top

Why Volunteer Abroad

  • US 501 (C), Tax deductible fee
  • Unbeatable price starts $99
  • Highly experienced and professional field-staffs
  • Expecting 2000 volunteers in 2013

Helping Abroad is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization that empowers disadvantaged communities with sustainable and meaningful volunteer programs. We offer unique, highly flexible, safe and very affordable programs in over 17 countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Each year, hundreds of volunteers of all ages enroll in Helping Abroad’s programs and set out on an unforgettable journey that will empower them and give them insight into how lives in other parts of the world are lived. Through our volunteer program, our volunteers will have the opportunity to give back to local communities where you will live, immerse in local culture and make local friends. Your contribution will have a lasting impact.

You will also have plenty time to explore the local landscape, visit interesting historical sites and enjoy local festivals and food. Every day as you work in your program and experience the world around you, you will grow as a person as circumstances and local environment will test your patience, skills and everything you have learned so far in your life. This will open your heart and mind to some life changing extraordinary experiences.

Make a Difference

When you volunteer abroad, you will share your love and care to disadvantaged children, or pour your energy into shaving endangered species, or simply converse in English to enthusiastic children in local school in an effort to improve their future. You can also use your skills and knowledge to treat patients at a local hospital or impart skills through which illiterate women can generate income and make their living. Helping Abroad has many different types of programs in many countries that you can choose from. All these programs are local initiatives started by local communities with their needs in mind. Our volunteers will contribute in a small but significant way, and your contribution can help project accomplish their goals quickly. Through the work our volunteers have done many orphaned children in orphanages around the world are now studying in colleges and about to get a degree, many are already working and sustaining themselves. Likewise, turtles in Costa Rica are now returning in greater numbers to lay eggs on the beaches where once most of their eggs were stolen and sold in local market. There are many such success stories. Whatever you decide do in our project, you will make a difference and your work will be highly appreciated by the local community.

Discovering Yourself

Find out who you are by volunteering abroad. When you travel to newer places and stay in culture that is so different from yours, you will challenge yourself to open your mind and learn from these communities. You will reflect on yourself and things you’ve learned, and discover the strengths you have. You will also learn to become resourceful and open-minded as you interact more with people from different religious beliefs, social and economic circumstances and those holding diverse world views. The more you immerse in their societies the more you will discover yourself.

Very Affordable Travel

The aim of Helping Abroad is to make volunteer abroad programs affordable to everyone. We have worked very hard to reduce the cost. Our programs are locally owned and we only employ local people. There are no middle agents involved in organizing our programs. Because of this, our program fee is very low and extremely affordably. The fee also goes directly to the local community where you will work, benefiting them directly. With our low program fees, even students and people with limited budget can volunteer with us and travel to discover newer culture and enjoy fascinating landscape.

Build Your Future

Our research shows employers look favorable on you if you have made the effort to volunteer abroad and work to help the disadvantaged. This shows your determination, flexibility and your commitment. By volunteering abroad, you will also gain in confidence and add to the skills you have. This will come in very handy later in your career.

Why Volunteer Abroad

Helping Abroad is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization that empowers disadvantaged communities with sustainable and meaningful volunteer programs. We offer unique, highly flexible, safe and very affordable programs in over 17 countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Our team of over 100 staff worldwide works all year to ensure that our programs fulfills all the criteria set by our volunteers and that our programs also benefit the local community directly. We hire only local staff and our projects are owned 100% locally. Because of this, our projects are very affordable, unique and safe. Our volunteers are also warmly received in the local communities where they will work and their work will be highly appreciated. Our local owned projects also ensures our volunteers will receive comprehensive support not just from our in-country coordinator and project staff but also from host family and the local community.

Learn more about our unique volunteer programs:

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is Helping Abroad a legitimate organization?
  • Helping Abroad is a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization based in Dallas, Texas, USA. We work with many organizations around the world, and many volunteers enjoy our programs each year. If you wish to talk to us about anything you can either call or email us.

  • Who Volunteers?
  • Our volunteers are generally aged 18 or above. We also have much younger volunteers who come accompanied by their parents. You can be a student, a working professional on a holiday or a retired person. We welcome anyone to our volunteer program. Moreover, as our program fees are very affordable, we get volunteers from all walks of life.

  • Why Volunteer Abroad?
  • People volunteer abroad for many reasons. Some want to travel abroad and live like a local. Others want to help disadvantaged communities, while others are inspired to save endangered species from extinction. For some, they want to learn local language (like Spanish) and immerse in local culture. Most volunteers grow as a result of these activities. While volunteering, many become resourceful, develop patience, open their hearts and minds to many things around them and really learn to appreciate people and culture that are very different from theirs.

