Volunteer Abroad Orphanage Assistance Programs - America, Asia, Africa
Orphanage Child Care
A Broader View has partnered with licensed, vetted, established childcare programs that provide children with good quality food, housing, education, and healthcare. Many of these children have been abandoned or have been rescued from a life of child labor. Some children have lost their parents to disease or drug abuse or mental illness, leaving them vulnerable and without proper support.
Volunteering with children is a rewarding but challenging volunteer abroad experience. All volunteers are carefully chosen, fully screened and should have some experience working with youth. We encourage long term commitments for all our childcare programs, although short term options are available in daycare facilities, afterschool children’s programs, and temporary shelters for children.
Volunteers should see themselves as mentors, trainers and the role of a counselor when working with overseas children. Aside from helping with the daily upkeep at the children’s centers volunteers help in several ways including::
- Providing basic English education
Promoting basic health and hygiene talks
Organizing sports lessons
Organizing recreational games
Engaging in art and craft activities
Washing and cooking
Playing games
Organizing parties and fun activities
Changing diapers and caring for small children
While part of our A Broader View program working with children you will have the opportunity to learn a new culture from inside out. Working with children from impoverished backgrounds to provide adequate care and support. Live with a local host family and explore the day to day life in your host community.
The children in these orphanages may have been alone for a very long time and the level of care that you provide to them is genuinely all they are likely to receive. You can definitely be a voice of love and kindness in their lives and this could make a huge difference for them forever.
+ What Orphanage programs are available to volunteer Abroad?
| ABV Program | Groups | Solo | Couples | Families |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belize | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Guatemala (Quezatenango) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Nepal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tanzania | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Peru | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Honduras | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| India Jaipur - Udaipur | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| India Udaipur | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ecuador | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
A hug and a smile provide meaning to the life of kids who had grown up deprived of love and care. Male and female volunteers are needed as big Brothers and Big Sisters. Volunteers are asked to provide basic English education, promote health and hygienic habits, organize recreational games and sports lessons and assist the staff in counseling the children. In these projects, you could find yourself painting, changing diapers, organizing a soccer game, washing or cooking for the kids, or simply leading a sing a long. Bring as many board games, cards, soccer/tennis/volleyball balls, you can make small parties for the children with cakes, sodas, candies to celebrate birthdays.
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Volunteer Zambia Lusaka at a school project which supports orphans and provides education to vulnerable in the community and surrounding areas. The school was founded as a result of the increasing inequality and privation of the plight of the child in accessing basic education and care in rural areas outside of Lusaka.
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Volunteer in Ecuador, this orphanage, located about an hour outside of the city, provides a safe place for local children who have suffered violence, physical and psychological or other risk to their lives. Created to have a family environment, with emphasis on education, the children are provided with a positive outlook on the lives.
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Volunteer in Tanzania The orphanage located in Arusha was founded in 2009, with the goal of housing orphans, offering them not only shelter but also education.
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Volunteer Zambia at a Children’s Home near Livingstone, Zambia. The Home provides residential care for orphans and vulnerable children who have no family to look after them. Most of them have been orphaned as a result of the AIDS pandemic, which affects about 30% of adults in Livingstone.
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Volunteer in Nepal Orphanage program offer life time opportunity to the volunteers to learn the real life of Nepal. Nepal have face internal war for decade and high mortality rate which has caused many to become orphan and country poor economy make it much harder for these one to survive . Which in result make many children out of home and school to come on street and to beg for living.
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Volunteer India Assist with the caring for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old. This day care center allows parents a safe, secure place to leave their children while they are working. Most of the children come from extremely impoverished families and the wage earners must work, so the child need to be minded. The center provide shelter, food and some limited education teaching. Most children spend 5-6 hours a day at the center.
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Volunteer in Costa Rica at a local orphanage in a suburb of San Jose (Guadalupe). This residential facility is home to about 25 children who range in age between toddlers to pre-teens (2yrs-12yrs old). The “Tias” or caretakers at the orphanage need help with everyday tasks for the children.
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Volunteer in Ghana at a residential home for 30 children. Come and work with children that come from a variety of situations including loss of one or both parents, physical and sexual abuse, extreme poverty, and more suffering than many of us can imagine.
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Volunteer in Nepal this is an opportunity to support the work at a local orphanage in Kathmandu. Home to about 15 children, mainly girls, this residential home currently has children between 5 and 16 years old. Although the children attend school for the majority of the day, there is much help needed at this center. Volunteer work hours are split between early morning and later afternoon (approximately 730am-930am, 300pm-7:00pm) Volunteers will help getting the kids dressed, fed and ready for school. In the afternoon support with homework, teaching English, as well as introducing recreational and extracurricular activities like dance and music. The children mainly crave individual attention and focus from the volunteers. When the children are at school volunteers can assist with orphanage administrative needs, in the kitchen or gardens. Another option is to split this project with another program such as teaching or take optional Nepali language course.
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Volunteer in Ecuador, this is a public kindergarten that offers education, nutrition, health and affection to 220 children from 4 to 6 years old distributed within 8 classrooms. Most of children come from poor families. It is located inside of the Itchimbía Park in Quito’s central area. The most important skill needed to work with these children is patience.
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Volunteer in Ecuador, this project has been in the works since 1949 for children who have been orphaned, abandoned, or whose families are unable to care for them. The family approach in this Children's Village is based on the three following principles: each child needs a mother, they grow up naturally with brothers and sisters, and they live in their own house within a supportive village environment.
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Volunteering in Chile, 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.
