Begin Your Gap Year Colombia

This program is located in the beach community, located about 25-30 minutes from downtown Cartagena. Most of the people in this area are fisherman and neighborhood homes are quite primitive. This multi-functioning center supports over 300 children/youth on a daily basis where they come to study, play and eat. There are free lunches, kindergarten, primary school lessons, monthly health checks and a safe refuge for poor kids in the community.  At this project the staff look to improve the lives of the children and work on the prevention of child trafficking into the sex trade.

Volunteers will tutor, encourage education, stimulate conversation, support the child care needs. The kids at the center range from toddlers to 15yrs old.  Expect to help with feeding, arrange pre-school English/game lessons, play in the playground, help in the kitchens. The youth projects focus on girls health education, health and hygiene talks, empowerment lectures and vocational training. This center is closed from June10- June 30th* approx.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Cartagena
• Airport meet and greet in Cartagena.  Afternoon city tour and orientation
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 7:30am - 300pm with a break for lunch
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer

This program is a public facility that provides daily child care services, pre-school and kindergarten classes to small babies and children in this Torices neighborhood in north Cartagena. This center is located close by to downtown and only 10 minutes from the airport.

Volunteers will care and support the daily influx of children, all of whom range from 18 months to 5 years old.  The program has a nutrition program, where they provide a daily meal (lunch) to the kids. Volunteers feed the kids,  helping with pre-school lessons,  play games, help in the kitchens. 

The center also helps single mothers with training on child care, nutrition, hygiene talks. This center is closed from June10- June 30th* approx.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Cartagena
• Airport meet and greet in Cartagena.  Afternoon city tour and orientation
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35-40 hours per week
• Weekends free to sightseeing
• Typical shift work can be: 7:30am - 4:00pm with a break for lunch
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer

Language Immersion incorporates Spanish lessons with morning volunteer work. Classed can be combined with the social welfare, or children's care center placements. Language Immersion will give you the chance to develop, improve, or enhance your Spanish knowledge, all the while being part of the volunteer work. Lessons are provided by local tutors on a one-on-one (or two) basis. Lesson plans are created with your input so they can be most effective.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Cartagena
• Airport meet and greet in Cartagena.  Afternoon city tour and orientation
• Morning Volunteer work,  5 days a week for 20 hours
• Afternoon Spanish lessons, 5 days a week for 20 hours (45min each)
• Certificate of completion from ABV
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer

Volunteer Colombia, One of the big needs that Cartagena has is the care of Elderly people. Many live in deplorable conditions, extreme poverty and their health becomes worse because of their low life quality. Hence, the government and many other non-profit organisations have created or supported elderly care centres in certain areas of Cartagena. This institution is located in Olaya Herrera, a very typical neighbourhood that reflects perfectly our culture and habits.

This institution provides meals, recreation (cultural and educational activities), medical treatment and some of the therapies they might need. The elderly people that are taken in, perform different roles such as musicians in the folklore band, cooks, dancers, etc. The volunteers can help them with recreational and cultural activities. Maybe some could help them prepare the meals, feed any disabled and read for a few hours or make conversation. We need volunteers with intermediate or advanced Spanish knowledge.

In this program, the volunteer can use his/her creativity to make activities for them. The volunteers can teach them the typical dance moves from their country, do some exercise or perform any other idea they might have. This program can be combined with the medical - healthcare program since many of them need to take daily medication and therapy.  Also, they frequently need to check the blood pressure, sugar level, etc.

Vacation time: Holy Week: March 29th – April 6th

Program Schedule

• Airport meet and greet in Cartagena.
• City tour and orientation.
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35 - 40 hours per week.
• Weekends free for sightseeing.
• Typical work schedule can be 8:00am – 2:30pm with a break for lunch.
• Local ABV coordinator support 24/7 during placement.
• ABV Staff Airport Transfer

This school is located in a very peaceful and typical neighborhood in Cartagena, El Campestre. It is about 30 minutes away from the old city, the main touristic area. This institution is a great support for the community. Most of the students there come from very poor families and have low opportunities for a good education.

The school has limited educational resources and some of the classrooms and other facilities are not in good conditions. Nevertheless, the students enjoy their classes a lot and their company of each other. The school has the advantage of having the sports complex of Cartagena right in front. They also have a big sports field right behind the school; the students use it for physical education classes, soccer matches and other kind of competitions. The staff (educators) are very engaged and well prepared. The school has primary and high school grades. It has two branches that are 5 minutes away by foot from each other.

