Customer Reviews

How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas

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If you have a good heart, are curious about other cultures, and are new to volunteering, the opening section of this book may come as a bit of a shock.

First, volunteering isn't free. Most volunteer placement organizations require substantial fees (usually $1,000 plus) to arrange for your food, accommodation, and provide basic training.

Second, altruism, when applied to international development, isn't always helpful. There's a beautiful example of this in Chapter 3. You imagine that three volunteer groups from around the world come to Washington DC to help the city develop and get past its problems of violence and poverty. The first group is from Zambia- they identify the problem as a shortage of churches, and lack of respect for elders. The second group is from the Amazon- they propose knocking down skyscrapers to add more green space. The third group is a Rastafarian youth organization- they criticize the focus on power and money, and help DC by training politicians to grow ganja.

Similarly, the best intentions of American volunteers aren't always welcomed or even potentially helpful abroad unless they are developed in the context of the host culture.

From this point, the book describes the practical logistics of volunteering abroad- from fundraising to support your trip, learning about your host country, preparing for your travel, and ultimately being an effective volunteer.

The bulk of the book focuses on organizational profiles of volunteer organizations. These are extraordinarily helpful as critical analyses of many such organizations, and should help you navigate through the bewildering maze of opportunities. Unfortunately, the "over 100" organizations that they profile are just a fraction of what's out there, and there's really no easy way to navigate through these. There are a few indexes in the back (organizations offering short term programs, organizations placing volunteers in Latin America, etc), but there's no easy way to look for volunteer opportunities in a specific country, for example. If this organizational profile guide was online or on a CD, it would be infinitely more useful (and cheaper to publish...)

I did extensive research before going overseas to volunteer, and this book was my bible, beacon, guiding light, whatever you want to call it. It answered questions I didn't even know I had, and opened my eyes to the various ways I could accomplish a goal that, at the beginning, I thought had very few options for accomplishment. The appendix is incredibly thorough, and that alone could be a great resource. This book changed my ideas about how I wanted to volunteer, and in the end I completely restructured my plan and had a wonderful experience abroad. I would have felt very lost without this resource..

This book is a treasure. It is a good book for anyone in the age group of about 18-75 of any ethnicity, religion and socio-economic background. It addresses safety, among other issues, for women travelers. This book includes more than information one could find on the Internet about particular opportunities and organizations in any region of the world. It includes in depth studies as well as information for the person considering volunteering overseas to examine his/her motivations and come up with criteria to apply to choosing an organization as well as a location. In addition, this book discusses issues surrounding language barriers and how to overcome the obstacles as well as use the volunteer opportunity to become fluent in another language. This book makes a wonderful gift.

I take teams of people on international work projects every year. Presently I have a team going to Bosnia. The material presented in this book is insightful, accurate, practical and worth absorbing before working cross culturally. It is well written, very personal and engaging. Hats off to the contributors, authors, editors and publisher. It will get a lot of use.

A lot of people seek to broaden their personal horizons overseas, and some of them hope to make the world a better place while they do. Unfortunately, many are unable to find their way through a maze of humanitarian and international organizations of differing quality, to the ones that can really satisfy those goals. Ultimately, this undermines the volunteer's self-selected mission. With that in mind, "How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas" is a tremendous resource and a real contribution for any volunteer who wants to make the most of their time and energy, both for the needy and for themselves.

I just returned from a volunteering project to rural Kenya and I would not have been as prepared as I was without this book. This book is invaluable, it not only prepares you before you leave, it also helps you while you are abroad. The descriptions of the different organizations were very accurate. I defenitely recommend this book to anyone going abroad.

If you are interested in giving something back overseas, this book is for you. This is a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to the issues, logistics and options for pursuing an international volunteer experience. I only wish this book had existed before my wife and I went on our 9 month honeymoon adventure 7 years ago. It's a great feeling of satisfaction and comfort when you find a text that is the perfect accompaniment for your desired activity or pursuit. Keep it by your bedside!!

The voice of experience speaks clearly in this essential resource book. I keep a copy laying out on my desk at the university and at the high school at which I teach, right where students will be able to see it. Invaluable advice and a wealth of otherwise hard-to-uncover organizational connections are immediately available here, right at the potential volunteer's fingertips. Years of overseas work have taught me many of these same lessons the hard way- a person would be wise to acquire that same knowledge via this volume, and in so doing become that much more effective and learn that much more while making a genuine contribution and enjoying the experience abroad. Volunteering overseas builds perspective and character like nothing else could, and this book is the perfect introduction to having that significant period of one's life be a genuine win/win experience!

PS: Model United Nations program advisors will want to have a copy ready to hand, available for their students. I am going to check into having Dr. Collins come to my university as a guest lecturer.

I am preparing to volunteer in Costa Rica and this book has been an amazing resource for me. It has encouraged me to write out my motivations and expectations for this trip. It has helped me think through how I can be an effective volunteer. Thanks to this book I feel more prepared mentally and emotionally and I feel more aware of what I am getting into.

Thanks for this excellent resource!

A great reference for those thinking of volunteering overseas. Gives good profiles of each organization, including those geared towards high school students to retirees. Has both pros and cons for many organizations including an entire chapter on the Peace Corps. Highly recommended!!