THESE TRIPS MAKE KIDS MORE BEAUTIFUL

“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” ~ Lily Tomlin
Vacations can be great teachers. They can be opportunities to pass along values to your kids. And/or they can offer chances to help lift up children in need in other countries and cultures. Volunteer travel experiences can make life more beautiful for children on both sides of the equation.
There are several excellent organizations that offer volunteer travel programs that welcome children and that focus on children’s needs. The offer meaningful trips where you can learn about and enjoy new lands and cultures and where you can make a real difference.
Voluntourism means “working vacations,” but the best ones aren’t all work and no play. Many programs are offered in countries, like Bali, where you can enjoy natural beauty, explore sights, and relax when you are off-duty. But even in undeveloped countries, there is much to see that can enrich your time.

Many programs come with built-in days or times when you are free to roam, chill, or do whatever strikes your fancy.
Together for Good, founded by family travel expert Nancy Schretter, is a non-profit organization and informational website that provides detailed information on a wide variety of opportunities to give back on vacations.
We’re sharing a few wonderful programs we found below.

International Volunteer HQ is one of the world’s leading volunteer travel companies. They work in over 40 destinations around the world, placing thousands of volunteers abroad every year.

IVHQ programs heighten global awareness and cultural understanding through the skills and expertise taken by volunteers to their host communities, and through the experiences and lessons that volunteers take back to their own countries and cultures.

Ethics are important to IVHQ. Their programs prioritize community needs and the protection of children. And they are designed to deliver sustainable value for communities and for the environment.

IVHQ offers a broad range of volunteer projects, many of which benefit children -- both yours and those belonging to the communities served.
Whether you want to volunteer and teach abroad, support wildlife conservation or marine conservation, or provide support to staff within childcare centers, help refugees, or other important areas of service, IVHQ has volunteer opportunities to suit all motivations and skill sets.

Are you are you looking for sports volunteer opportunities abroad to support physical education, or sports development within schools or after-school programs?
IVHQ’s Sports volunteer projects enable international volunteers to play a vital role in teaching youth within communities abroad the importance of maintaining active and healthy lifestyles, while building skills in teamwork and sportsmanship.

As a volunteer teaching sports abroad, you’ll discover that the children thrive on the opportunity to learn new sports and develop their skills. To be an effective volunteer sports coach, you’re encouraged to be inventive with your lesson plans, incorporating new games and sports, teaching new skills, and organizing tournaments for the children.
Learn more about our opportunities to join IVHQ sports volunteer abroad programs here.

Are you passionate about making sure that children have access to essential care and support, regardless of where they live or what their situation?
IVHQ Childcare volunteers provide assistance in a range of environments – community centers, day care centers, after school programs, and feeding programs.
The objective of these projects is to provide operational support to under-resourced childcare centers, while fostering a two-way cultural exchange between international volunteers, children and staff at the centers.
As an IVHQ volunteer, you can feel confident that you will have a meaningful impact, while developing your global awareness and opening the minds of the children to new cultures and possibilities.
Learn more about our childcare volunteer opportunities here.

How about volunteer teaching abroad to help increase access to education for boys and girls in challenged communities around the world?
IVHQ’s Teaching volunteer abroad projects enable international volunteers to work alongside local teachers with the objective of promoting greater literacy, supporting opportunities for higher education, building vocational skills and enhancing career prospects among students.
First-time teachers and experienced educators can all volunteer to teach abroad with IVHQ in over 40 destinations.
As a volunteer teacher abroad, you may have the opportunity to teach independently, provide support to local teachers, or team up with other international volunteers to take lessons in a range of classroom settings, including schools, tutoring programs, community centers, special needs facilities, and childcare centers.

Access to education and the opportunity to study English are highly valued in the communities we work with. Whether you’re a volunteer teaching English abroad, or supporting the instruction of other subjects or extracurricular activities, the students are eager to learn and participate.
The influence that international teaching volunteers have on the communities we work with goes beyond the classroom. Crossing boundaries to work side-by-side with students and teachers from different cultures fosters a two-way exchange, building cross-cultural understanding and global awareness.
Learn more about our volunteer teaching overseas opportunities available here.

Maximo Nivel offers volunteer abroad, intern abroad, and teach abroad programs in Latin America for travelers that would like to truly immerse themselves in the culture of the communities they visit.
One community development opportunity you can sign up for right now with Maximo Nivel invites you to work with indigenous communities in Peru. For one week or longer, you’ll live with a family in a rural Andean area outside of Cusco, where you’ll care for animals and livestock, help with agricultural and construction projects, and teach at a local school. The types of work you’ll do may depend on the time of year and your background and abilities.
Another community development volunteering opportunity you can sign up for right now with Maximo Nivel invites you to build or repair homes, add classrooms to schools, or make improvements to orphanages in Costa Rica, Guatemala, or Peru.

Projects Abroad offers volunteer travel programs that encourage young people to experience and make a meaningful difference in developing countries. The hope is that doing this kind of voluntary work will continue for them as they continue their lives, through their adulthood.
Some programs offered focus on assisting with caring for children in need of support at daycares, kindergartens, special needs centers, and other care facilities.
Ethiopia is a fascinating country in which to volunteer at a childcare center with disadvantaged children in Africa. Only two decades ago, Ethiopia was ravaged by massive famine and cruel conflicts that left many hundreds of thousands of children in disadvantaged circumstances.
Today, the onslaught of HIV/AIDS combined with endemic poverty means that many children are left to fend for themselves. The need for volunteers cannot be greater.
Care volunteers in Ethiopia are based in Addis Ababa and work in day care centers and kindergartens in and around the capital.
You can read more detailed information about the aims of the project in the Ethiopia Care Management Plan.

Read more about Children all this week on BeautifulNow.
And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

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- Image: Volunteer initiative with children in Bali. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Bali.
- Image: by Teresa Forn. “Children playing in Mumbai.” Mumbai, India.
- Image: by Brett. Swing set at Gili Trawangan, Bali. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Gili Trawangan, Bali.
- Image: by James Lira. Little boy in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Siem Reap,Cambodia.
- Image: Volunteer initiative with children in Thailand. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Thailand.
- Image: Volunteer with kids. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ.
- Image: Volunteer Surf Outreach with children in Muizenberg, South Africa. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Muizenberg, South Africa.
- Image: Surf Outreach in Muizenberg, South Africa. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Muizenberg, South Africa.
- Image: Volunteering with Childcare in Pokhara, Nepal. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Pokhara, Nepal.
- Image: Volunteer teaching initiative with children in Bali. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Bali.
- Image: Volunteer initiative with children in Ghana. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Ghana.
- Image: Volunteering with Indigenous Communities in Peru. Courtesy of Maximo Nivel. Peru.
- Image: Volunteer initiative with children in Ethiopia. Courtesy of Projects Abroad. Ethiopia.
- Image: Volunteer initiative with children in Wildlife Conservation. Victoria Falls, South Africa. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Victoria Falls, South Africa.
- Image: Volunteer destination in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Courtesy of International Volunteer HQ. Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Image: Volunteer teaching in Guatemala. Courtesy of Maximo Nivel. Antigua, Guatemala.