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Volunteer in Cusco Peru working with orphans, special needs youth and other vulnerable children. Living and working in Cusco is an unforgettable experience. Be part of the real life of the Cusquenians, explore their family traditions, customs and taste the authentic Cusco cuisine at your homestay
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Volunteer in Belize, There are currently 44 children residing at the orphanage. The children range in age between 4 years and 17 years old. Our volunteers support the staff in terms of their daily routines, and also offer outside input for activities and recreational ideas. During the school term volunteer will help with the children’s breakfast, and escorting them to school. A Daycare / Headstart project is open in the orphanages pre-school. Volunteers can help with assisting with baby/toddler care and pre-school activities with the little ones. Work tasks at this center include: farming, gardening, animal care, cooking, laundry, cleaning. After school activities with the children including reading, helping with homework, arts and crafts, playing in the ball fields, and being present and available to the children.
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Volunteer in Guatemala and help support both single parents and their children. This project is for parents of limited resources. This is a daycare center where the (single) parent can bring their child while they work. The kids receive pre-kinder lessons, behavior training and recreational time. The project foresees in breakfast, snack, lunch and snack. The center has capacity for between 15-25 kids. The center has babies, toddlers and pre-school age children between 3 months and 5 years old.
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Volunteer Honduras in a local day care community center which provides services to children of mostly single mothers. The center has about 100 children who range in age between 1 year and 10 years old. The children are provided care and attention, and lunch. Volunteers will help with pre-school lessons, playing with the kids, stimulating conversation and learning, helping in the kitchens and any other necessary chore. We also work with a residential orphanage home to about 20 children from ages 8 -15yrs old. The volunteers duties would be the same, with a focus on education games, interacting with the kids, reading books, and even light chores like cooking, cleaning, sweeping.
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Volunteer Guatemala. At this program, poor children suffering from malnutrition are provided a safe haven, medical support, education, food and a place to recover. Most of the children are under 6yrs old and come from all over Guatemala for care. The project focus is care and support, feeding, health checks, and monitoring. This program is also recommended for pre-medical students and those interested in a medical career path. Also attend spanish schools antigua guatemala to learn spanish while volunteering.
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Volunteer in Ecuador, at a community day care/nursery school center on Santa Cruz Island. There are about 35 children daily from 2 years to 5 years old. The program provides an integral aid in the education of the children on this island. Many of the children at this center come from families of immigrants who have gone to Galapagos looking for a better future for their families and kids. The project hours are 8:00am - 12:00am Monday to Friday.
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The child rights and protection program have 2 types of branches - one for orphans and the other for street children and other vulnerable children with behavioral issues. Focused in the Kawangware slums, the goal is to protect child through the rehabilitation of street children, getting street children’s out of the street. The centers usually have 20-25 children on a daily basis.
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Volunteer Uganda in one of two local orphanages in the Wakiso district, located outside of the city of Kampala. The village orphanage and school not only provide a home and safe haven this is where the children have classes.
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Volunteer in Guatemala. This program is promoting and enhancing the general wellbeing of children, woman and families living in poverty, and because of this poverty live in very difficult circumstances.
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Volunteering in Cambodia Phnom Penh, once considered to be the loveliest of Indochina's French-built cities, was called the "Pearl of Asia". Today it is a bustling city. The city has a mix of French colonial and Khmer architecture, and sits at the base of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonlé Sap Rivers. In the city there are a number of Wats (temple-monasteries), museums and other places of interest which can be visited on the weekends.
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Volunteers in Tanzania support three children's centers located outside of Arusha. The centers are home to approximately 20 children, ranging in age from 4yr-15yrs old. The centers are run by loving dedicated staff who have opened their hearts to these vulnerable kids and orphans. They provide shelter, food, love and education to orphans, abandoned and street children of surrounding community.
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Volunteer South Africa, Support a local children's center, called a crèche, which provides a safe haven to 30-40 children daily. Some are orphans fostered in the community, others are from poor families and can't attend school yet. At the center they give these children a safe place and the love and care that they need. Volunteers add support to the local staff with individual attention to the kids, supervise play time, support lunch services, reinforce English speaking with lessons and reading/games and help with homework. Afternoon homework guidance and after school project support needed as well.
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Volunteer Zambia at an orphanage which provides 24/7 nursing care for pre-mature and high risk infants and toddlers, most of who are orphaned or abandoned. This center provides much needed food, care, love and nurtures the children back to health. At this project volunteers hold the babies, hand feed and bottle feed babies, change diapers, play with the toddlers, help in the kitchen and laundry duties also. Another orphanage our volunteer work with have children from 4-12 years old and are provided a safe home. These children have school lessons, so expect to read books, help with English lessons, playing in the yard, helping with handicraft and other daily chores. The orphanage are located in residential neighborhoods, about 20-25 minutes' walk from the host family.
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Volunteer Ghana in an orphanage and work with children that come from a variety of situations including loss of one or both parents, physical and sexual abuse, extreme poverty, and more suffering than many of us can imagine. Our two orphanage projects have children from 4 years and older. Most of the children range between 11-14years old. Many of these children have been denied the chance at an education as well as the basics for survival-food and shelter.
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Volunteer in Ecuador, Focuses care and attention to children up to 4 months old, the children receive stimulation as a method of learning where they can develop all the senses, games, songs and learn to have independence. The children are provided care while their parents, mostly single mothers can work. This is a very upbeat project with many small children eager for attention!
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Volunteer Colombia, 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.
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Volunteer in India, Childcare centers, commonly known as Aanganbaris, seek to provide ample care to children before school. Their main aim is to take care of those children who would not be able to receive proper care at home. Additionally, they serve to improve the health of the pregnant women and the lactating mothers.
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]