Last Updated on August 2, 2025

The acrobat wrapped her toes around the string of her bow, prepping the arrow. The flexible young woman leading her circus troupe took a dramatic pause to allow the audience to take a collective breath of anticipation as the tension mounted.

Next to me, my niece’s body tensed; I heard her sharp intake of breath. In the flash of a second her arrow pierced the balloon.

The circus had spent two hours telling the story of Cambodia’s sad and bloody past in its Sokha show. By popping the balloon, she had symbolically eliminated the evil forces and death brought about by the Khmer Rouge that reigned over Cambodia during the 1970s.

The circus was in town, but it was no ordinary traveling circus. My niece Ana and I followed our instincts one afternoon after seeing a faded, full-color advertisement for Phare Ponleu Selpak, a local circus performed by teens and young adults.

Our travel dates exactly aligned with one of the circus troupe’s weekly shows in Battambang, Cambodia, so we booked an evening performance. Phare Ponleu Selpak is a children’s art center in rural Cambodia.

What is Phare Ponleu Selpak?

At the organization’s core is a mission to use artistic practice and arts-based community development to support former refugees.

The organization goes a step further, though, and welcomes hundreds of local children into the arts compound every afternoon. The children engage in a variety of arts education channels aimed at teaching them their country’s recent history while providing opportunities for them to express themselves and their country’s history through art.

The organization began in 1986 as a way to help Cambodian children process trauma from the war. They began shows in Battambang, and in February 2013, Phare the Cambodian Circus presented its first outdoor show in Siem Reap for visitors from around the world.

In practice, this means that this non-governmental organization operates as a social enterprise. Phare Ponleu Selpak has a strong social mission built into its structure and foundation, but the commercial side of the organization operates like a business, selling tickets to the shows and funneling that money back into their social mission.

Phare Ponleu Slepak uses local and foreign aid—alongside immense community input—to teach circus skills, drawing, and painting to any willing child in the community, and sells tickets to tourists passing through town to support these activities.

What is a Circus Show Like at Phare: The Cambodian Circus?

By the middle of the circus performance, Ana was watching the stage with rapt attention. She didn’t fully realize that alongside this blended show of circus skills, music, and art, the haunting storyline told of Cambodia’s sad past and all-too-recent genocide.

Around us, the raised metal seats were filled with other tourists equally engaged in the performance. Beyond the “official” seats, locals had filled in every available gap—entrance is free for local Cambodians—with their children watching from laps, blankets, and their parents’ shoulders. Everyone was mesmerized.

There were deeply serious moments throughout the circus performance. The young acrobats simulated the bloody five years that the Khmer Rouge ruled the country.

Then, they showed lighter moments of jaw-droppingly good circus skills—the show includes clowns, jugglers, a unicycle rider, acrobatics, and musicians all in a unique blend of performance and storytelling. 

As the show came to a close, the host for the evening explained more about the organization’s mission, its work, and how the performance we’d watched was about to tour Europe in the coming week.

Should You Visit Phare?

I loved the performance. It broke my heart, but I loved it. The young adults showed incredible, well-honed talent. But more than that, the performance clearly showed that the organization’s social mission over nearly twenty years of development work in that community had paid off.

I didn’t volunteer with my niece in Battambang as time was scarce, so Ana and I instead agreed that we would find cafes run by the local NGOs to do our fair part. Phare Ponleu Selpak is an example of how you can directly support local grassroots organizations and social enterprises when volunteering is not practical. Though note that the organization does offer long-term volunteer opportunities with Phare, for those with three months or more to give.

PPS particularly welcomes volunteers who have skills that could contribute to any of their areas of education and is on a case by case basis; for example the organization may accept a volunteer who has a particular artistic skill that would be useful for the students to learn.

At present, Phare provides education in the form of:

• A public school and Kindergarten
• Professional training in visual arts and applied arts
• Performing arts training including dance, music, and circus skills.

Finding the circus, though, gave us more than we had imagined. We hadn’t counted on finding a tiny community compound filled with love. An organization with a clear mission twenty years ago forged an effective relationship with the local community to jointly address and express their unique needs.

In short, Phare is a phenomenal opportunity for responsible travelers to support a worthwhile social enterprise in Cambodia, which operates shows in both Battambang and Siem Reap throughout the year.

Many travelers express uncertainty about how to engage in responsible travel, but it’s important to remember that the concept is not a monolith, and there’s more to it than simply choosing eco-friendly accommodations or modes of transport.

The crux of my advocacy work centers on harnessing the power of each tourism dollar to support social enterprises—businesses with a social mission that exist worldwide.

While the topic of sustainable travel is serious, the practice itself doesn’t have to be a burdensome undertaking. From detailed research to a simple curiosity that urges you to explore a local event, responsible travel can manifest in diverse yet equally impactful ways.

How to Visit a Phare Circus Show

Battambang

Circus shows in Battambang start at 7 pm on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, check for latest ticket prices. These shows feature the students who have not yet graduated from the program.  You will also have the chance to view the art gallery on campus, where work from the program’s gifted art students is exhibited. And there is a nice outdoor cafe where you can enjoy a drink before the show.

Visit the Phare Ponleu Selpak campus for a guided tour (donations accepted) from Monday to Friday—tours start on the half hour mark in the mornings and afternoons. The tour highlights the work being done, the organization’s mission, and more. If you’re keen to volunteer, this location is where you’d be working.

Location:
Anh Chanh Village, Ochar Commune
Battambang, Battambang  Cambodia

Use a taxi or tuk-tuk to get to the campus as it’s a bit outside of the heart of Battambang, where most travelers stay.

Siem Reap

The Phare Circus show is a professional show in Siem Reap with a higher production value than the show in Battambang. The cast are graduates of Phare Ponleu Selpak and deliver a polished and humorous show in six acts and in a venue with more capabilities for Cirque-like acrobatics. It’s more of an entire experience—with food and shopping before and after the show.

You can book tickets directly through the organization, or through their GetYourGuide listing.

Shows start at 8pm. Phare Boutique and Phare Cafe open two hours prior to show time with unique locally-made crafts and gifts and dining before or after the show.

Location:
The venue is located on Ring Road near the intersection of Sok San Road, approximately 2 kilometers from Old Market and Pub Street.

Tuk-tuk drivers charge $3-$5 to get there from most places in Siem Reap, and the parking lot will be full of drivers after the show.

The post Learning Cambodia’s History Through a Remarkable Circus Troupe appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on April 9, 2025

Volunteers are vital to advancing organizational missions, offering unique skills that address critical needs. Conducting thorough interviews ensures alignment between volunteer capabilities and organizational goals, benefiting both the organization and the communities served.

Why You Should Conduct an Interview With Potential Volunteers

Interviews are essential for evaluating a volunteer’s suitability by exploring their skills, experience, and motivations, ensuring they align with the role’s requirements and the organization’s mission.

Beyond assessment, interviews foster relationships with potential volunteers, demonstrating the organization’s commitment to their aspirations and encouraging long-term engagement.

Additionally, an interview is the perfect time to clarify expectations for the role. By answering any questions the potential volunteer may have, your organization can prevent misunderstandings and ensure that your future volunteer fully understands what is expected of them.

This clarity creates a more positive volunteer experience on both sides, and enhances the chances of the volunteer remaining committed to the organization.

Furthermore, an interview can help to identify any potential issues or concerns that may arise with the volunteer. For example, if a volunteer has a conflict of interest or a history of misconduct, the organization can address these issues during the interview and determine whether the volunteer is still suitable for the role.

You’ll also get a feel for how long they may dedicate to your organization both now, but in the future—do they make service a part of their lifestyle, or is it a one-off community service requirement.

What to Look for in a Volunteer’s Answers

During interviews, evaluate if the volunteer possesses the requisite skills and experience for the role by discussing their past work, education, and relevant training.​

This can be determined by asking questions about their past work experience, education, and any relevant training they may have received.

Additionally, assess the volunteer’s enthusiasm for the role and the organization’s mission. Volunteers who are passionate about the work they will be doing are more likely to be engaged and committed to the organization.

Asking questions about why the volunteer is interested in the role and what they hope to achieve can help to gauge their level of enthusiasm.

It is also important to assess the volunteer’s communication skills. Effective communication is essential for successful volunteer work, as volunteers will be interacting with other team members and potentially your local community.

Questions that assess the volunteer’s ability to communicate effectively help ensure that they will be able to work collaboratively and convey information clearly.

Lastly, it is important to assess the volunteer’s availability and commitment to the role. Volunteers who are able to commit to the necessary time and are flexible when needed will be more reliable and effective in their work.

Asking questions about their availability and any potential conflicts can help to ensure that the volunteer is committed to the role.

Best Volunteer Interview Questions

Adjust and tailor these questions to the specific role at your organization to ensure that they are relevant and effective in assessing potential volunteers.