There are morning and afternoon classes. A typical class has a number of about 30-35 students. The volunteer will help the teacher by being a tutoring asset to the students. Teaching tools like flash cards, classroom supplies and literature resources are welcome and needed. The main needs they have are the following: Pre-school assistant, Teacher or assistant for computers and technology class (they have a classroom with computers), physical education teacher and of course, English teachers. This program can also be combined with the Language and Cultural Immersion program (Spanish lessons).

Program Schedule

• Airport meet and greet in Cartagena.
• City tour and orientation.
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35 - 40 hours per week.
• Weekends free for sightseeing.
• Typical work schedule can be 7:00am – 2:30pm with a break for lunch.
• Local ABV coordinator support 24/7 during placement.
• ABV Staff Airport Transfer

A Broader View offers programs specifically focusing on the plight of young women and destitute women in poverty communities. The program aims to help the women giving them support, guidance, and life skill training. Volunteers work with grassroots woman’s group and teaching English; help to initiate income-generating activities and to create sustainable solutions to the challenges the woman face on a day to day basis.

In our program, you assist with training women in diverse life and income-generating skills and to carry out research to find alternative solutions to fight poverty. No specific requirements except willingness and enthusiasm to help women.

The mission of this program is to help foster the growth of independent, self-sufficient, decision-making women, by encouraging self-empowerment. Our volunteers help in the following ways:

• Teaching life skills such as healthy eating
• Nutritional information
• Basic English teaching
• Initiating income-generating activities
• Promoting self -independence
• Instruction on hygiene & self-defense
• Encouraging self-empowerment
• Offering support and guidance
• Develop micro-business/loans
• Introducing yoga, dance, and sports

What Woman Support programs are available to volunteer Abroad?

This child care centre is located in a safe area of Cartagena. It is surrounded by poor neighborhoods and the community has a big need. Many of the children that are received in this institution have a very low life quality. Their families have deplorable economic situations and sometimes they cannot afford the meals for the day.

This centre is managed by the government and the ICBF which is the main institution of social welfare in Colombia. Many of the children there even have psychological problems because of their poor life conditions.

The children start to arrive at 8:00 am and their parents start to pick them up at 3:00 Pm. We need volunteers to take care of the children and help them eat. Also they need to have plenty of activities such as such as storytelling, role plays, English teaching, handheld works, etc. They also mentioned that they need a dining room for the children because now they have to eat in the place where the institution arranges the meetings with the parents. They have a lack of proper educational tools like books, flashcards, posters, colors, books, etc.

This is a perfect program for those volunteers who plan to have Spanish lessons, because they could also work part-time and dedicate the afternoon for their lessons. The host family lives 15 minutes away from the institution.

Vacation time: June 12th – July 25th; Holy Week: March 29th – April 6th

Program Schedule

• Airport meet and greet in Cartagena.
• City tour and orientation.
• Monday to Friday volunteering. 35 - 40 hours per week.
• Weekends free for sightseeing.
• Typical work schedule can be 8:00am – 2:30pm with a break for lunch.
• Local ABV coordinator support 24/7 during placement.
• ABV Staff Airport Transfer

In this program we help about  400 dogs and 50 cats in 4 programs. We invite you to help us, there is a lot of work to do, friendly hands are needed that really want to work. You can help in many ways, for example: bathing, playing, helping to build houses or shelters, cleaning cages, feeding, etc. The idea of  the these programs in addition to caring for animals is to train populations about the issues of vaccination, sterilization and animal rights.

Cartagena has a very backward population in relation to animal rights, there are still combat sports between animals, purchase and sale of prohibited animals and animal abuse, with the effort of each animal protection program is changing a bit, but the process It's very slow, we need many helping hands to move faster, we need you.

Objectives and volunteer role:

• The volunteer will help in animal rescue activities.
• the volunteer will help in recreational activities for animals
• the volunteer will help in daily activities, bathe animals, feed them, cleaning the work area
• the volunteer could help in the construction of new areas in the foundation
• The volunteer could help by translating the information on the website in English to expand the scope of the foundation.
• The volunteer should help in educational talks with people in the community.
• Suggest and execute ideas for the improvement of the foundation.

Work schedule. From Monday to Friday 4-6 Hours per day

List of items to donate: Dog and cat food, shampoo, medicine, roof construction material, gloves, masks, veterinary tool kits, first aid kits.

