Expat Women - Helping Expatriate Women Living Overseas - Expat Relocation Abroad

Sometimes, having fun just isn't enough. A relaxing beach resort or a whirlwind sightseeing extravaganza have their place – but what if there's more to travel?

For a lot of women, there is. Each year, thousands take to the road not just to see the world, but to become a meaningful part of it by becoming volunteers. You'll find them in orphanages in Guatemala City, counting wildlife in South Africa, caring for AIDS patients in Tanzania, or building shelters in Sri Lanka for victims of the Asian tsunami.

And there's no stopping them – mothers, daughters, young and old, single and married – volunteering can be for anyone.

Volunteering can be an extremely rewarding experience, whether for a few days or even several years. One thing it is not is a relaxing holiday. The days are often long, the living conditions difficult, the food unfamiliar, and the sanitary conditions less than exemplary or downright hostile.

A stint on an African beachfront may call forth images of swaying palms and sandy beaches. The reality could be closer to malarial mosquitoes, outhouses and oppressive humidity.

Yet the sheer joy of knowing you've made someone's life distinctly better is usually enough to get through any discomfort. And remember, you're only there for a short while – the people you are helping don't get to leave.

Certainly no one set in her ways. You can't know what to expect – and even if you did, it would probably change. Flexibility is a must, as is the maturity to deal with the unexpected. In most developing countries – where by definition many of the volunteer projects take place – life moves forward at a different pace.

You'll have to learn to leave punctuality behind, and operate on the ‘African time' or ‘mañana' principles, where today means tomorrow, which actually means next week. Rather than focusing on keeping time, the tables turn – and time actually keeps you. It doesn't bend to your will – but you do its bidding.

As time passes on a volunteer mission and you focus on the slices of your everyday life, you start forgetting the big picture and appreciating the little things – reading a bedtime story to an orphan girl, watching a young boy's eyes light up after his first English lesson, spending time listening to an old man reminisce about his youth… all these things bring us closer to our fellow humans, yet in everyday life we have little time to indulge in them. Volunteering gives us that chance.

can give your life new meaning
allows you to meet new people
takes you places you might never otherwise see
helps simplify your life by focusing on that of others
teaches you about new cultures by revealing them from within
can help fight injustice and make a difference in people's lives
provides powerful work experience
may help you develop a more spiritual outlook on life
stretches both the spirit and the mind
or just gets you away when staying put is no longer an option.

Volunteer projects exist everywhere – in city slums, on rural scrubland, in small towns and villages, with an extended family or on your own.

Where you go – and what you do – will determine how happy and productive you are during the time you're away. This preparatory stage is the most important part of the process, and needs to be handled with care.

Start with the basics, of course: cost, length of service, your nationality, country or region desired, skills and languages required.

Take your own personality and aspirations into account. You may be a gregarious social person – so a stint teaching in a rural school where the next person your age is a day's walk away might not suit. Are you physically fit or can you barely walk across the room? A high-altitude location means you'll be out of breath just walking to the kitchen. Are you going on your own? Rural cowboy communities in Latin America might be more than you – or the cowboys – can handle. Are you a city slicker with an affection for skyscrapers? A tiny isolated village may be asking for too much. Think it through carefully and don't set yourself up for disappointment!

What about your lifestyle? A single woman in some parts of the world might be seen as ‘loose' and therefore fair game for any man around; a lesbian could face insults and discrimination; an older woman might be considered less than useful. None of these are pleasant thoughts but remember, cultures differ – in both pleasant and less pleasant ways. Be aware of potential perceptions before you make up your mind.

Whatever skills you have will also play a role in where you go. If you're a doctor or a nurse, an engineer or an electrician, you could join one of the many programs that specialize in placing professionals as volunteers. And if you're not, there are plenty of general programs that will be happy simply to have an extra person helping out, in whatever capacity.

If you're the slightly clumsy type who drops her knife and fork at least once per meal, a building project where you handle hammers and nails might not be ideal. Similarly, if you love the land and hanker back to your farming days, working with sick children in a slum hospital might just be too far from your experience. So make sure you match yourself to the job – both you and your new community will benefit from your foresight and realistic expectations.

If you speak another language fluently, you'll be in demand for that region. Not speaking a language won't in any way bar you from going anywhere, but fluency will help make things a lot easier once you arrive. And if your vocabulary and conversation are just so-so, a posting where no one speaks English might be your chance to practice on a daily basis.

Your choice of volunteer organization is as crucial as making the decision to go in the first place. Make sure you do your research. Talking to returnees is a good place to start, and most reputable groups will put you in touch with former volunteers. Ask yourself some questions: Is this an organization that I would be proud to serve? Does it see the world as I do? Look around their websites, and give them a call. If they're unpleasant and disorganized at headquarters, chances are you won't want to put your life in their hands as a volunteer. You want a responsive and compassionate group, one that cares both about the people it serves on the ground and the people it sends there.

A volunteer experience is a partnership – between you and the program, you and your adopted community, you and your host family – so making sure you and your partner are matched is essential.

There are so many types of volunteer program you can pick and choose the one that suits you best.

Most people don't have a year or two to spare and much as they would love to volunteer, can only do it for a few days or weeks. If that's your case, you might give some thought to a volunteer vacation – one of the fastest growing types of travel. A volunteer vacation, often called voluntourism, is a volunteer experience, usually lasting from a day to a few weeks, and for which you pay – just like a regular vacation. Often, a volunteer vacation combines time volunteering with sightseeing, a bit like getting the best of two worlds for the price of one.

Many faith groups have volunteer programs, if this is your inclination. You could do service and renew yourself spiritually at the same time.

Many countries have volunteer programs for their citizens, such as the Peace Corps in the US and VSO in the United Kingdom, and some are even open to volunteers from other countries. If you're in the market for a long-term volunteer stint, say a year or more, these would be a good place to start.

And then there's always the self-styled volunteer program – the kind you design yourself.

Say you've planned a trip to Africa: there's no reason you can't get in touch with charities there before you go and suggest your services for a few weeks. Conversely, you could walk in off the street and offer some help. This doesn't always work but few charities have the luxury of turning away assistance.

Embarking on a volunteer program is a major commitment, and you may be on the verge of making a huge difference in someone's life. So please, try to stick it out. If you're not certain this is for you, start small. Go on a volunteer vacation and get a taste of living in a society far less comfortable than your own.

You'll become a member of your host community. You'll be eating at the same table and share their joys and sorrows. When difficulties strike, you'll be expected to stick around.

And you won't be considered any the more important for it. Just because you're helping out doesn't make you any better than the rest of the community. What it does mean is that you're willing to share what you have. Remember, your community is also sharing what it has with you.

I've volunteered a few times in my life – once in Brazil, once in Thailand and once in Indonesia, each time for a short period of no more than two weeks. But those memories remain vivid, as does the knowledge that somehow, perhaps, I helped make someone's life just a little bit better.

Leyla Ayse is a development professional and former journalist. She owns and operates the imaginative and offbeat website, Women on the Road , for women who love to travel on their own.


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