If you are seeking volunteer opportunities in Africa and have thus far found nothing suitable you might want to give Volunteer 4 Africa a try. Their extensive database contains a wide range of volunteer opportunities to choose from throughout the African continent.

As well as disseminating information about volunteer work the site also provides the wish lists of host organizations and charities. Even if you don’t intend to volunteer in Africa you can still help worthy causes by donating equipment and resources in the area you plan to visit.

Volunteer 4 Africa is wonderful one-stop shop for volunteers and responsible travellers interested in making a difference. If you want to support their work and start recruiting your friends to the cause visit their new Facebook page and click the like button (www.facebook.com/volunteer4africa).

Getting involved in volunteering can be a little overwhelming at first. Here are five key steps to make sure you have a great volunteer experience:

1. Time To Give? – First, determine how much time you have available. You don’t want to over commit and leave the organization in a lurch, and you don’t want to get yourself into situation where you’re not enjoying the work you’re doing.

2. Setting the Stage – Next, determine what kind of environment you want to work in as a volunteer. Outdoors? Indoors? At a desk? In front of an audience? Not every organization can offer all these environments.

3. Does Cause Matter? – Cause refers to the specific mission of an organization: the goals they are working for. Do you find yourself energized and inspired to change the world in one specific fashion?

4. Now You Can Start – Once you’ve thought about availability, environment and cause, you’re ready to search. But where do you start? We recommend Volunteer Latin America, of course! Don’t forget our partner organizations if seeking volunteer opportunities in Africa or Thailand.

5. Give Back and Get Ahead – Finally, don’t be afraid to look for opportunities that can help you professionally or academically. Lots of projects will look great on your CV/Resume or your university/college application. The more you can find something that aligns your needs with the needs of a non-profit organization, the more likely you are to have a great experience.

Happy Volunteering!

This boutique safari lodge is offering a wildlife guiding internship in a pristine part of the southern Pantanal. During the first few weeks of your stay, you will be learning (with the help of experienced guides and trackers) about this unique and rich ecosystem, and about the animals that inhabit the land, rivers and lakes around the lodge. Then, you will assist the guides and trackers on the excursions with the guests. As the lodge is also a small cattle ranch, there will also be the opportunity to learn about the traditional cowboy culture that exists in the Pantanal, and to even assist in the rounding up of cattle by horse.

Important skills that you will be learning: basic 4 × 4 driving in a safari jeep; radio use; using a spotlight for night safaris; horse riding; canoeing; looking after guests; clearing trails and roads used for walks and safari drives with the guests; identifying the tracks of different Pantanal animals; identifying the calls of different Pantanal animals (especially birds); learning about behaviour of the animals; learning about the ecosystem, particularly how the seasonal floods influence the behaviour of the animals; learning about the culture of the Pantanal people.

It is very important that applicants have excellent people skills and enjoy looking after guests. Also, applicants need to have a strong interest in wildlife. Ideally, they would have some background in working with or studying wildlife.

There is no cost to participate and interns receive free board and lodging at the lodge.

Please visit the Volunteer Latin America website to find out how to request further information, including the application procedure.

There has been a significant increase in the number of young Britons applying for volunteer placements overseas in the past year, partly as a result of the difficulties that many have encountered when trying to find a place at university.

Figures from STA, the youth specialist travel agent, show an overall increase of 35 per cent in students booking gap year experiences and a 28 per cent rise in demand for ‘mini-gap’ trips, or ‘snap years’.

A number of factors that have contributed to the strong interest in volunteering abroad, such as the imminent university fee increases in 2012 and the fact that a record number of A-level passes led to some 700,000 students vying for only 480,000 places in higher education last year.

Those who were disappointed in not finding a place at university will come to see it as a blessing in disguise. Volunteering abroad is an excellent way to step off the treadmill of academia and broaden their outlook, life skills and general education, while enriching the lives of others.

