Children Special Needs
This is a challenging but rewarding special needs school project that caters to children with development delays as well as vision and hearing impairments. There are several students who are deaf, and sign language is commonly used to help communicate with the children. Some of the children live with autism, Down’s syndrome and are being provided speech therapy.
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Volunteer in India, most children with “special needs” are neglected by society, or turned over to an orphanage. Volunteers with therapy training, or skills working with special needs children are welcome. The orphanage caters to mentally and physically disabled children. The level of illness varies from child to child but all need individual attention to grow and develop as a normal human being and to join the main stream of society.
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Volunteer Argentina, This organization is composed by a team who work with children and youth with disabilities, using equine therapy, orchard and “streetband” as part of their rehabilitation, being a complement to the treatment. Coordination is in charge of a Psychologist that works on the horse individually with each patient, which is accompanied at the meeting by the rest of the team.
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Volunteer in Guatemala, this educational center provides education to people with a visual and hearing handicap. The center offers pre-primary and primary education in classrooms until 6th grade. There is also a special education classroom. The center accommodates a total of 140 children.
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Volunteer in Cusco Peru are needed at a special needs center located in Cusco Peru. All residents, regardless of their age, suffer from various physical and mental ailments. The home is for adult and child residents who come from the poorest communities in and around Cusco. The center is quite large and has several dedicated areas, including separate buildings for women, men, and children. There is small therapy room for children and large outdoor areas for sitting, reading and talking with the residents. As a residential facility bedding and food are provided for all residents, and most of the home's funding comes from donations and international support.
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Volunteer Argentina, This Therapeutic Education Center offers home to children and adolescents diagnosed with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities, ages from 6/7 to 13/14. These diagnoses may be associated with other neurological disorders as epilepsy, infantile autism, Prader Willi syndrome, personality disorders and PDD. Actually the center assists 40 people.
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Volunteer Costa Rica This program is ideal for compassionate volunteers who want to help teens and adults who have a range of physical and intelectual disabilities.
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Volunteers in Nepal needed at a Special needs children’s care center located in a suburb of Kathmandu. This center is caring for physically challenged children by providing them with the accommodation, daily care, health care, medication in the form of corrective surgery and education. Most of these children come from poor families who cannot care for them at home. Currently there are more than 40 children being cared for, most of them between 10-12 years old.
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Volunteer in Ecuador, undergraduate students (medical/nursing/public health) are welcome to join our health related project in Quito. This local facility provides services to impoverished families/children. The center's mission is to provide medical attention to both children and adults with all types of acute illnesses, chronic diseases and rehabilitation therapies for children with special needs. There is a day care center for babies and toddlers, rehabilitation services for children with Down's, cerebral palsy and other disabilities, as well as health checks and treatment.
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Volunteer in Costa Rica This is a challenging but rewarding special needs school project that caters to children with development delays as well as vision and hearing impairments. There are several students who are deaf, and sign language is commonly used to help communicate with the children. Some of the children live with autism, Down’s syndrome and are being provided speech therapy.
Volunteer Information
Volunteer Schedule
Day One: Our local coordinator/staff will give you an orientation and will accompany you to your program. You will be shown how to manage the commute (bus, taxi, walking). You will be introduced to the site director and discuss your role at the project. Volunteers typically work a morning and an afternoon shift each lasting about 3-5 hours.
Weekdays: A typical volunteer day is as follows:
- 7:30 AM Breakfast at the volunteer house/homestay.
- 8:00 AM Volunteers depart, and travel to their project site.
- 8:30 AM to 13:00 PM Volunteer work and a lunch break.
- 14:00 PM to 17:00 PM Language lessons or afternoon volunteer work.
- 18:30-19:30 PM Dinner at the volunteer house/homestay.
Note: This is an example schedule. Volunteer work hours can vary depending on the program and the location.
Evenings: For peace of mind and to ensure the well-being of our volunteers, a nightly curfew of 21:30PM is in place from Sunday to Thursday. Curfew is set at 12:00AM for Friday and Saturday. (All volunteers must comply with their home country’s legal drinking age).
Communication While Overseas
Volunteers have several ways to stay in touch with their family/friends back home and with the ABV local staff while they are overseas. All city/urban program locations have access to internet/cyber cafes which typically charge hourly rates ($1-$2). The majority of ABV guesthouses, homestays have WIFI access (fees apply), and have land line telephone numbers. Even rural program locations have mobile phone service, and small towns nearby with internet facilities. All ABV staff use mobile phones to stay in contact with their volunteers.
Before traveling volunteers should contact their mobile phone provider and ask about international call/texting plans. Volunteers should consider buying a portable wifi device (especially in rural locations). If planning on traveling with your own mobile phone volunteers should look at apps like Skype, FaceTime and WhatsApp to stay connected through messenger or short calls home. Volunteers can rent a wireless phone or buy a cheap throwaway phone once they arrive in-country. In some locations you can do that for less than $50. In fact, your regular carrier may even offer overseas rentals. ABV local staff will assist you and show you where to purchase SIM cards.
