Some Ways On How To Volunteer In Developing Countries

By Dorothy Cook


Developing countries are still grappling with a myriad of challenges that affect many sectors. These include healthcare, education, social and environmental among others. At the same time, tremendous growth has led to the emergence of a vibrant corporate sector involving indigenous companies as well as multinationals. As can be seen, there are many areas in which you can plug in if you are planning to volunteer in developing countries.

There are two main ways in which you can make your positive contribution. The first is where you travel as an individual and walk into a government facility or non-governmental organization and request to be given an opportunity to serve the citizenry on a volunteer basis. This may be quite challenging especially if it is your first visit to the country. The second is where you join a non-profit organization from home and the rest is done for you.

The increased rate of globalization being witnessed in many places in the world means that we have to interact with persons from diverse backgrounds. Healthcare provision is among the areas that have been evolving quite rapidly thanks to this increased diversity. Healthcare workers from the developed countries need to have some knowledge about diseases that have traditionally affected patients in the developing countries.

Professionals and specialists can make a huge impact even if they were to offer their time for a short period of time. Healthcare professionals have numerous opportunities for volunteering. Most of rural parts of Africa have very few healthcare professionals in spite of a heavy disease burden brought about by diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. Doctors of all specializations, nurses and physiotherapists are all in great demand.

Training of healthcare professionals may also interest you if you are a senior doctor or other healthcare provider willing to pass on some of your skills and knowledge. With a significant number of health care providers only being semi-skilled especially in the most remote parts, regular training becomes very important. These providers need to be impatient with emergency lifesaving skills which they can use as patients are transferred to more comprehensive facilities.

Teachers are the other much needed group of professionals. While there has been an exponential increase in the number of enrollments to primary and secondary schools in these countries, the number of teachers has grown at a much slower rate. Many of the teachers are overwhelmed by the huge number of teachers that they have to instruct. As a volunteer, your help may be used in subjects such as sciences, music, mathematics and foreign languages.

The conditions of living for the majority of the population in these countries are still not ideal. As a matter of fact, many citizens are housed in substandard houses in slums. Levels of unemployment are very high and so are social evils such as crime and gender based violence. Social workers who can volunteer to work within these communities can create a huge impact.

Volunteering brings numerous benefits both to the volunteer and their host community. While the community gets services of a much needed professional for free, the volunteer gets a lot of experience in the field and helps them to grow in their career. Opportunities for volunteers in developing countries are limitless.




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