Motivation and Interest

• What motivated you to apply for this volunteer role?​
• What do you hope to gain from volunteering with our organization?​
• What interests you about the position you have applied for?​
• What causes are you passionate about?​
• What makes you feel appreciated?​

Skills and Experience

• What experience do you have that makes you a good fit for this role?​
• Can you tell us about a time you demonstrated leadership skills?​
• What is your greatest strength? How does it help you volunteer?​
• What experience do you have working with [relevant groups]?​
• How would you handle a situation where a member of the community was unhappy with the service you provided?
• What is one unique skill or talent you possess that you think would be useful in this volunteer role?
• What is the most impactful volunteer experience you’ve had in the past, and why did it resonate with you?

Availability and Commitment

• Why do you want to do volunteer work?​
• What is your ability to work on an as-needed basis?​
• Are you able to work on short notice?​

Collaboration

• Do you prefer to work independently or collaboratively?​
• What role do you typically take in a group setting?​
• How would you handle a situation where you disagreed with another volunteer or staff member?
• Have you ever had to work in a team environment? How did you contribute to the team’s success?
• How would you handle a situation where you didn’t know how to do something?

Organizational Fit

• Explain the type of work culture in which you best perform.​
• How do you see yourself contributing to our organization?
• What is one thing you’ve learned from a failure or mistake you’ve made in the past?
• What are your long-term goals, and how do you see volunteering fitting into those goals?

Logistical Considerations

• What barriers to volunteering do you anticipate? How can we help?​
• How do you manage your time and prioritize tasks?

The post 26 Questions You Should Always Ask Volunteers You’re Interviewing appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on April 9, 2025

As of 2025, solar energy continues to lead the global shift towards renewable resources, with significant advancements in large-scale projects, community solar initiatives, and innovative applications like agrivoltaics. These developments not only enhance energy production but also promote sustainable land use and community engagement.

The transformation is not just confined to affluent neighborhoods in the Western world, where solar panels on rooftops have become a common sight. Modern solar technology means innovations like Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPVs). These micro-panels, which can be integrated into materials like window panes, shingles, and even curtains, represent a significant leap forward.

BIPVs offer a more affordable and versatile alternative to traditional panels, eliminating the need for additional installation. This advancement is not just about powering homes; it extends to a wide array of applications, from vehicles to space stations, and from personal gadgets to everyday accessories.

However, the impact of solar energy is most profound in the developing world. It’s there that solar technology is becomes a transformative force. Bringing electricity to homes that previously had none, solar energy in these regions transcends the sustainability debate—it’s about revolutionizing lives and communities.

This shift is particularly close to my heart, having witnessed firsthand the transformative power of solar solutions in places like India. It’s a stark reminder that the potential of solar energy is as vast as the sun’s reach, changing lives in ways both big and small.

The What and Why of Solar Energy Projects

Solar energy projects harness the power of the sun, converting it into electricity or heat for various uses. This technology is pivotal in addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time, including climate change, energy security, and global inequality. Solar projects range from large-scale power plants to small, community-based systems, each playing a crucial role in the transition to a more sustainable energy future.

The appeal of solar energy lies in its abundance and renewability. Unlike fossil fuels, solar power is virtually inexhaustible and produces no harmful emissions. This makes it a key player in efforts to combat climate change and reduce our carbon footprint. Additionally, solar energy projects can be deployed rapidly and are increasingly cost-effective, making them accessible to a wide range of users—from individual households to large industries.

In developing countries, solar energy projects are often life-changing. They provide a reliable source of power in areas without access to the electrical grid, enabling essential services like lighting, communication, and medical care. This not only improves the quality of life but also opens up new opportunities for economic development and education.

As solar technology continues to advance, its applications become more diverse and its impact more far-reaching. From powering homes and businesses to driving innovation in various sectors, solar energy stands at the forefront of a sustainable future, offering a clean, efficient, and equitable path forward.

Successful Solar Energy Projects

Liter of Light

This low-tech solution for a massive, global issue is possibly one of my favorites. Liter of Light manufactures and sells solar lights that use recycled soda bottles filled with a mixture of water and bleach to refract light and spread it throughout a home.

In addition, it shares all of its blueprints and best-practices online, allowing anyone to create their own light. I highly recommend checking out the website; they have a great business model (they even take volunteers!) and they offer a great product.

Companies such as D.Light and Sun King also create small, durable solar lights at affordable prices which are having huge impacts in low-income communities. Within the past few years, distributors like Solar Aid and Pollinate Energy have developed businesses to connect sustainable products, including solar lights, to interested people in both Africa and Asia.

The initiative has been recognized for its innovative approach to addressing energy poverty.

Kohirā Solar Farm, New Zealand​

Operational since February 2024, the Kohirā Solar Farm near Kaitaia integrates agrivoltaics by allowing sheep to graze beneath elevated solar panels. This dual-use approach enhances land productivity and supports sustainable agriculture alongside renewable energy generation.”

Cochin International Airport

​Cochin International Airport (CIAL) in India, renowned as the world’s first fully solar-powered airport, has significantly advanced its renewable energy initiatives. Since achieving power neutrality in 2015 with a 12 MWp solar plant, CIAL has expanded its solar capacity to 50 MWp by March 2022.

More recent installations include a 12 MWp plant in Payyanur and innovative projects such as solar carports and floating solar panels. These efforts have enabled CIAL to generate approximately 200,000 units of electricity daily, surpassing its consumption and contributing surplus energy to the grid.

In July 2024, CIAL announced plans to double its solar capacity within the next 5-10 years by developing new plants in remote locations. Additionally, in February 2024, CIAL partnered with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. to establish a 1,000 kW green hydrogen plant, aiming to power airport vehicles and further reduce carbon emissions.

These initiatives underscore CIAL’s commitment to sustainable development and position it as a model for integrating renewable energy in large-scale infrastructure.

Gila River Indian Community’s Solar-Over-Canal Project, Arizona

In October 2024, the Gila River Indian Community activated the first solar-over-canal project in the Western Hemisphere. Covering half a mile of the Casa Blanca canal, this initiative generates approximately 1 MW of solar power while reducing water evaporation, exemplifying innovative approaches to water and energy management.

Singapore’s Floating Solar Farms

​Singapore’s innovative approach to renewable energy is exemplified by its development of large-scale floating solar farms, addressing land scarcity while advancing sustainability goals.​

Tengeh Reservoir Floating Solar Farm:

In July 2021, Singapore inaugurated the Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm, one of the world’s largest inland floating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Spanning 45 hectares, the 60 megawatt-peak (MWp) installation comprises over 122,000 solar panels. This facility generates sufficient electricity to power approximately 16,000 four-room HDB flats and reduces carbon emissions by about 32 kilotonnes annually, equivalent to removing 7,000 cars from the roads. ​

Pandan Reservoir Floating Solar Project:

Building on this success, PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, launched a tender in June 2024 for a 55 MWp floating solar PV system at Pandan Reservoir. Scheduled for completion in 2028, this project aims to generate enough solar energy to power approximately 16,000 four-room HDB flats, reducing carbon emissions by about 27 kilotonnes annually, akin to removing 5,800 cars from the roads.

These initiatives are integral to Singapore’s goal of achieving at least 2 gigawatt-peak (GWp) of solar deployment by 2030, contributing significantly to the nation’s renewable energy targets.

Morocco’s Noor Complex

The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex in Morocco stands as a monumental achievement in renewable energy, with a total installed capacity of 580 MW, supplying clean electricity to over a million homes. ​

The complex comprises four distinct plants:​

• Noor I: A 160 MW parabolic trough plant, operational since 2016.​
  Yabiladi
• Noor II: A 200 MW parabolic trough plant, commissioned in January 2018.​
• Noor III: A 150 MW solar power tower plant, also commissioned in 2018.​
• Noor IV: A 70 MW photovoltaic plant, completed in 2018. ​

These facilities utilize advanced concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies, incorporating energy storage capabilities that ensure a consistent power supply even during nights and cloudy days. ​

In March 2024, Noor III experienced a molten salt leak, leading to a temporary shutdown. The plant is expected to resume operations by the end of the first quarter of 2025. ​

This project not only underscores Morocco’s leadership in renewable energy in the African continent but also sets a global example in harnessing solar power on a massive scale.

Rwanda’s Solar Field

Rwanda’s journey toward electrification has been significantly bolstered by the establishment of its largest solar field. This project, situated in the Rwamagana District, is a landmark in East Africa, being the first large-scale, grid-connected, commercial solar field in the region.

With a capacity of 8.5 MW, it contributes substantially to Rwanda’s national grid, lighting up over 15,000 homes.

The solar field is uniquely designed to resemble the shape of the African continent when viewed from above, symbolizing its significance to the region’s renewable energy landscape.

This project is not just about generating power; it’s a symbol of hope and progress, demonstrating Rwanda’s commitment to sustainable development and its role as a pioneer in renewable energy in Africa.

Solar Impulse

Solar Impulse, a Swiss endeavor, has redefined the possibilities of solar-powered aviation. The project’s most notable achievement, Solar Impulse 2, an aircraft powered entirely by solar energy, successfully completed a historic circumnavigation of the globe.