Once you arrive in-country and settled in, our ABV staff will help you contact home to let someone know you arrived safely. All volunteers are also given an emergency phone number on their Volunteer Guide/summary, which is available 24/7 to contact ABV staff.
When can I travel?
Easy. Choose the dates that work best for you. Although some programs have date restrictions the majority of our volunteer programs are available year round. Volunteers select their own program start date and complete an online application. Once you have been accepted and dates approved, ABV will ask you to confirm your registration by paying a us$120 included in the overall fee.
Safety and Security
The safety of our volunteers is paramount for A Broader View Volunteers. The majority of ABV Volunteers travel and serve without major incident. However, programs are based in some of the least developed countries and in some of the most remote areas in the world, health, safety, and security risks are an unavoidable part of life and international service. To address these concerns and to safeguard the well-being of our program participants, A Broader View has safety protocols and security procedures for all programs:
- Security: All project sites, local in-country staff and accommodation sites have gone through a rigorous filter and have been hand selected. ABV has spent almost 17 years cultivating and strengthening of our local partnerships & host family relationships. In-country staff visits, daily research of local conditions, as well as weekly checkup of our host families and accommodations are conducted. Site selection is based on criteria including; access to medical, banking, postal, and other essential services; access to communication, transportation, and local markets; availability of adequate housing and living arrangements.
- Pre-Departure Guide: Your ABV account will have a detailed volunteer guide. Volunteers are provided country information, packing lists, customs and language information, and much more. ABV also provides information about visa requirements, vaccinations, climate, weather, and safety and security issues specific to the country.
- Volunteer Summary: A full month before traveling volunteers are provided a detailed account of their volunteer project (including supply/donation list), arrival procedures, emergency contact information, accommodation details and the full name, phone and email of their local ABV Coordinator.
- Overseas Staff and communication: Our local staff support is immeasurable in their professionalism and dedication to the volunteers under their charge. The majority of ABV staff coordinators have been involved since the very start (over 11 years) and are well experienced handling the unexpected such as situations where volunteer students become ill, suffer accidents, are the victims of pick pockets. ABV staff is trained to react in a responsible and levelheaded way when emergencies do arise. They will do whatever is necessary to assure this, whether this means obtaining prompt and appropriate medical attention, embassy intervention or local authorities.
- Host Families and accommodations: Our local volunteer guesthouses, onsite project dorms and host families have been hand-picked. A Broader View accommodation have specific standards for the hygiene, cleanliness, location and comfortable living conditions for our volunteers. Telephone access is available 24/7 and most sites have internet access. Volunteers have to follow the curfew of the host accommodation.
- Arrival Meeting/Orientation: ABV programs provide a customized arrival plan. We can arrange your arrival/pick up at the airport, bus station or local hotel. Start your program with peace of mind, having the local ABV staff meeting you when you arrive in-country. Volunteers are provided orientation before starting their program. Orientation schedules vary from country to country but will include acclimation tours of the local town/city, accommodation neighborhood, geolocation map description, program location, main interesting points in the city or area. Emergency and medical protocols will be discussed and also address safety and security issues specific to the community volunteers live and work in.
- Every staff member of A Broader View is committed to providing volunteers with the support they need to successfully meet the challenges they will face to have a safe, healthy, and productive service. The success of each ABV volunteer is our prime goal. We rely on volunteers to exercise personal responsibility and demonstrate both a keen awareness of the world around them and a willingness to adjust their behavior in a manner that will enhance their safety and well-being. In the end, your efforts will be rewarded with an incredible, unique experience.
The emergency lines are staffed by an A Broader View:
- Communicate late/missed/flight connections during travel days
- Notify a Volunteer of an emergency (e.g. critical illness or death of a family member)
- Respond to family questions about a Volunteer's status (if problem occurring in-country)
ABV in a nut shell
- 501 (c)3 nonprofit USA based organization – you can tax deduct the program fees.
- Available year-round. You choose your own program start and end dates.
- 32 country locations to choose from. Programs available from 1 week up to 3 months in length.
- 245 perfectly balanced projects - experience, price, service.
- 100% cultural immersion including local home-stay and guesthouse accommodations.
- Program fees include airport transportation, orientation, housing/meals, 24/7 in-country support.
- Suitable options for solo travelers, gap year, honeymooners, families, mature travelers & groups.
- Excellent safety record and Platinum rated non-profit organization per Guidestar ABV alumni reviews.
- Between 1500-2000 volunteer per year with a high percentage of repeat volunteers.
How may we help you?!
Our staff has extensive travel and volunteer abroad experience. We have the answers to all your questions about volunteering with ABV. We can customize any of our programs to your needs and dates.
Call/chat with our team members:
(1) 215 780 1845 [email protected]