Chile has one of the best economies in the continent. And also has one of the highest tourist seasons thanks to their many beauties, so why would you join a mission trip Chile if things are so great?
Mostly because, despite all the good things and advantages Chile as compared to other Latin American countries, some communities still have to face harsh líving conditions like abandonment, illiteracy, and hunger.
Our programs to volunteer Chile are located in La Serena, to the North of the country. A city that it’s not as popular as the capital, but since they are so close, you can still find many interesting and exciting things to do in La Serena.
And one of them is joining one of our four programs to become a volunteer Chile.
The Experience of Volunteering Chile
If you are going through a moment in your life where you wish to do something meaningful not only for yourself but for the ones who need it the most, you should definitely join A Broader View and start volunteering in Chile.
We are a non-profit organization that understands how, sometimes, you wish you could take a break from your routine, and do something special with your time.
So if you are thinking about taking a gap year in Chile, you can enjoy the many beauties of this country, while also making a change in the world.
We currently have four diferent programs running in La Serena, they are related to senior care, educating young children, and language immersion.
The people who have less aret he ones who suffer the most, so we decided to offer a helping hand to many children, women, and elders in Chile.
To join our programs, all you have to do is read all the information we have gathered about Chile on our site.
It’s important or you to know where you are going, and to have a little context on the social-historical context of this country.
After that, you can read the information about each of our programs, and choose the one you connect with the most.
Even if you do not have experience in the program you chose, or if you have never being a volunteer before, there are many things you can to help.
What we, and the people from Chile, need from you, is to have a flexible personality, a lot of empathy and compassion, social skills, and willing to help.
Speaking Spanish is not a requirement, but if you wish to learn it, A Broader View offers special lessons for those interested.
Since we have specific schedules for all our programs, you would work between six to eight hours from Monday to Friday. The rest of the time is free for you to enjoy of La Serena, as any other tourist would.
We also have a festival and festivities calendar and offer you the option of taking special tours and weekend trips.
Are you ready to start your volunteering in Chile? Then contact us now!
17 years and over.
W/ parents if under
24/7 local staff
in country
Tax deductible and
fundraising options
Accommodations safe & friendliness
Spanish Lessons
available if needed
Work Schedule
4-8 hours a day
Airport Transfers
included abroad
Programs start
at any day
No Language
Requirements
Available for Special Groups
Overview
- Project Length: From 1 week to 8 weeks
- Arrival Airport: La Serena (LSC)
- Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 7-8 hours per day
- Requirements: Police Check/Clearance report
- Optional: Spanish Immersion Lesson.. read more
- Age Limits: Minimum 17yrs or older for solo travelers.
- Minimum Age: 12 to 16 yrs if traveling with parents.
- Airlines: Lan Chile, American, United, Delta, Iberia, Avianca
- Vaccinations: Routine Vac, Hep-A and Typhoid wwwnc.cdc.gov
Volunteer Opportunities in Chile
Teaching Education
A stated goal of the Chilean Ministry of Education is that Chile must become a fully bilingual country. English is taught in all Chilean schools from the first to the twelfth grades. Volunteer to teach English in Chile and you will work closely with Chilean teachers. Volunteer teaching placements in Chile are based in La Serena's kindergarten, primary and secondary level.
When you teach English in Chile you will focus your time on pronunciation, verbal exercises, correct grammar and spelling. You will work with the local teacher and create a syllabus. TEFL certificate is not required, however volunteers need to be proficient in Spanish. This program can also be combined with the Language and Cultural Immersion program.
Vacations: July 13th to July 26th
December 1st to March 1st Child Care Center
Program Schedule
- Program starts and ends in La Serena
- Airport meet and greet in La Serena. Afternoon city tour and orientation
- Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
- Weekends free to sightseeing
- Typical shift work can be: 800-300pm with a break for lunch
- Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
- Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer
Spanish Immersion
This is an opportunity to learn, enhance or strengthen your Spanish knowledge, all the while giving back to a community based projects. Lessons are provided by local tutors on a one-on-one basis (or max 2 students). Lesson plans are created with your input so they can be most effective, let the tutor know what are your goals. Expectations can vary from volunteer to volunteer. Lessons can be in the afternoon or morning depending of availability of the tutor.
Each hour is 45 minutes with a 15 minute break. Any questions while in country ask the coordinator or email ABV. Language Immersion classes can be combined with the orphanage project, or the teaching English program. Extra fees are applied.