This journey, covering over 40,000 kilometers without a single drop of fuel, stands as a testament to the potential of renewable energy in overcoming traditional aviation limits.

The Solar Impulse project is more than just an aviation breakthrough; it’s a symbol of the broader potential of clean technologies. The aircraft, a flying laboratory, was equipped with a multitude of environmentally friendly technologies, showcasing the feasibility of reducing our carbon footprint in various sectors. The project’s success has spurred further innovation and research in solar energy and clean technologies.

Gujarat Hybrid Renewable Energy Park in India

Additionally, the Gujarat Hybrid Renewable Energy Park in India was initiated in December 2020, the Gujarat Hybrid Renewable Energy Park aims to generate 30 GW of renewable energy through a combination of solar and wind power. As of March 2024, 1 GW capacity has been commissioned, marking a significant milestone in India’s renewable energy journey.

Canal Solar Power Project in Gujarat

The Canal Solar Power Projects in Gujarat, India, exemplify an innovative approach to simultaneously generating renewable energy and conserving water resources. By installing solar panels over canals, these projects efficiently utilize existing infrastructure, eliminating the need for additional land acquisition—a common challenge in large-scale solar installations. The shade provided by the panels significantly reduces water evaporation from the canals, a critical advantage in water-scarce regions.​

Key Installations:

• Vadodara Branch Canal Solar Project: This 10 MW project, commissioned in September 2017, features 33,080 solar panels installed along a 4-kilometer stretch of the canal. It has been instrumental in generating clean electricity while conserving water resources. ​
• Sardar Sarovar Canal Solar Project: Initiated in 2015, this project comprises 33,816 solar panels installed over a 3.6-kilometer section of the canal, generating approximately 16,200 MWh of electricity annually. ​

As of September 2024, over 116,000 solar panels have been installed along a 13-kilometer stretch of the Narmada canal in Vadodara district, collectively generating 29.51 million units of clean electricity. ​

Despite these successes, the widespread adoption of canal-top solar projects has been limited. Challenges include higher installation costs compared to traditional ground-mounted systems and the complexity of constructing over water bodies. However, the environmental benefits, such as land conservation and reduced water evaporation, present compelling reasons for continued exploration and potential scaling of this technology. ​

Growth of Community Solar in the United States

By June 2024, the U.S. achieved approximately 7.87 GW of operational community solar capacity across 44 states and the District of Columbia. Notably, over 75% of this capacity is concentrated in Florida, New York, Massachusetts, and Minnesota, reflecting the widespread adoption of shared solar initiatives.

Most Promising New Solar Energy Projects

Solar Paint

Solar paint represents a groundbreaking innovation in the realm of solar energy. This technology, still in the developmental stages, aims to harness the sun’s energy through a paint-like substance applied to surfaces.

The concept involves incorporating light-sensitive materials into the paint, enabling it to generate electricity when exposed to sunlight. This approach could revolutionize solar energy, making it more accessible and versatile.

Imagine buildings and structures, not just with solar panels on their roofs but coated entirely in solar paint, transforming every sunlit surface into a source of renewable energy.

Solar Windows

Solar windows are an exciting development in building-integrated photovoltaics. These are transparent solar panels that can be used as windows in buildings, combining the functionality of window glazing with the energy production of solar panels.

This technology not only generates electricity but also allows natural light to pass through, maintaining the aesthetics and utility of a glass window. Solar windows represent a significant step towards more energy-efficient buildings, where every window has the potential to be a discreet, integrated solar panel.

Solar Roads

Solar roads are another innovative concept where roads are paved with solar panels instead of traditional materials. These panels are designed to be durable enough to withstand traffic while generating electricity.

The idea extends the application of solar technology to vast areas of road surfaces, potentially creating a massive network of energy-producing pathways. While still in the experimental phase, solar roads could be a game-changer, turning every mile of roadway into a source of clean energy.

The sun’s boundless energy is being harnessed in increasingly innovative and impactful ways. These projects, from solar-powered airports to pioneering solar flights, not only highlight the technological advancements in renewable energy but also underscore a collective commitment to a sustainable and brighter future powered by the sun.

The post These Successful Solar Energy Projects are Innovating How We’re Powering the World appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on October 24, 2023

Picture this: I’m standing in a remote village in Oaxaca, Mexico, camera in hand. As I snap a photograph of a woman standing proudly next to her newly purchased sewing machine, a wave of fulfillment washes over me, as if the pieces of a complicated puzzle have suddenly snapped into place.

I wasn’t in that rural village in the Oaxaca Valley as a tourist snapping photos; I was instead capturing stories and preserving moments of triumph for a microfinance organization. I volunteered in Mexico with En Via for six months, photographing their microloan recipients, documenting their journey, and providing marketing capital for the small social enterprise.

From those six months, I gained a nuanced sense of connection to the people and the place—one that takes time to cultivate. If I had stayed for a week, I would have done more than glimpse the lives of these indigenous women. But instead I left Oaxaca with one of the most profound volunteering experiences in my years of world travel.

I’ve already covered how long you should volunteer abroad so the communities see the most benefit from your service. And research backs up my personal experience on how to reap personal benefits—how many hours you volunteer strongly impacts how meaningfully your volunteering impacts you.

A Common Misconception: Instant Gratification

In a world driven by immediacy, it’s natural to ask, “When will I start benefiting from volunteering?” Society often implies that good deeds should bring instant karma, but the beauty of volunteering isn’t in instantaneous rewards.

The benefits unfurl slowly, like petals reaching for sunlight, unveiling themselves in the process.

Sure, you’re going to feel good about yourself even volunteering for a day on a Habitat for Humanity build, but to actually tap into the deep personal, social, and mental health benefits of volunteering, you’re going to need to integrate it into your life.

The Research: What Do the Numbers Say?

Researchers have delved into this very topic, shedding light on how the time you invest in volunteering correlates with the rewards you reap.

According to a study published in the Journal of Social Science Research, volunteers begin to notice emotional and social benefits after about 50-100 hours of service within a one-year time period.

That’s one of the core reasons Grassroots Volunteering advocates for long-term stints when volunteering abroad. Anything under a month is unlikely to have a strong benefit for the community you’re visiting, and the benefits of your time volunteering won’t stick with you.

With volunteering close to home or overseas, it’s not about clock-watching but about sustained, meaningful involvement.

The Emotional Benefits: Feeling Connected and Fulfilled

Volunteering does more than just make you feel good; it offers a profound sense of connection. It’s a transformative emotional journey that often begins to deepen after a consistent commitment.

As I traveled through rural Oaxaca, capturing the lives of women benefiting from microfinance, I found that the emotional payoff amplified over time.

After a couple of months, spending two days a week with these incredible women, the joy became more nuanced, less about the act of giving and more about mutual respect and understanding.

The Cognitive Benefits: Skill Building and Problem-Solving

Volunteering also sharpens your skills. It could be as straightforward as honing your photography skills or as intricate as mastering the nuances of community building.

A report by the Corporation for National and Community Service indicates that volunteers have a 27% higher likelihood of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers, underscoring the skill-building aspect of volunteering.

I found that my role as a photographer in for that microfinance organization also made me a better storyteller, a listener, and a cultural ambassador of sorts. This did not happen overnight; it was the fruit of consistent engagement.

The Social Benefits: Networking and Community Building

There’s also the undeniable social component. Volunteering often opens up avenues for networking and forming lasting relationships. When I was in Nepal and Cambodia, the friendships I formed didn’t solidify during the first few volunteer sessions. It took time.

And research from AmeriCorps enormously backs up the social benefits of regular volunteering for seniors—it lessens loneliness, provides a sense of purpose, and confers a host of other positive impacts in just two hours a week (100 hours a year).

The Time and Benefits for Older Volunteers: A Golden Opportunity

There’s something to be said about the ripening of time and the wisdom that accompanies years. And guess what? The golden years can be made even more enriching through volunteering, especially when it comes to your mental and physical well-being.

The science backs it up too. One study specifically focusing on folks aged 65 and older found that volunteering isn’t just a noble act; it’s a booster for both your physical and mental health. What’s the secret sauce? It’s the personal sense of accomplishment that you get from helping others. You’re not just giving; you’re also gaining a whole lot of emotional richness in the process.

Depression is another area where volunteering has proven to be incredibly beneficial for seniors. Another study has shown that those 65 and up who volunteered had noticeably lower rates of depression. Now, that’s a mental health benefit we can all get behind.

And if you’ve experienced health setbacks like a heart attack, volunteering might be an unlikely but potent prescription. A study from Duke University showed that people who engaged in volunteer work after suffering heart attacks had less depression and despair—two factors that can directly impact your life expectancy.

But what about the time commitment? Well, age has its privileges. An intriguing analysis of data on individuals over 70 found that volunteering around 100 hours annually correlated with a host of benefits: better self-reported health, less depression, and even increased longevity.

Here’s the kicker: the more you volunteer (up to 100 hours a year, then the benefits plateau), the better your overall well-being tends to be. For depression, the benefits scale up with the time you put in, and when it comes to feeling socially connected and content with life, those who volunteer most frequently reap the most rewards.

