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 that one can use to get an opportunity. The first option is where the individual identifies their preferred country. They then make an application to a governmental or non-governmental organization before making the trip. They then visit a government facility or a private organization to apply for a position. The second alternative is to sign up with an organization that will organize your placement (usually at a small fee).

The globalization taking place currently is bringing with it many benefits and challenges alike. Professionals have to interact with people from diverse backgrounds. One of the areas where the impact of this reality is being felt is in healthcare provision. Health care professionals need to understand medical conditions from all over the world. Healthcare professionals traveling to the developing world are bound to get the much needed international experience.

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.

If you are a trainer in healthcare provision then you are bound to get numerous invitations especially in the rural parts where a good number of healthcare providers are semi-skilled. Since well-equipped hospitals are quite few, basic lifesaving skills are a must-have for most, if not all healthcare professionals. Medical disciplines for which constant training is usually needed include obstetrics, pediatrics and trauma.

Teachers will also find plenty of opportunities to contribute positively. Most of the developing countries have experienced increased enrollment of pupils in schools in recent times. The increase has not been matched with the employment of more teachers which has put a lot of strain on the few teachers teaching at both primary and secondary schools. Volunteer teachers may contribute in sciences (physics, chemistry and biology), mathematics and foreign languages (English, French and German) among others.

There are many communities in the developing world that still live in impoverished conditions. A good number of cities have sprawling slums where disease and poverty are rampant. The sick have no access to medical care and many only get the proper treatment when their illnesses are far advanced. As a social worker, you can stand in this gap and educate the public on the need for early treatment as well as help them in accessing healthcare.

Volunteering has many benefits regardless of the duration of time involved. The most important among them is the fact that one gets an opportunity to contribute to the less fortunate and contribute to a better world in their own small way. Another benefit is that they will get international exposure in their level of specialization which will help them become even better at what they do.




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