  • Why Volunteer with Helping Abroad?
  • Our team of over 100 staff worldwide works all year to ensure that our programs fulfill all the criteria set by our volunteers and that our programs also benefit the local community directly. We hire only local staff and our projects are owned 100% locally. Because of this, our projects are very affordable, unique and safe. Our volunteers are also warmly received in the local communities where they will work and their work highly appreciated. Our projects, which are locally owned, also ensure our volunteers will receive comprehensive support from our in-country staff, project staff, host family and the local community. Learn more about our unique volunteer programs:

    • Very Affordable
    • High Quality
    • Safety our #1 Priority
    • Community Approach
    • Pre-departure and In-country Support
    • Complete Volunteer Experience
    • American Non-Profit 501(c)3 Organization
  • Why Pay to Volunteer?
  • There are expenses associated with organizing volunteer programs. We have to for instance research the program to ensure if they have scope for our volunteers to contribute meaningfully, if they sustainable, and located in safe place. We also hire local staff to assist the volunteers once they arrive in the host country. There are also costs involved in hosting the website, advertising in Google so you can find our programs and hiring staff to organize the trip from our head office. Without these, we will not be able to offer you a volunteer program. But you should also know that all our program fees go directly to the projects. We only use the registration fee to run the administration required to offer you meaningful, safe and quality volunteer program.

  • Why is Program Fee of Helping Abroad so Affordable?
  • Helping Abroad does not just ensure that the program fees are affordable. We also make sure our programs are also located in safe places, run by experienced and highly professional staff and supported by local communities. On top of that we are also proud to offer you very affordable program fees. To make all this possible, Helping Abroad work directly with grassroots organization and not with middle agents. We only hire local people, and ensure all your program fee reaches the community where our volunteers will work so the communities can benefit both directly and indirectly from the volunteer projects. Only the registration fee our volunteers pay to enroll in our program is used to cover our administration costs like hosting the website, web marketing and pre-departure support we provide to volunteers. Our aim is offer our volunteers an very affordable option to enroll in another program and not where they have to pay thousands of dollars just to volunteer.

  • Which countries do volunteers come from?
  • Our volunteers come from all over the world, but being based in the US and being a 501 (3) C organization, most of our volunteers are from the US. However, we take pride in being an international NGO. We receive many volunteers from Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and European countries.

  • Will I meet other volunteers?
  • Depends but mostly yes. Work in orphanage is our most popular project. We will always have volunteers going to the project. But we also work with many orphanages around the world. So while there will be a good chance that another volunteer might be working in the project we cannot always guarantee that.

    We've kept our start dates on 1st and 3rd Mondays of month to make sure we get a group of volunteers starting together. This setup ensures our volunteers can have fun together, make local and international friends and complete their projects with extraordinary success.

  • Do I need insurance?
  • Our program fee includes insurance. Helping Abroad offers one of the most comprehensive insurance packages to its volunteers. Our insurance coverage provides excellent protection in the event of health-related problems, accidents, and other incidents. Please contact us to learn more about our insurance package.

  • When should I apply?
  • Our volunteer programs are available throughout the year and start on 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month. You can apply with as little as a week remaining but we normally advice our volunteers to apply well in advance. If you do this it gives you time to organize other details like getting a visa, booking your air ticket and taking vaccination shots. If you apply with only a very short time remaining for the project to start, you can for instance not get time to look for cheaper air ticket, or miss out on vaccination shots. In some countries like China and India, you will need at least 3 -4 working days to get a visa, unless you visit the embassy or the consulate in person.

  • What kind of visa do I require?
  • In most countries you will need a visa to enter the country and volunteer. In countries like India, China and Ghana, volunteers must get a visa with your local embassy or consulate prior to traveling. In countries like Nepal, Cambodia and Kenya, you can get a visa upon arrival at the airport, but we generally advice our volunteers to get one before leaving. In countries like Panama and Costa Rica, volunteers do not need a visa to enter the country but you will need a valid passport that does not expire in 120 days after your arrival, a return ticket and you must show an ability to spend at least US $100 a month while in the country.

  • Do I need vaccination shots?
  • Yes. In some countries you must provide proof of vaccinations, while in other countries, the shots are recommended for your own personal health reason. Center for Disease Control and Prevention website is an excellent place to look for what shots you need. Please visit this link and type in the country you want to visit, link: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/

  • Can I fundraise?
  • Fundraising is an excellent way to reduce your own travel expenses, while helping out with some of your volunteer project area monetarily. Volunteers successfully raise all the funds required to financial their program or only part of it. Some even succeed in raising funds to donate to the project they volunteer in. There are many different ways a volunteer can raise funds for the trip. Helping Abroad will give you many ideas and guide you through the process.

  • Can I break my volunteer program to do other things?
  • Our programs are flexible. If you feel the need to take a break, please contact our country coordinator. You can sit down and plan with the coordinator accordingly. We always work with our volunteers to make sure their trip is a life changing and extraordinary experience.

Contact Us

Mailing Address
Helping Abroad
106 E. Sixth Street Suite # 900
Austin, TX 78701, USA
Tel: 512-605-0524

Toll-free:
1 (855) 204-5099 (US)

Email: info@helpingabroad.org