Program Schedule
- Program starts and ends in La Serena
- Airport meet and greet in La Serena. Afternoon city tour and orientation
- Morning Volunteer work, 5 days a week for 20 hours
- Afternoon Spanish lessons, 5 days a week total 12 hours
- Certificate of completion from ABV
- Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
- Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer
Orphanages Assistance
In La Serena volunteers support an orphanage/children's center. Currently the center offers nursery to about 20-25 underage children, some of which are orphans and live at the center full time. This is a very proactive project with over 20 babies and toddlers 9 (numbers may change if they are adopted or in foster care). One of the main characteristic of this project is the incorporation of the families and the community to the educational work. The parents of the children are so poor that they cannot afford to keep their children healthy or well fed. The projects serve as a day care, kindergarten and support center.
Volunteers assist the local staff with the basic needs such as feeding, bathing and clothing, putting them down for naps and changing diapers, playing with the babies and exercise. We need proactive, energetic volunteers, be friendly with the staff and do as much as you can, don’t wait to be told what to do, get in and give as much help and love to these babies. You will get much more than what you give. Female volunteers only.
Program Schedule
- Program starts and ends in La Serena
- Airport meet and greet in La Serena. Afternoon city tour and orientation
- Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
- Weekends free to sightseeing
- Typical shift work can be: 8am-12pm and 2pm-6pm
- Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
- Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer
Elderly Care Center
The Elderly Care Center is a non-profit organization created for the care and attention of low-income older people living in La Serena. Most of the residents have no other living options. Some have been abandoned by their own family. The home provides place to live, meals, clothing, medical treatment and therapy needs.
Volunteers will help with recreational and cultural activities, help to prepare food, and feed some of the ladies, some -ladies/gentleman- simply need people to talk to them, or read to them for a few hours or play cards or walk in the park. And we also need health care providers to help with the care of the people.
*This program can be combined with the medical projects, as volunteers are needed to provide health checks like checking blood pressures, sugar levels, administering medication and physical therapy needs.
This is a great opportunity to improve your skills, knowledge, resume, language, learn about medicine in a developing country.
Country Info
Chile Introduction
Are you ready to help people in need, immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and culture of a new country and have the experience of a lifetime? With poverty, disease and a lack of skilled providers putting a strain on important services such as health and childcare in developing countries across the globe, there are many corners of the world that rely on the help of volunteer travelers like yourself.
Volunteer in Chile with A Broader View Volunteers a top-rated non-profit charity organization, which works tirelessly to support our wonderful volunteers and serve the local communities where our volunteer programs are located. Placements in Chile are based in the Colonial city of La Serena. Program placements are tailored to the volunteer's different interests and skillsets, but still, allow volunteers time to explore the Andean local culture and activities during their free time.
The type of programs in Chile varies widely, offering everything from education to health care. Volunteers can choose between seven options in La Serena. International volunteer help is not only appreciated by the local community, it is severely needed by the millions of Chileans living below the poverty line. With thousands of children living and working on the streets, as is so often the case in developing countries like Chile, our volunteer programs are designed to support the needs of local teens and children in desperate need of assistance.
Many of our volunteers abroad programs cater to underprivileged women and children’s care, education, and health requirements. Our extensive range of social programs in La Serena, Chile includes: medical, premed/prenurse internships, teaching in primary and secondary schools and volunteering in orphanages and daycare centers. To help you settle into your placement, we also provide the opportunity to combine all of our programs with Spanish Immersion Lessons during your time in Chile.
Volunteering in Chile is an incredibly rewarding experience. We welcome volunteers of all ages and from all backgrounds to join us. Whether you’re seeking volunteer abroad programs for college students or voluntary work for over 60s, as a trusted non-profit organization that prioritizes the safety of our volunteers, we are the go-to for volunteers across the globe. We also offer customized programs with flexible arrival dates to best suit the needs of the remarkable volunteers we depend on to help us make the world a better place.
If you’d like to volunteer, Chile is just one of the countries we’ve taken under our wing, supplying a steady flow of volunteers and providing year-round financial support to local projects in La Serena. Wherever you decide to volunteer, A Broader View gives you the opportunity to participate in meaningful community service work, learn a foreign language, make lifelong friends and discover that one person really can make a difference. Your search for the best volunteer abroad programs ends here – volunteer in Chile with us and gain A Broader View of the world.
Coordinator
Welcome to Chile (Bienvenido (a) a Chile). My name is Vilma and I am your ABV coordinator while you are staying in Chile. Our country has one big city, Santiago and 15 regions. But you will be working in La Serena which is a place of 400.000 inhabitants out of over 18 million population. I will be ready for support 24/7 in case you need to contact me urgently. I will introduce you to your volunteer location and staff.