In simple terms, the older you are, the more you stand to gain from volunteering—not just in fuzzy feelings, but in hard, scientifically-proven metrics of well-being and health. So if you’re contemplating how to make the most of your golden years, remember that the more you give, the more you get. And the best part? This win-win situation only ripens with age.

When I Noticed a Difference

If I were to pinpoint when the benefits of volunteering truly became evident, it was during my time in Oaxaca. Not in the first week, or even the second, but gradually, as the days turned into weeks, and weeks into months.

Volunteering two days a week, the insights and benefits began to layer, like paint on a canvas, each stroke adding depth to the picture.

Sustainable Volunteering: How to Keep the Passion Alive

As seasoned volunteers, it’s our responsibility to ensure our efforts are sustainable and ethical, contributing long-term value to the communities we engage with.

Opt for local organizations, limit your environmental footprint, and focus on projects that empower the community.

In this way, your commitment becomes a continuum, one that enriches not only your life but also the world around you.

Volunteering is not a sprint; it’s a marathon, a long-term commitment that only gets richer with time. The benefits will come, both to you and the communities you serve, but it’s crucial to give it the time it deserves. Engage deeply, patiently, and you will not only find that you’ve changed lives—but that your own life has been immeasurably enriched.

The post How Long Should You Volunteer to Reap the Full Impact? appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on March 5, 2023

Wondering how to help during the novel coronavirus pandemic that has affected the entire world in unprecedented ways? There are actually numerous local and at home (online) volunteer opportunities for those who want to help while COVID-19 continues to cause widespread pain to people, communities, and livelihoods.

Entire industries are crippled. Small businesses all over the world have folded already—many will never return. And through it all, untold millions have lost their jobs. Children who relied on school lunch programs go hungry, and food deserts grow.

No matter how much time you have, or your skills, there are opportunities to help others through volunteering or donating.

Here are the best ways we can all help, and the top organizations providing relief to those suffering during the pandemic.

How to Support the Travel & Tourism Industry

It’s impossible to know when travel will resume. It surely will, one day. That’s a certainty. But the timeline to get there is still completely unknown, with border restrictions changing daily, relief funds sportatically disbursed in most regions, and an untold number of small businesses that will shutter for good on the other side of this.

For travelers keen to help the destinations they’ve found so impactful on their travels, it’s a mixed bag of how to help. There’s actually no easy way to tell once international volunteers how to help those same destinations remotely. For many, local volunteering (covered next) is the best option—and there are some great organizations in need of your help. If you also want to help travel and tourism businesses specifically, here are some ideas:

• Reach out to your network. Email organizations you’ve volunteered with in the past and see what they need. This is something travelers should do anyway, but during a time of crisis, having a volunteer who already knows the mission and work is invaluable. Of particular use will be anyone with fundraising and marketing backgrounds. But think beyond that too. For example, if you’re a lawyer who once helped in a foreign country, your services may be in even more demand.
• Support local tourism. Many people should be limiting travel—stay home still applies to the vast majority of people. But as lockdowns ease, many businesses right in your hometown actually rely on tourism money too, and your support can help them survive the economic shock. Order from local mom-and-pop restaurants in your city through contactless apps (if the restaurant is open), and consider buying a gift card for the restaurant to use at a later time. Check out your local museums and attend their virtual events. Once it’s safe, plan local trips to explore places to close to home—this was already a responsible way to travel and now it’s necessary, too.
• Support small businesses. Small businesses have been devastated by the economic fallout of stay-at-home orders. All over the world, these businesses make cities far more interesting and dynamic. As lockdowns began, many celebrity chefs began offering cooking classes, but so too did small tourism companies in some of the world’s most interesting destinations. You could remotely cook pasta with a grandma in Italy, learn how to cook empanadas with a local from Argentina, or even learn the secrets to an authentic Pastel de Nata from a bakery in Lisbon. There are no shortage of options. Traveling Spoon is actually dedicated to virtual traveling food experiences, and The League of Kitchens moved all of its women-led cooking classes online. Airbnb Experiences also has a number of options all over the world, but supporting smaller organizations ensures a larger portion of your fee reaches your instructor.
• Just like you can attend virtual cooking classes, tour companies are offering virtual tours of interesting cities and destinations—some ask for small payment to support the business. This virtual tour of Edinburgh is affordable and looks fascinating. If you have the funds, this is a creative way to support the livelihoods of tourism businesses trying to stay relevant and create cultural connections no matter the level of social distancing required.
• Donate to help struggling tourism organizations abroad. Planterra’s COVID-19 fund has been providing emergency grants to more than 12 projects around the world to date. These grants go to programs that have been in Planeterra’s ecotourism programs, and are helping these small organizations support their guides and the families that rely on tourism dollars for their livelihoods. The money has been quickly deployed to those in need and you know that your donation is directly helping those in travel most impacted by the pandemic.

How to Volunteer for Coronavirus at Home

Use Your Language Skills

If you fluently speak a second language, you can use your language skills remotely to help those unable to communicate effectively. There are several types of organizations—some local, some national. Here are a few ideas to get started:

• Translate or interprepret. Global Voices is an easy option for those natively speaking a broad range of languages—you’ll help translate essential news stories into your native language. Join the Global Voices Lingua program here. You can also search the Stand With Immigrants site for your local immigration organizations (many of which are local offices or church groups), and reach out directly. Some of this may be in person work, while other might be done remotely and just via group calls, or helping translate essential documents and information for immigrants still learning English. Translators Without Borders is another option and offers completely remote translation volunteer work.
• Help refugees navigate their essential tasks. You’ll likely need a background check to work with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), but there are other volunteer roles where specialized services are all that’s needed. For example, some locations are looking for tax professionals to help refugees file their taxes, among many other types of volunteer work.

Help Combat Social Isolation with a Call

Quarantining has left huge numbers of people combating social isolation and loneliness—both things that can negatively impact mental health and happiness. Find ways to engage the elderly in your community.

There is a lot of interest in this form of volunteering, and only a couple of organizations seem to provide more national-level support during COVID-19. For ambitious volunteers, there is likely room to start this service in your community because the handful of local organizations doing it in their community have seen tremendous responses to the point that they have closed their programs. Here are ones we know of:

• Mon Ami is local to San Francisco and was committed to combating social isolation and loneliness with elderly populations before the pandemic. In person programs are limited to SF, but since COVID-19, Mon Ami’s Phone Bank provides the single most straightforward way to connect with those seeking a friend. Volunteers are asked to commit to three months—fill out the phone bank form and you’ll be matched with someone who’d love online connection.
• Covia’s Social Call program will require a background check before you’re connected with isolated seniors in need of compassionate conversation and care.
• AgeUK announced a “Telephone Befriender” service for the elderly in the UK specifically.

We suspect there are more local one organizations in your state or community. Or you may choose to work with a local organization and spearhead the connections.

Search the Online Directories

Idealist.org has been collecting COVID-19 volunteer opportunities, and also has an extensive selection of remote opportunities that will allow you to volunteer online during the coronavirus pandemic. GV also has a handful of remote volunteer opportunities supporting organizations that were already doing good work all over the world.

One of my favorites that most of us have the time to support? The BeMyEyes app to help low-vision and blind users instantly connect to sighted volunteers.

How to Volunteer for Coronavirus Locally

While most of us can best serve our community by social distancing and staying home when possible, if you have the ability to provide boots-on-the-ground support during the novel coronavirus pandemic, your local community likely has a number of roles accepting volunteers to help distribute aid, food, supplies, and more.

NOTE: Not everyone should volunteer in person. Most of us should #StayHome unless we have needed skills to lend. Use the CDC guidance guidance about those at high risk for severe illness, consult your doctor, and follow local guidance before volunteering. Refer to the GV Terms of Use for more information.

Here are the ways to volunteer, and the key national and local organizations you can find local volunteer roles during COVID-19.

Volunteer at Your Local Food Bank

Feeding America is a nationwide network of food banks and the organizations has been fighting to end hunger in the U.S. or more than 35 years—meaning it already has the strong connections to ensure aid is quickly organized to those who need it most.

How to volunteer: The easiest way to volunteer at your local food bank is to use the organizations “Find a Local Food Bank” by zipcode feature. Once you’ve found food banks near you, there is a very clear call to action on the “volunteer” button, which will give you all of the details about how to volunteer locally.

Types of volunteer roles: food and produce sorting, packing backpacks, clerical work, gardening, and more

Why volunteer now: Even as quarantines are lifted across the country, food insecurity remains higher than ever before with schools, camps, and daycares still shuttered or at limited capacity. For those with the ability to help in person, this is an excellent way to give back.

Distribute Necessities to Families in Need

Baby2Baby is the parent organization of a national network of organizations distributing basic essentials to children living in poverty in over 40 cities across the United States. The organization provides children living in poverty with diapers, clothing, and all the basic necessities. Though you can certainly donate to support the organization’s efforts, you can also volunteer during the coronavirus to help distribute supplies.

