the local team, learning and contributing at the same time.

Volunteers can also work on building, sports, animal care, journalism, archaeology, community development, and

business projects as well as taking courses in nearly 20 languages, from Spanish to Swahili! On any project, initiative, enthusiasm and a hard-working attitude are key to a challenging yet rewarding stay where volunteers can learn and make a positive contribution being a link in a chain creating sustainable change on many of the projects.

Flexible – open programme dates

Supported – safe, structured and responsible

Social – be a part of an international volunteer community

Practical – hands-on, grassroots placements

Sustainable – long-term projects with goals and progress

Cultural immersion – reflect on your experiences and surroundings

Human Rights: South AfricaThe Projects Abroad Human Rights Office in South Africa has 2 stems: the Social Justice and Legal Services Departments. Volunteers have the opportunity to work in both sections. In the Social Justice Department volunteers work on community-focussed programmes at a grass-roots level. Volunteers work to educate and empower vulnerable members in society and work together with human rights protection agencies, NGOs and the Government to produce constructive and ongoing change. In the Legal Services Department, volunteers consult with clients on a daily basis, provide advocacy, and conduct research. Past cases include developing legal education workshops at a women’s shelter, assisting homeless people after attacks by police and conducting research for a peer-reviewed journal article concerning the South African treatment of refugees. Both departments aim to influence NGOs and politicians in reforming policy at the local, national and international levels.

Case Study 3

“There’s no such thing as a typical day at the PAHRO office. In my six weeks in Cape Town, I wrote briefing notes for the UN, completed applications for third party resettlement and repatriation, sat in on parliamentary committees, drafted correspondence to parliamentarians, helped poverty-stricken families apply for free education, dealt with marriage various proposals and held human rights awareness seminars.

Joanna W, Sydney

HUMAN RIGHTS

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PROJECT FACTS

DURATION: Anything between one and six months

START DATES: Flexible! You can choose your start date

WHO: Anyone from the age of 16 years and up

ACCOMMODATION: Mixture of host families and shared accommodation

COST: Dependent on project, destination and duration [one month from $2045 to $3895]

INCLUDED: Accommodation, meals, full medical and travel insurance, 24/7 in country support, project arrangements, pre-departure support and advice, airport transfers

EXCLUDED: Flights, visa, vaccinations, spending money

info@projects-abroad.com.auAU: 1300 132 831NZ: 09 889 0587Projects Abroad Australia & New Zealand

ProjAbroadAUNZ

www.projects-abroad.com.au

Drama: RomaniaDrama in Romania is a unique project which allows volunteers to utilise their creativity in orphanages and professional

theatre groups alike. With many placements based at care centres for disadvantaged children and adults, the project can be very rewarding. Volunteers work with local staff and use drama as a fantastic educational tool for aiding the emotional and physical development of all ages. Volunteers can also work on school performances or contribute to productions during the festival season in Brasov. Whether you are working with children or on a festival piece, all placements involve volunteers writing, leading and directing and require creativity and theatrical experience. The placements suit drama students and professionals alike and allow the volunteer to utilise their skills and become a part of a true community event. Started by Projects Abroad volunteers and developed over the years, this is an illustration of what can be achieved with initiative and commitment.

“It really takes you a week or two to gain the trust you need to explore drama, especially when creativity does not come naturally to all. You have to have time to play. For me this period was about ‘creative play’ for everyone (both young and old). I wanted to create spaces for people to feel free to try new things, be silly, support each other through and come out the other side laughing. I know I achieved this.

Brooke N, Brisbane

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Ethiopia

Ghana

Kenya

Morocco

Senegal

South Africa

Tanzania

Togo

Argentina

Bolivia

Costa Rica

Ecuador

Jamaica

Mexico

Peru

Burma

Cambodia

China

India

Mongolia

Nepal

Philippines

Sri Lanka

Thailand

Vietnam

Moldova

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Case Study 4

Projects and Destinations