In this program you will have the opportunity to help people with cognitive disabilities who have limited economic resources. These people live in the poorest areas of the city, some houses do not have potable water or sewage system. Houses are made with wood, plastic bags as a roof,  are very rudimentary houses which is a serious problem for people with cognitive disabilities because in addition to having some limitations in their body they have to survive in conditions of extreme poverty.

The Program has worked for many years to improve people's living conditions, it helps more than 2000 children per year with  campaigns on education in the community, provides medical and psychological care to the patient and his family, has housing projects for people who need it most.

• Attention deficit disorder
• Generalized developmental disorder not specified
• Psychomotor delay
• Language delay
• Asperger syndrome
• Autism
• Sensory modulation disorder
• Apraxia of speech
• Global development delay
• Cerebral palsy
• Mental retardation
• Generalized muscle spasm
• Down's Syndrome
• Seizure diseases associated with cognitive, behavioral or psychomotor problems.
• Cognitive behavior therapy
• Physical therapy
• Phonoaudiology
• Psychology therapy
• HIV/aids prevention care

It is necessary to participate in this volunteer use the uniforms and safety measures approved in our ABV manual.

Objects to donate:

1. Medicine
2. Elements for personal hygiene
3. Building materials
4. Clothes for children

Schedule rank: Monday to Friday (8:00 am to 5:00 pm)

The objective of this program is to contribute to the development and social projection of children and adolescents from low strata under conditions of discrimination and cognitive physical and sensory disabilities. through programs and projects oriented towards the rehabilitation and construction of human capital in their different personal, family and social environments. Thus achieving the development of each and their and acceptance in society to develop their life project.

All volunteers who have medical certifications are welcome to work in our hospital, in this hospital we work with people with cognitive and physical disabilities, we attend more than 2000 people per year, We focus on serving the poorest people in Cartagena, people living in extreme poverty. All volunteers will have the company of nurses and official doctors who can explain in detail the activities.

Volunteers can help in medical care, educational campaigns for the community in order to improve health, dental health, disease prevention and good practices for health. For this volunteer we recommend you take the cultural immersion course in this way you will learn Spanish very quickly and enjoy your experience in our hospital.

It is necessary to participate in this volunteer use the uniforms and safety measures approved in our regulation manual. With pleasure in the hospital we will explain what they need.

Objects to donate

• Medicine, Elements for personal hygiene, Building materials, Clothes for children

Schedule rank: Monday to Friday (8:00 am to 5:00 pm)

In this program you can help in HIV prevention education campaigns. In Cartagena, the number of people infected with the virus will increase every year, in 2019 600 cases of HIV were registered in the city. But the number can be much higher, because there is a lot of fear and ignorance with this issue, many people do not want to do the test to identify the virus, which makes it difficult for the authorities to know more accurately the total number of people infected in Cartagena.

According to the authorities, the social groups most affected by the virus are: prisoners, homosexual men, transsexual women, people living in the street. Another risk factor is that Cartagena is a city where polygamy is often practiced, so the spread of the virus is much faster and more alarming than in other cities.

Our program helps with systematic HIV prevention campaigns, we focus on the most vulnerable population, we are working with people who have not had a school education, people are unaware of the virus and preventive measures as well as treatment, which makes the spread faster.

With these educational campaigns we reach more than 20,000 people in the year, it is a constant effort so that society can have knowledge to prevent or treat this virus. The infected person has to face many negative situations, the virus, discrimination on the part of the family and society, Through these educational campaigns we can make the person regain confidence and have a better life condition.

You can help us with your creativity and your style and with your ideas to improve our preventive program, we are waiting for you.

Role of the volunteer

• Participate in the campaigns towards the communities
• Prepare topics for conferences
• Organize educational pedagogies and didactics for the community
• Educational talks to infected patients

Donation items

Educational material, Building material, Medicines HIV tests, Snacks for campaigns

Language Immersion incorporates Spanish lessons with morning volunteer work. Classed can be combined with the medical, animal rescue, social welfare, or children's care center placements. Language Immersion will give you the chance to develop, improve, or enhance your Spanish knowledge, all the while being part of the volunteer work. Lessons are provided by local tutors on a one-on-one (or two) basis. Lesson plans are created with your input so they can be most effective.

Program Schedule

• Program starts and ends in Cartagena, Colombia
• Airport meet and greet in Cartagena. Afternoon orientation
• Morning Volunteer work, 5 days a week for 15 - 20 hours
• Afternoon Spanish lessons, 5 days a week for 15 hours (45min each)
• Certificate of completion from ABV
• Support: Local ABV Director support 24/7 during placement
• Departure: ABV Staff Escorted Airport Transfer