How to volunteer: The easiest way for many to find an organization in their community is through the map feature on the Baby2Baby’s national network page. With 40 cities covered, it’s a solid start and you can click through to your local organizatino and reach out directly—in my case, there was one right in St. Petersburg, Florida that included volunteer information on their local website.

Types of volunteer roles: screening items for quality, sorting items appropriately, bundling items to go out for donation, office work, and more

Why volunteer now: Many of the nation’s poorest families have been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus quarantines. For families that were already struggling, some are now facing lost jobs either because of layoffs, or because they were unable to secure the childcare needed to keep their job. These organizations in the Baby2Baby network supply families with essentials like diapers, wipes, period products and formula during this crisis (and in the long aftermath of recovery).

Be Boots on the Ground for the Red Cross

The American Red Cross has the necessary infrastructure in place already to quickly mobilize volunteers in the communities hit the hardest during the pandemic.

How to volunteer: Check this page on the Red Cross website for the most urgently needed types of volunteers. To find a role in your local community, search this page by your zip code and you’ll find a number of options, or search by roles using this page. And if that wasn’t enough, you can also find your local Red Cross directly using this page, where it shares updates and needs very specific to your region of the States.

Types of volunteer roles: blood donor and facility screeners, mental health professionals, clerical work, community outreach, and more

Why volunteer now: The Red Cross has volunteer positions in every community across the country and often sticks around long after an issue has faded from the media and public conscious. Supporting the Red Cross’ efforts is an excellent way to ensure that you’re helping the neediest areas, and that you’re still helping as long as there is need.

One-Time Ways to Help During Coronavirus

Perhaps you’re busy schooling your children from home, or perhaps you’re an essential worker during the pandemic. No matter the reason, if you’re unable to volunteer regularly, there are still a number of impactful ways that you can help.

Give Blood

The Red Cross has stated that it has an ongoing critical need for blood and platelet donations amidst coronavirus uncertainties. Blood mobiles that usually visited work and university campuses to keep needed blood in constant supply are now desperate for donations. Donate blood or platelets via appointment at RedCrossBlood.org.

Help Feed America

Feeding America has launched a COVID-19 Response Fund, and every donation is distributed through the organization’s existing extensive network of food banks across the nation, as well as through joint efforts with state and local governments. Donations support people facing hunger and the food banks who help them, and funds will be used to support the School Lunch Program and ensure food is getting to vulnerable students. Donate now.

If you’re a New Yorker, there are numerous worthy organizations tackling food security in NYC and throughout the state, including: City Harvest, Rethink Food NYC, The Food Bank for NYC, NY Common Pantry, Bowery Mission (which supports the homeless in NY). All of these organizations accept direct donations.

Donate to Unemployed Workers

The entire world has been impacted by the pandemic, but workers in some industries were especially vulnerable as the world shut down. Hospitality, travel and tourism, and service workers are among those especially struggling. If you’re keen to donate, a few trustworthy organizations helping these types of workers include:

• James Beard Foundation Food & Beverage Industry Relief Fund
• One Fair Wage Emergency Fund
• Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Fund

Note: This list does not include any medical or healthcare volunteering information—GV is not qualified to reliably vet medical organizations or situations where volunteers are appropriate given the nature of this pandemic. Healthcare workers are already essential workers—those with appropriate medical training are already on the frontlines and deserve our deep gratitude.

Please leave a comment if you know of other easy ways to help those at risk during this period social distancing (and beyond).

The post How to Help Others by Volunteering During COVID-19 (Coronavirus) appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on March 6, 2023

“Community service” is an interesting term. Technically, it is simply another phrase synonymous with volunteering. The word’s connotation, however, implies a style of volunteering with a much more tangible and direct impact, often on underserved populations and projects within a community.

Let us therefore look at community-driven volunteering and how it plays out in your home communities, as well as during international travel. In a discussion on voluntourism, it may seem out-of-place to start with an angle of volunteering at home, but often it’s through this lens on volunteering that international travelers are able to find and support community-based projects matching their values and the types of skills they can best offer.

Few Standardized Terms

Currently, the terms “local’ and “community-based” are thrown around the volunteering space with little consensus on what it takes to fulfill both of these objectives. And while Western volunteer organizations have regulatory restrictions on how they spend funds, that alone is no guarantee of an effective model for working within communities , not to mention in partnership with their ideas and cultures, especially those of underserved populations.

As you move into developing regions of the world, regulatory oversight is less stringent (and non-existent in some places) and the need for an open and clear dialogue with organizations becomes increasingly important. These types of ambiguity are a potential pitfall for volunteers unaware of the absence of standardized terms about volunteering. Many people don’t realize that companies can describe their volunteer projects as they see fit.

Look at Home First

Looking at voluntourism through this community-service prism shifts the way volunteers research and choose community-based projects. The media paints a very specific picture of poverty and aid work, but the reality of what is needed on the ground in underserved communities often looks much like what you have right in your home community. Organizations targeting traditionally underserved populations like youth, women, disabled, the elderly etc. are present in cities all over the world, as well as in your own hometown.

Think about that for a moment – the same causes you support and issues you find important at home and may be the ideal starting point for your volunteer travels.

So take stock of what you’re passionate about by looking at the organizations you may already use in your life, many of which have foundations and nonprofit arms with which you can volunteer as a way to give back and further support their work. Are you part of the green movement and interested in sustainable agriculture? Do you support your local animal shelter? Are you a regular donor to your local food bank?

Finding organizations that match your current interests is a powerful way to begin integrating community service into your life. Then, as you look toward addressing those same community-centered issues overseas, you already have an informed understanding of them. Even better, as you look overseas toward international volunteering, your foundational knowledge in your chosen causes or issues gives you invaluable skills and knowledge advantages.

Ask the Right Questions

The key questions and discussion points about community service overseas center on the relationship between the organizations, nonprofits, and NGOs. Think about any organization’s funding model and long-term plans. For example, as a way to motivate dialogue, many organizations require community co-investment when building projects. This helps ensure the creation only of projects of enough value to a community that there’s a willingness to support them with funds and time, and a readiness for long-term ownership.

When talking to an organization, it’s good to ask questions like “How does your organization choose communities for this type of project?” and “What is the relationship with the communities?” and “How were you involved in building this volunteer program?” And then “What is your timeline?” or “How long do you plan to work within the community?”

Projects that include a lot of “we” language are often looking for a range of voices on the best course of action and are building long-term solutions. These types of projects are the heart of community service because they are directly working in tandem with local populations and listening to their needs.

Community service at any level can have its pitfalls, but volunteers keen to delve into community-driven volunteering at home and abroad have a unique advantage in the depth of knowledge, experience and passion they bring to their projects and the potential impacts. When making the transition from volunteering in your home town to volunteering abroad, the key is to allow yourself the time to thoroughly research projects and organizations.

I wrote this piece for Adventures Less Ordinary: How to Travel and Do Good, a free guide to impactful adventures. The guide draws on the combined expertise of two dozen leading voices advocating for travel that makes a difference, it is a guide for compassionate people seeking the ultimate adventure—one guided as much by the good you give as the good you get. 

The post Community Service Offered Abroad Can Be Just As Powerful at Home appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on October 25, 2023

Scouring the market for the perfect gift that’s both thoughtful and eco-friendly? Rest assured, you’re no longer limited to obscure boutiques or specialty stores. With the world waking up to the importance of sustainability, a bounty of genuinely eco-conscious gifts now grace mainstream shelves, not just ‘greenwashed’ imitations.

So whether you’re marking a holiday, celebrating a birthday, or commemorating a graduation, consider your eco-friendly options. By planning ahead, you’re not only making a heartfelt gesture but also a responsible choice, aligning your wallet with the well-being of the planet.

Green Ideas Gifts for Your Loved Ones

Whether you have an earth-friendly, greenie friend or family member who eschews the normal type of gift one buys at the mall, or you yourself want to lead by example and shower your loved ones with more conscientious presents, this is gift guide meant to help.

The imminent holiday season shouldn’t be one filled with stress, nor should you settle for gifts that a) you aren’t comfortable giving, or b) your recipient isn’t going to love.

Read on for a complete list of green and eco-friendly gift ideas at every price point, and hopefully your Yuletide will be a little more laid-back!

Eco-Friendly Stocking Stuffers

The obvious choice when it comes gifting ideas for greenies is to choose something that supports your recipient’s eco-friendly lifestyle. Here are a few low-cost and small ideas that still make a bit environmental difference when used every day throughout the years to come:

Stainless Steel Water Bottle

BPA-free water bottles are a start, but at the end of the day you’re still using plastic. If your eco-friendly loved one is sporting a plastic water bottle, upgrade them this year to a Hydro Flask ($35), which is our favorite brand at GV—all of those colors mean you can truly customize the gift to the recipient! That said, Sigg has more green credibility and makes fantastic Aluminum Water Bottles ($25) from lightweight, recycled-aluminum—which makes their bottles an even more eco-friendly gift idea.