This project is looking for real green warriors who will get the chance to learn about and participate in permaculture design and implementation, green building, gardening and reforestation, bio-diesel production, alternative energy, goats and milking, cooking from fresh produce, chocolate and cheese making, teaching, and much more.

The project also offers horse internships for people who want to learn more about these gorgeous animals. Interns get to do all the general things that are part of a horse owner’s life, like cultivating and processing home grown feed, brushing, washing, fence maintenance and mucking as well as horse handling and riding lessons if needed.

The volunteer program costs £9 per day and the internship costs £16 per day (based on a 3 week stay). You will get 3 mostly home grown meals a day, a comfy bed, and get to use the spring water pool, dance/yoga studio, and have access to the internet. Cheaper rates are negotiable for longer term volunteers (minimum commitment of one month). The volunteer fee is used to cover the cost of food, energy, and the wages of permaculture teachers – the accommodation is provided free.

This project is striving to change the social, cultural and political vulnerable conditions of the local population. The work is focused in two key areas: the creation of community libraries as spaces to democratize culture and promote integral education; and through social intervention focused in education for life and empowerment in rights, especially for young people and children. There are numerous volunteer opportunities, for example, you could teach a language (English, French, German, etc), provide painting, dance or theatre classes, play football, read stories to the children, etc.

Volunteers make a one-off donation that goes directly to the project, and this varies according to the length of stay. Volunteers are responsible for covering their own living expenses such as accommodation and food.

Please visit the Volunteer Latin America website to find out how to request further information, including the application procedure.

This project is looking for veterinarians, veterinary nurses, veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and experienced animal handlers, for its first volunteer veterinary trip of 2012, beginning on Saturday 18 February and ending on Sunday 4 March. The purpose of the volunteer veterinary trips is to provide a spay/neuter service for street dogs/cats and pets owned by low income families. The work takes place in a (jungle) city clinic and in the Amazon rainforest itself. During the jungle portion of the trip participants will have excursion opportunities and these are included in the trip fee. Other volunteer veterinary trip dates are available in 2012.

The trip costs £290 which covers project related transportation, lodging, all meals, and excursions. Participants stay in comfortable lodging in a jungle village plus an eco-lodge.

Do you want to participate in a volunteer program and need financial assistance in order to cover your travel and living abroad expenses? LIVFund supports anyone interested in learning, interning or volunteering abroad in 21 countries throughout Latin America. Please visit this previous post on the Latin Lounge for further information and web link.

This project involves artificial reefs deployment for sustainable lobster fishing in an artisanal fishery. The short term objective is to understand how the artificial structures aid in the settlement of lobster populations for the commercial artisanal fishery, and if positive, continue to undertake an educational programme to promote the sustainable fishing of lobsters at minimum size required to avoid depletion of this biological and commercial resource. The project will be starting in March 2012 and there are two placements available for international volunteers. Applicants must have swimming and diving skills, preferably licensed PADI or similar certificate, willing to withstand lots of outdoor activities, willing to participate in community (indigenous) meetings, and be in general good health. No Spanish required, English language a must.

The project provides free accommodation, meals, and local transportation.

If you are interested in finding out more about this project you need to use our voluntary work information service.

This project is looking for four volunteer field assistants to study the behavioural ecology of lance-tailed manakins from 15 February to 20 June 2012. Participants will be involved in work investigating questions such as how indirect genetic benefits affect female mate choice, why dominant males tolerate subordinate co-operators, and how male experience affects display performance. Responsibilities will include re-sighting colour-banded birds, daily maintenance of an automated detection system, conducting many hour-long behavioural observations at display sites, nest-searching through dense secondary-growth dry tropical forest, and mist netting birds for banding and blood sampling, as well as data entry and organizational tasks. Experience in one or more of these areas is strongly preferred. Applicants should have a very strong interest in animal behaviour, birds, and field biology. Review of applications will continue until positions are filled.

Upon successful completion of the field season, assistants will be reimbursed for round-trip airfare (maximum of £625) and will receive a one-time £312 stipend to help defray any personal costs of participation. Food, housing, and in-country transportation are also provided.