You are most welcome to seek my assistance and don’t hesitate to ask me questions while in the country.
Weather
La Serena has a cool desert climate. Summers and winters are very dry. Rain falls only a few times a year in heavy downpours. Although the temperature during the day is very hot, it can drop strongly during the night and sometimes below freezing.
What's the best time to go to La Serena in Chile? Here are some annual weather facts we collected from our historical climate data:
- During the months of January, February, March, and December you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures.
- La Serena has dry periods in January, February, March, April, May, August, September, October, November, and December.
- On average, the warmest month is January.
- On average, the coolest month is July.
- February is the driest month.
City: La Serena | Population: 400000 | Languages: Spanish
Currency: Peso Chileno (CLP) | Time zone: UTC−06:00
Reviews & Multimedia
Reviews
This was the second time I volunteered and I am really Grateful for this wonderful experience. The orphanage is far and not even in La Serena it took me normally at least 45 min by bus (traffic its 8 miles from the house) to get there…
Katja
Nationality: Austria
Age: 21
Then coming to Vilma’s home I was very happy to be greeted with amazing food. And along came the first day of volunteering where I was very nervous but settled in after a couple of days, teachers started to talk to me more and the kids would greet me when the would see me come in
Danika
Nationality: Canada
Age: 19
Chile I had a wonderful experience working with the children and elderly people. I learned so much about Chilean culture and really improved my Spanish. I also made some great friends with other ABV volunteers and people at my work.
Elizabeth
Nationality: USA
Age: 21
Photos Gallery
Prices for Chile
Program Fees
Since A Broader View Volunteers is a 501c(3) charitable organization, You can fundraise (optional) for the expenses of the trip after you get confirmed in our programs. Prices are per person and in US dollars (US$).
| Length of program | Program Fee $USD |
|---|---|
| 1 week | $895 |
| 2 weeks | $1050 |
| 3 weeks | $1295 |
| 4 weeks | $1295 |
| 5 weeks | $1495 |
| 6 weeks | $1495 |
| 7 weeks | $1730 |
| 8 weeks | $1730 |
| Country / weeks | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chile - Language Immersion | $1140 | $1480 | $1820 | $2160 |
Inclusions
- Accommodation: Host family
- Meals: Week: Breakfast, lunch and dinner Weekends: breakfast and dinner, no lunch
- Arrival: Airport meet and greet by ABV Staff
- Orientation: Project Overview On-Site
- Support: Pre-trip written guide, In-country ABV staff available 24/7
- Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer
Extra costs: Flights to Chile. Entry Visa (if applicable). Departure taxes. Vaccinations. Local Transportation. Travel & Health Insurance (approx. us$53). Laundry and Internet (us$10 and us$15).
Meals & Food
Volunteers are provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner at their accommodation during the week and Breakfast and dinner for the weekend. Breakfast typically consists of toast, fruit, eggs, cereal accompanied by tea or coffee. Dinner usually includes meat (cow, chicken), potato, rice, vegetables and cazuela (soup), empanadas, pastel de choclo, all national dishes of Chile. Volunteers are usually away from their accommodation mid-day so they take a lunch bag. We recommend budgeting between US$5 and US$10 per day to purchase lunch if you don't return to the host family, let the host family know if you change the lunch plans. If you have specific dietary requirements, our local teams and home-stays can customize to you but be flexible as well.
Start Dates
Most of our programs run year round, you can start any volunteer/internship program on any day. When you apply you will lets know your start and end dates. Our programs run year round and have volunteers arriving almost every day from many different countries.
Since our programs sometimes depend on the local holiday calendar, there are brief occasions when normal programs work is suspended. For example, schools/daycares often close for long winter/summer vacations. During these times, we arrange for alternative work programs that are similar in substance to our ongoing programs, but address the short-term, direct needs of the local communities.
If you would like to arrange your start and end dates around the local holidays, please call us at 1.866.423.3258 or email us at [email protected].
Money Matters
A Broader View Volunteers work tirelessly year round to support our volunteers, and also to serve the local communities where ABV projects are based. As a tax-exempt 501 c(3) organization A Broader View receive 100% of our funding from volunteer contributions. Through your program fee contribution our non-profit charity organization can operate beneficial humanitarian aid programs which are successful and continuous supported year round.