Reusable Drinking Straws

As cities and countries around the world begin to ban single-use plastic straws, give your greenie a gift they can use for years to come. Stainless Steel Straws ($8) are the most sturdy option (ideal for travelers), but the range of Colorful Glass Straws ($9) are beautiful and work well for those using straws at home.

Bamboo Cutlery Set

The GV team just loves this Bamboo Cutlery Travel Set ($12) from Tiny Panda. It’s ideal for travelers, but also anyone who brings lunch to the office, on picnics, and so much more.

Reusable Shopping Bags

Eliminating straws isn’t the only way for eco-friendly greenies to eliminate single-use plastic. Gift your loved one these BeeGreen Reusable Grocery Bags ($20), which come in a truly fun range of colors and patterns.

Green Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List

If you’re going completely green this year with your gifting, that means small gifts and stocking stuffers alone won’t cut it. Below find a range of green gift ideas for everyone on your list, from mom and dad to your favorite coworker.

For the Health-Conscious

• Yoga Lovers: If your recipient loves yoga, consider gifting them a gorgeous Manduka Yoga Mat ($100), which prioritizes sustainability and transparency in its manufacturing process. Pair it with Natrogix Bliss Essential Oils ($26) in heavenly scents for their Savasana cool-down, and you’ll have a winning green gift combo.
• Healthy Eaters: Along with the holidays comes a new year and a new chance to double down on healthy eating goals. For the loved one who’s receptive to the idea of cutting back on meat, but hasn’t a clue what to make for dinner, you have two options. Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck ($31) takes a playful and wildly helpful approach to eating more veggies. Less in-your-face but equally as useful is the The Easy 5-Ingredient Pescatarian Cookbook ($13). If you’re preaching to the already converted—meaning they already eat a lot of plants and veggies, then True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure ($19) is the right gift—it’s the hands-down best option on the market for learning more sustainably cooking and eating practices.

For Homemakers

The things we use everyday can make a big impact not only on our own health, but on the health of the planet. These green gift ideas for the home are perfect for greening the home of your mom and dad, pleasing your eco-friendly siblings, or generally wowing anyone on your list.

• Dine in Style: These beautiful Multicolor Eco-Friendly Hand Blown Glass Tumblers ($90) create a wow-worthy statement on any table, and their green creds are strong—Novica’s partnership with National Geographic pays fair wages to artisans all over the world. Pair it with the 16-Piece Bamboo Tableware Set ($70), which is as durable as it is beautiful, for a true statement gift. (For friends with kids, add in an owl-shaped Bamboo Kids Tableware Set ($33) for an extra special touch).
• Cook Up a Storm: Make the kitchen of your loved one greener with Talisman Designs Beechwood Measuring Spoons ($17) and Beechwood Salad Serving Spoons ($18)—the beechwood is sourced from responsibly-managed forests and the laser-etched designs are truly gift-worthy.
• Add a Touch of Lux: While it’s never wise to decorate someone else’s home, you can gift thoughtful touches that make a statement. These Christmas Star Ceramic Ornaments ($40) are a perfect green gift during Secret Santa exchanges, or a loved one who just moved into a new home this holiday season. The House of Marley Wireless Bluetooth Speaker ($90) is perfect for frequent hosts—it’s made of sturdy wood fiber and recycled PP composite construction for the greenest speaker experience around.

For the Fashion Forward

Have a bestie who’s a total fashion plate? Or perhaps a favorite coworker who always comes to work looking Instagram-ready.

• Jewelry Lovers: Consider gifting fun necklaces and jewelry that use the best fair-trade practices. Novica makes a huge range of items in partnership with National Geographic—we love the Multicolored Beaded Wood Layered Torsade Necklace ($30) and Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings, Mexican Fantasy’ ($90)—both are real showstoppers. With each purchase your friend also receives a NOVICA Story Card to learn a bit about the artisan who made their beautiful jewlery. To go even more local, Amsha is a boutique, fair-trade organization providing work to artisans in East Africa—the Jua Earrings ($32) would class up any outfit.
• Handbag Fans: The right handbag can make a strong statement, and that’s even more true when constructed of recycled and upcycled materials. The Mona B. Upcycled Handbag ($42) is a win for greenies prioritizing upcycled goods, while the Handmade Rattan HandBag ($35) supports local Balinese communities and traditional crafts—but doesn’t compromise on style.
• Cruelty-Free Cosmetics: For a gal with sophisticated and a strong focus on the green credentials of every brand they use, look to Inika, which is PETA-certified and completely vegan. GV’s founder uses this makeup brand and gives rave reviews to the smooth finish on the Loose Mineral Foundation Powders ($40) and the lovely effects of the Long Lash Vegan Mascara ($35).

For the Eco-Friendly Bike Commuter

If your loved one goes green by commuting on their bike to and from work, they’ve made your life a lot easier on the gifting front! Slip a Solar Powered Bike Light ($24) in their stocking and keep them safe next year. Also consider Green Oil Chain Lubricant ($9), which uses biodegradable products sourced from 27 different types of plants. Round out your gift with a Kali Protectives Bike Helmet ($50)—made from 100% recycled cotton materials, this is the pinnacle of eco-friendly chic.

For the Kids on Your List

There are more earth-friendly options for the kiddos on your holiday shopping list, too.

• Get Colorful: I get a kick out of any “typical” play item that’s rendered in a modern, green way. I love these Honeysticks Pure Beeswax Crayons ($23), which are completely allergen-free and nontoxic, and are manufactured in New Zealand, so you know you’re getting a high quality gift! Another win are the Organic Veggie Baby Finger Paints ($25)—Veggie Baby uses organic vegetables in their products and all are completely edible.
• Get Crafty: The ALEX Toys Eco Crafts Scrapbook Kit ($40) comes with Earth-friendly pages and supplies for the craftiest kid on your gift list. The motto of the green movement is “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” and that means empowering the youngest in the world with the right skills. My First Sewing Kit ($20) is a fun, unconventional, and under-the-radar way to teach your kids green skills they can use for the rest of their life.
• Get Curious: Bigger kids can explore the wonders of the world around them with science-y gifts and games. We love the 4M Bubble Science Kit ($14), the Grow ‘N Glow Terrarium Science Kits ($16), and Magic Science for Wizards Only Kit ($20).
• Get Reading: Kids are curious by nature and the time is now to set the stage for life-long greenies. Pick up a copy of What a Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting our Planet ($12), The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle ($5), and Not for Me, Please! I Choose to Act Green ($10) to get the littlest loved one involved.
• Involve Everyone: Go Green Cards ($20) include 52-cards with green living ideas. This is a fun, family-friendly gift that parents and kids can use together to take a more eco-friendly approach to 2020.

As someone who loves to shop—and I mean really loves to shop—I always consider the holidays a fantastic challenge to score something perfect for everyone special in my life. After all, receiving presents is fun, but nothing holds a candle to making someone’s day with a truly thoughtful gift that shows you understand them.

There are a wealth of options out there for this year’s “greenie” holiday shoppers, and plenty to ensure that every eco-friendly good boy and girl out there gets just what they deserve. Happy holidays!

The post 40+ Green Gift Ideas for Greenies! appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on November 26, 2025

Responsible tourism is a buzzword these days. Pair it with “sustainable tourism” and you have the magic words that hotels, tour operators, and businesses throw around to catch attention. I’ve spent nearly two decades researching community tourism for Grassroots Volunteering and traveling through regions shaped—for better and worse—by visitor impact.

Experiences like what I saw in Kibera—seeing tourism create real jobs and dignity—are what anchor the idea of responsible travel for me. At its heart, responsible tourism is a good trend. Travelers are increasingly aware of the need for an integrated, mindful approach to travel—one that considers local communities, ecosystems, and long-term impacts, not just the itinerary in front of us.

But what exactly is responsible tourism? And how can travelers put it into practice?

For me, it’s always been a mix of curiosity and care—moving through new places with the sense that my presence leaves some kind of footprint, so I try to make that footprint a gentle one.

What is Responsible Tourism?

At its core, responsible tourism means using your travel dollars—directly and indirectly—as a tool for conservation, poverty alleviation, and economic well-being. Responsible travelers aim to respect local people and the environment everywhere they visit.

This can look like choosing local businesses, supporting conservation initiatives, and avoiding activities that harm wildlife or exploit communities. It’s less about perfection and more about intention—paying attention to where your money goes and who benefits.

Why Should You Travel Responsibly?

Responsible travel lessens your negative impact and amplifies your positive one. Yes, there’s a lot that goes into building a sustainable tourism industry on the ground, but travelers have power too: how you book your trip, who you choose to support, how you behave in a new culture.

Before diving into the “how,” it helps to look at why responsible tourism matters.

Why is Responsible Tourism Important?

Tourism is a massive global employer. As of 2024, the WTTC reports that travel and tourism contributed $10.9 trillion to the global economy—representing 10% of global GDP and supporting an estimated 357 million jobs worldwide. That’s one in ten jobs tied to this industry.

