Retired people, career breakers and even honeymooning couples are taking the plunge for an adventure and finding out what a short or long break helping others abroad is all about.
There's a whole range of areas in which your skills could be vital, such as health, education, climate change and even journalism and sports.
Dr. Peter Slowe, director of overseas volunteering provider, Projects Abroad, says trends are changing as more people are volunteering than ever before.
There’s no doubt that the rise in tuition fees in England and Wales has not adversely affected the popularity of gap year projects, he says.
Dr Slowe expects to see more demand for short-term summer volunteering projects, especially those of two weeks. They appeal to students looking to enhance their UCAS forms and workers who want a challenge on holiday and a boost to their CVs and resumes. Gap years are also appealing to wider audiences with the retired and career breakers opting to volunteer alongside students.
There has been a rapid rise in the uptake of projects in Africa for 2011, with higher numbers for everywhere south of the Sahara, up from 38% to 45% – in Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Togo.
Green gap years helping on conservation projects continue to be popular such as those tackling the effects of climate change like the marine projects on coral reefs in Thailand.
Newly married couples are ditching the beach honeymoon in the US and this is expected to increase in the UK too. Couples are finding that giving something back to developing countries is a memorable start to married life.
Projects Abroad’s projects span 26 countries and cover a wide range of disciplines including teaching, care, conservation & environment, medicine & healthcare, sports, community projects, business, law & human rights and journalism. Projects are designed specifically for the needs of the communities they serve, giving volunteers aged 16 years and over experience of volunteering abroad.
Projects Abroad was founded in 1992 by Dr. Peter Slowe, a geography professor, as a programme to help students to travel and work outside term-time. The programme had its genesis in post-communist Romania, where British students were given the chance to teach conversational English. After a few years of only sending volunteers to Eastern Europe for teaching, the company expanded to enable volunteers of all ages from around the world, to participate in a wide range of projects.
For more information on volunteering overseas, visit: www.projects-abroad.co.uk
Catherine Turnbull - Catherine Turnbull
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