Local, professional full-time coordinators, placement logistics, airport pick up and departure transportation, arrival orientation, food & local accommodations, are a major part of providing a safe, meaningful volunteer experience. When you join A Broader View, you will receive pre-trip visa and vaccination support, assistance with flights, fundraising planning, through our interactive online volunteer portal. Our local partners not only benefit from volunteers valuable contributions at the project, they benefit financially with year-round monetary support from A Broader View. In the last decade A Broader View has donated over 4.5 million dollars in international aid.
By joining A Broader View you are not only helping to make a difference during your own trip, your impact will last even after you go home.
Extras
Tour and weekend trips
Once in the country, our local coordinator can help you find the most reliable and safe tour agencies for weekend trips, you can pay in cash or in most locations with a credit card. These tours are not part of the ABV fees.
Elqui Valley Tour
Visit the home of Chile’s famous Pisco Sour on this full-day, small-group tour of the Elqui Valley from La Serena, including hotel pickup. Uncover the cosmic secrets of the Cochiguaz Valley; tour a Pisco production plant, and indulge in an expert-led Pisco tasting. After tucking into a traditional lunch (included) at a local restaurant, spend time exploring Vicuña, the hometown of Nobel Prize-winning poet Gabriela Mistral.
Isla Damas and Punta Choros from La Serena
Get up close to Chile’s coastal wildlife on this full-day tour from La Serena, including hotel pick-up. Drive past vibrant fields of desert wildflowers (depending on the season), then cruise around the windswept Gull, Choros and Damas islands. After spotting bottlenose dolphins, sea lions and penguins at the Humboldt Penguins National Reserve, tuck into a delicious seafood lunch (included), then spend time relaxing on the islands’ white-sand beaches.
Mamalluca Observatory Including Transfers
At sunset we start our trip to the inner valley of Elqui, by crossing the San Isidro town, we will get The Mamalluca Amateur Observatory, this special place permits to make direct observations of the universe.
The observatory itself has a dome in which an electronic telescope makes the observation possible for you to enjoy a pleasant night contemplation of the stars. Some pictures will be displayed and at the same time an instructive talk about the Southern Hemisphere Star, in a nice and friendly atmosphere all the people will be encouraged by the astronomy of Galileo. After this talk, the night observation of stars, planets, galaxies will be carried out.
Elqui Valley and Vicuña Private Tour Including Lunch
Explore Chile's lush Elqui Valley on a private shore excursion from your La Serena port of call. Set out for this stunning region where the bulk of Chilean pisco is produced, stopping first at Puclaro, artificial reservoir offerings spectacular views of the area. Next tour a pisco factory, learn about the distillation process of this national spirit and enjoy a sampling or two before continuing on to Vicuña, the birth town of poet Gabriela Mistral. Peruse the Gabriela Mistral museum, then enjoy lunch in Villaseca before returning to port.
Festivals and Festivities
Día de las Glorias Navales
The Día de las Glorias Navales takes place on May 21 each year to remember the death of Captain Arturo Prats, a national hero in the Iquique naval battle against Peruvian vessels in the War of the Pacific. Residents of the coastal cities deck out small boats with Chilean flags and cast flowers into the sea to commemorate the event.
Festival of the Virgen del Carmen
From June 12-17 every year, the small town of La Tirana in the Atacama desert hosts the Fiesta de la Tirana, also known as the Festival of the Virgen del Carmen. One of Chile’s most anticipated events, it is characterized by musicians playing drums, flutes, and whistles while dancers clad in macabre carnival-style masks and costumes enact the diablada (dance of the devils) to exorcise demons. The festival also pays homage to Chile’s patron saint, the Catholic Our Lady of Mount Carmel, represents a blending of local indigenous and Catholic traditions and beliefs. People with indigenous heritage make processionals to the Virgin’s sanctuary, take part in masses then rejoice in street parties with stalls selling handicrafts and food.
Fiestas Patrias
Chile celebrates its independence through the Fiestas Patrias on September 18 each year. Street stalls and temporary thatched armadas are erected from tree branches and other materials to house dance floors, bands and tables. Celebrations include parades, music, dance competitions, traditional Chilean food, and rodeos where two horsemen attempt to correctly coral a calf in an arena for points.
Christmas
Christmas Eve is a family event on December 25 characterized by gift-giving, eating fruitcake called pan de Pascua and drinking a concoction of spirits, milk, sugar, coffee and cinnamon called cola de mono. Christmas trees are decorated with fake snow and a nativity scene. Christmas Day is a public holiday when the faithful attend mass and sing carols. Feasting is a large part of the celebration and, as the festivities take place during summer, many go to the beach or take part in other outdoor activities like hiking or rock climbing.