The pandemic laid bare just how dependent many communities are on tourism. When tourism disappeared, so did livelihoods. But the pause also gave many places a chance to rebuild with more emphasis on sustainability and local benefit.

A 2024 review estimates that tourism alone generates 35 mega tonnes of solid waste per year globally, underscoring how visitor behavior affects fragile destinations.

Beyond economics, tourism influences everything from land use to wildlife protection. And its downsides vary by region. A few common ones include:

• Tourism can strain local food, water, and housing resources.
• Wildlife habitats suffer when tourism encourages poaching or harmful interactions.
• Air travel is a significant contributor to global emissions.
• Some communities become commodified—“living museums”—for the sake of visitor entertainment.
• Travelers may unintentionally offend by ignoring dress codes or cultural norms.

Humans are curious creatures by nature, and most travelers don’t set out to do harm—it’s usually the small, unexamined moments that leave the biggest marks. As travelers, we have to think through the ripple effects of what we participate in. The goal of responsible tourism is simple: minimize harm, maximize good.

The Positives: How Tourism Can Help

Tourism, when done thoughtfully, can be an enormous force for good:

• It can redistribute wealth from developed to developing regions.
• It infuses cash directly into local hands.
• It creates incentives to protect wildlife and reduce poaching.
• It can model sustainable practices like better waste management.
• It creates meaningful cultural interactions and builds empathy.

And these benefits apply everywhere—from rural Thailand to Venice’s canals or the mountain trails of Switzerland.

Responsible tourism is as much a mindset as a collection of actions. But actions matter too. So let’s look at the practical side.

How to be a Responsible Tourist

Here are eight simple ways to build responsibility into your travels.

1. Go Overland

Flights have a huge environmental cost—higher than earlier predictions estimated—and they remain one of the least sustainable parts of modern travel. I think about this often when I plan my own trips, especially the long-haul ones.

Overland travel vs. flying: which is more sustainable? Almost always overland. When possible, choose destinations closer to home and move by train, bus, or shared transport. And if you must fly, you can still shift into lower-impact travel once your feet are on the ground.

Traveling overland also supports the circular tourism economy, keeping more spending local and reducing the carbon intensity of your movement between destinations.

Plus, there’s something grounding about watching a landscape change from the window of a train—it reminds you you’re moving through a real place, not just landing in one.

Airlines are experimenting with more efficient aircraft and sustainable aviation fuels, and that progress matters. But the most meaningful choice is still the simplest: take trains, buses, and group transport when you can—especially in mountainous or fragile environments.

More travelers are also gravitating toward carbon-neutral and carbon-negative options, supporting airlines and operators that invest in verified climate projects and publish transparent environmental policies.

Interesting Read: How to Travel the World Without Flying

2. Respect Cultural Norms

Research the cultural expectations of every place you visit. Reading local authors and narratives helps you understand the nuances—those tiny social rules that rarely make it into guidebooks but matter deeply to the people who live there.

Some cultures avoid certain gestures; others have strong expectations around dress, modesty, or eye contact. Knowing these norms isn’t just respectful—it creates opportunities for genuine connection and smoother interactions.

Browse a list of the best travel books organized by country!

3. Use Local Resources

What is an example of responsible tourism? Spend your money where it matters: locally.

Buying food, souvenirs, and experiences from local businesses directly strengthens the community. In many destinations, issues like deforestation or poaching are tied to the lack of stable, fair-wage employment. Supporting local companies and infusing money directly into the local economy helps alleviate this.

If you want to take it a step further, choose businesses that prioritize social and environmental responsibility themselves. That’s the foundation of Grassroots Volunteering’s social enterprise database.

Choosing community-run businesses strengthens local stewardship and supports the kind of destination management that keeps tourism sustainable long-term. Your choices matter—support the people who live and work in the places you visit.

Find a social enterprise in your next travel destination.

4. Lessen Your Trash Impact

Trash infrastructure varies around the world. Even if locals dispose of garbage in rivers or burn it openly, don’t do it too. Responsible travel means modeling good behavior regardless of what others do.

Easy ways to reduce waste while traveling

Recycle when possible. Carry your trash out when you can’t. And most importantly, reduce your waste in the first place.

Bring a reusable bottle and a way to treat your own water—SteriPen or LifeStraw, or a water bottle. Many guesthouses and hotels now have refill stations. Cutting down on single-use water bottles alone significantly reduces your environmental impact.

Beyond “doing less harm,” regenerative travel focuses on leaving places better than you found them—whether through conservation projects, beach cleanups, or supporting artisans revitalizing traditional crafts. It doesn’t have to be perfect—just a little more mindful than the default.

5. Choose Your Travel Activities With Care

Not every experience marketed to tourists is ethical—or safe.

In cash-strapped places especially, locals may offer activities that involve wildlife exploitation, unsafe conditions, or troubling power dynamics. Responsible tourism increasingly focuses on ethical wildlife tourism and experiences that support regenerative travel, rather than extractive, photo-driven encounters.

Examples of unethical tourist activities

Riding elephants, petting tigers, or touring slums without community oversight are all harmful, even if they seem normalized.

There’s no universal checklist for every destination, but ask yourself:

• Does this activity benefit the people or animals involved?
• Does it foster cultural understanding—or just provide a photo?
• What’s hidden from view to make this possible?

Your answers should guide your choices.

6. Spend More Money Locally

Beyond using local providers, spread your spending around so more families and small businesses benefit. This is especially important in places struggling with overtourism, where money often stays concentrated in a few hot spots.

Look for community-based organizations rather than multinational chains, and consider accommodations certified by reputable sustainability programs like EarthCheck, Green Key , or B-Corp. These help identify businesses making real commitments, not just marketing claims.

Grassroots Volunteering’s geo-located social enterprise database remains one of the only curated collections of responsible businesses worldwide.

7. Travel in the Off-Season

High season takes a toll everywhere—cities, coastlines, mountains, and small rural communities. Cities like Kyoto, Barcelona, and Dubrovnik have all shown how quickly overtourism can overwhelm local communities—and how important it is to spread visits into shoulder seasons.

Trash piles up. Traffic worsens. Wildlife retreats. Prices spike. Local residents bear the brunt of it.

Traveling in the shoulder season spreads tourism’s impact more evenly and supports local businesses year-round. It also gives you a calmer, more rewarding experience, and avoids the strain on fragile natural areas during their busiest periods.

8. Keep Things in Perspective

Travel is full of unknowns. When things feel overwhelming, frustrating, or chaotic, perspective is your best tool.

Know your stance on giving to beggars before you go. Approach haggling with fairness and respect—many vendors will actually sell at a loss if they’re desperate for income that day.

And when situations heat up, step back. Take a breath. Reset. Remember you’re a guest, and leading with patience and kindness sets the tone. Most of us are just doing our best out there, learning as we go—locals included.

Travel is full of unpredictable moments. A responsible traveler learns to navigate them with awareness, humility, and flexibility. Whether you’re hiking remote trails or volunteering abroad, you’ll find countless opportunities to support local communities, model helpful behavior, and lessen your impact.

A lot has changed in the last few years, and responsible travel continues to evolve alongside it. Committed travelers set the example. Your awareness on the road—small choices included—helps create better experiences for both visitors and the people who live in every destination you pass through.

Responsible tourism is not a niche—it’s the baseline for traveling well in 2026 and beyond.

Updated for 2026 to reflect new sustainability certifications, overtourism patterns, and best practices in ethical wildlife tourism.

The post Embrace Responsible Travel: 8 Simple Guidelines for Ethical Tourism appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on October 26, 2023

While nearby Thailand gets a ton of buzz internationally because it has a well-developed tourism industry at every end of the spectrum—both high-end and budget, responsible travel and everything in between—Vietnam deserves a closer look for anyone heading to Southeast Asia.

This long and skinny country has thousands of miles of coastline, every type of terrain imaginable, and arguably the best food scene in the region (them be fightin’ words for many, but you’d be hard put not to have Vietnam at least in a top three list!).

The country is firmly on the “banana pancake trail,” which means a plethora of budget options abound and there are no shortage of backpackers north to south, but there’s a lot more to the country than just that.

Vietnam: A Responsible Travel Success Story

Vietnam also has truly incredible things happening on in sustainable and responsible tourism. Social enterprise as a concept is firmly established in Vietnam, and you can travel the entire country while regularly spending your money at responsible tourism-facing businesses.

Northern Vietnam boasts remarkable ethnic diversity, and the hill tribe groups in the north are actively crafting a vibrant and local tourism industry that funnels money into nearly every remote corner that has a trail pointing in that direction. In major cities, an abundance of training restaurants work with underprivileged youth, and elsewhere you’ll find responsible tour companies, cafes, workshops, and more.

Let’s dive right into the best social enterprises in Vietnam, as well as other actions you can take as a responsible traveler in the region.

How to Travel Responsibly in Vietnam

Talk to a recent SEA backpacker and there’s a good chance they’ll gush about their time in Vietnam. Likely because local food and culture is just so darn accessible. No matter where you travel, there’s bound to be something interesting, beautiful, and yes, responsible.

