Some Ways On How To Volunteer In Developing Countries

By Dorothy Cook


Developing countries are still grappling with a myriad of challenges that affect many sectors. These include healthcare, education, social and environmental among others. At the same time, tremendous growth has led to the emergence of a vibrant corporate sector involving indigenous companies as well as multinationals. As can be seen, there are many areas in which you can plug in if you are planning to volunteer in developing countries.

If you are passionate about volunteering, there are two ways you can use to secure a position. One of them is where you travel to the country of your choice and make applications to government and non-governmental organizations. This may be quite challenging especially if you are traveling to the country for the first time. The other option is to apply to an organization dealing with the placement of volunteers back at home and traveling only after a position has been secured.

The globalization that has been taking place in many places all over the world has presented newer challenges to professionals. Regardless of what you are involved with, you are bound to deal with clients from very diverse backgrounds particularly if you are working in a large cosmopolitan city. One of the areas in which this has become evident is in healthcare provision. There is a need to travel and familiarize oneself with conditions prevalent in other parts of the world.

There are numerous opportunities for volunteers in the health care sector. In many places in developing countries, staffing in this sector is major challenge. Rural communities are constantly faced with the challenge of not getting adequate medical attention whenever they need it. The existing shortage of health care providers means that they often have to travel for long distances. Doctors, nurses and other health professionals can make a real difference.

Training of healthcare professionals may also interest you if you are a senior doctor or other healthcare provider willing to pass on some of your skills and knowledge. With a significant number of health care providers only being semi-skilled especially in the most remote parts, regular training becomes very important. These providers need to be impatient with emergency lifesaving skills which they can use as patients are transferred to more comprehensive facilities.

Teachers will also find plenty of opportunities to contribute positively. Most of the developing countries have experienced increased enrollment of pupils in schools in recent times. The increase has not been matched with the employment of more teachers which has put a lot of strain on the few teachers teaching at both primary and secondary schools. Volunteer teachers may contribute in sciences (physics, chemistry and biology), mathematics and foreign languages (English, French and German) among others.

The conditions of living for the majority of the population in these countries are still not ideal. As a matter of fact, many citizens are housed in substandard houses in slums. Levels of unemployment are very high and so are social evils such as crime and gender based violence. Social workers who can volunteer to work within these communities can create a huge impact.

Volunteering has many benefits regardless of the duration of time involved. The most important among them is the fact that one gets an opportunity to contribute to the less fortunate and contribute to a better world in their own small way. Another benefit is that they will get international exposure in their level of specialization which will help them become even better at what they do.




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