That said, like the rest of Southeast Asia, there are overarching concerns for responsible travelers. From how to ethically interact with wildlife to avoiding human exploitation and sex trafficking, it’s a complicated topic covered in-depth in the GV Responsible Travel Guide to Southeast Asia. Here’s what each of the key issues looks like when zoomed in on Vietnam, specifically.

1. Human Tourism & Trafficking

If you’ve read our Thailand responsible travel guide, than you’re aware of issues in the region when hill tribe groups become nothing more than human zoos. If the idea of hill tribe cultures excites you, then you can delight in the knowledge that Vietnam is among the most fascinating places to take part in hill tribe tourism.

Unlike the many sketchy options in Thailand, northern Vietnam has a well-developed tourism infrastructure built entirely around trekking to visit the region’s various hill tribe and ethnic minority groups. The format is usually a trek plus homestay, and the length of each entire depends on the traveler.

2. Homestays

Speaking of homestays, these are not confined to the northern hill tribes. Across the country, homestays are a common and excellent way to respectfully visit rural communities, support the local economy, and learn about the people and culture of Vietnam.

If GV doesn’t recommend a homestay for the town you’re visiting, there is still likely ample opportunity to engage in this type of tourism (despite trying, we can’t find everything!). On your own, search for businesses described as community-based organizations (CBOs) and for hyper local businesses run by local families (rather than recognizable hotel brands).

3. Wildlife Tourism

We’ve covered riding elephants extensively on both Grassroots Volunteering and its sister site—the short of it is that you should not. Vietnam has some options for ethical elephant interactions, but generally you’ll find a better selection in Thailand (and, to an extent, Cambodia).

If it’s your dream to interact with these majestic creatures, consider saving that experience until you get to one of these neighboring countries. Besides elephant tourism, generally avoid riding any exotic wild animal. Riding ostriches in Dalat is gaining popularity, but most would not consider this a responsible travel decision: An ostrich’s body is not designed to hold an adult’s weight and these animals fully panic when ridden.

Note: In addition to these concerns around types of wildlife tourism, Vietnam has a large and growing black market for products produced from illegal animals. Not only are live animals trafficked to nearby China, and further afield, but souvenirs using turtle shells, skins, and ivory are available. Purchasing these products contributes to the trafficking of wild and endangered animals, and should thus be avoided.

4. Haggling

This is a concern that falls firmly on the shoulders of travelers. Negotiating is a practice new to many international travelers, and some can take the art of the haggle too far. There are some who say “no vendor would sell a product for a loss”—that is not true.

When a vendor has a sunk cost (they have already bought the goods), they may actually lose money on a deal if it means cash-in-hand that day, thus being able to buy food, pay school fees, etc.

Bargain respectfully. And take heart that your sale directly helps the local economy—spend money and feel good about infusing your cash into the local economy.

5. Responsible Travel Dos

There’s another side to responsible travel beyond the don’ts, and we’re about to take a granular look at exactly how and where to spend your money responsibly. If you’re already doing the activity—and it fits within the framework of an ethical and sustainable tourism activity—then use this vetted list of social enterprises to ensure your travel dollars are going as far as possible on the ground.

This guide includes businesses offering socially responsible tours, fair-trade sourced souvenirs, meals prepared and served by former street children, and more. Each business is a social enterprise operating with a strong social mission to use tourism as a force for positive change.

What is a Social Enterprise?

A social enterprise sells good or services and uses a portion of the profits to reinvest in the local community by addressing social issues, improving locals’ quality of life, conserving natural resources and the environment, preserving the community’s cultural integrity, and more. The social enterprise holds its strong underlying mission above financial gain, investors, or traditional commercial business ideals. Instead, the common good is the primary focus and when a social enterprise succeeds, so too does the local society.

Supporting social enterprises is the core idea behind this site. Responsible travelers often align with the social enterprise business model because it’s not only good for travelers to understand a deeper story of a new place, but by supporting these businesses responsible travelers leave a place better than they found it. Our “What is a Social Enterprise” post shares a deeper-dive into the social enterprise business model, how to locate these businesses, and why they are a core tenet of responsible and sustainable travel.

Social Enterprises in Vietnam

Note that while Grassroots Volunteering has made every attempt to ensure these businesses are still running post-pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic was tough on travel and tourism businesses and some of these may either no longer be in business, or may have pivoted their businesses in unexpected ways: perhaps targeted toward locals rather than tourists, for example.

Do your due diligence and research each Vietnamese social enterprise before planning to visit.

Hanoi Social Enterprises

• Bloom Microventures (Hanoi): Discover the direct results of microfinancing in a marginalized community outside Hanoi on a tour where you will also meet with entrepreneurs who will receive micro-loans from your tour fee.
• Hanoi Kids (Hanoi): Experience the fun of teaching locals kids by taking a tour run by student volunteers. Tours include a grand tour of the city, visiting a pottery village and more.
• KOTO Restaurant (Also located in Ho Chi Minh City): In Hanoi, dine on delicious international foods or indulge in some cake or pastries. KOTO is working to be a self-sustaining social enterprise and trains street and disadvantaged youth in the food and hospitality industries.
• KOTO Cooking Class (Also located in Ho Chi Minh City): Learn the secrets of Vietnamese cooking, including Vietnam’s national dish, Pho (pronounced Fa).
• La Maison De Tet (West Lake, Hanoi):  A charming cafe, La Maison De Tet’s menu features organic local ingredients. Food is sourced from local farms and artisans like Fragrant Path, helping to support the local economy.
• Mekong Quilts (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An): Purchase beautiful quilts made by women from poor and rural areas across Southeast Asia, something you’re sure to treasure for many years to come. This social enterprise is led by Mekong Plus, an NGO which reinvests in local communities provides scholarships for children and micro-financing programs.
• Tohe (Hanoi): Purchase artwork created by local children, giving them the confidence to continue perfecting their talents. Tohe provides a creative learning space for many disadvantaged youths in Hanoi.

Hoi An + Da Nang Social Enterprises

• 9 Grains by STREETS (Hoi An): Operated by the STREETS International trainees, this coffee shop and cafe serves tasty food and delicious coffee alongside a strong underlying social mission: to offer hospitality and culinary training program to street kids and disadvantaged youth in Southeast Asia.
• Happy Heart Cafe (Da Nang): Stop in to relax, enjoy some coffee and meet with friends at this delightful café which also offers a Western menu. The café works to employ deaf and handicap locals, providing them with valuable work experience.
• Jack’s Cat Cafe (Hoi An): Snuggle with rescue cats while sipping on a coffee and relaxing. Jack’s Cat Cafe is a cafe and rescue shelter, where roughly sixty cats reside.
• Lifestart Foundation (Hoi An): Choose fair trade souvenirs when visiting Hoi An by going to the Lifestart Foundation workshop. Lifestart gives disadvantaged locals the opportunity to earn income (they receive 100% of the proceeds) through the creation of arts and crafts.
• Mekong Quilts (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An): Purchase beautiful quilts made by women from poor and rural areas across Southeast Asia, something you’re sure to treasure for many years to come. This social enterprise is led by Mekong Plus, an NGO which reinvests in local communities provides scholarships for children and micro-financing programs.
• Reaching Out Arts & Crafts (Hoi An): Housed in an ancient building in Old Town, this shop features arts and crafts created by other-abled artisans. Cutting out the middleman, Reaching Out provides training and support to other-abled artisans who would not be able to work otherwise.
• Reaching Out Teahouse (Hoi An): Enjoy a peaceful cup of tea at this teahouse located in Old Town. Run by the same people from Reach Out Arts & Crafts, the teahouse employs both able-bodied and disabled locals, creating an environment of equality.
• STREETS Restaurant Café (Hoi An): Indulge in a Hoi An Tasting Menu and experience contemporary Vietnamese and International cuisine inspired by chefs from around the world. Linked to STREETS International, which provides sustainable programs for street kids and disadvantaged youth in Southeast Asia.
• U Café Hoi An (Hoi An): A cafe serving up a small menu of food and drinks focused on Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine. U Café provides vocational training for disadvantaged youth in Hoi An and Da Nang, as well as language training in English, Japanese and Esperanto.

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) Social Enterprises

• KOTO Restaurant (Also located in Hanoi): In Ho Chi Minh City, dine on delightful Southeast Asian, Belgian, or French dishes. KOTO is working to be a self-sustaining social enterprise and trains street and disadvantaged youth in the food and hospitality industries.
• KOTO Cooking Class (Also located in Hanoi): Learn the secrets of Vietnamese cooking, including Vietnam’s national dish, Pho (pronounced Fa).
• Mekong Quilts (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An): Purchase beautiful quilts made by women from poor and rural areas across Southeast Asia, something you’re sure to treasure for many years to come. This social enterprise is led by Mekong Plus, an NGO which reinvests in local communities provides scholarships for children and micro-financing programs.
• Saigon Hotpot: Student-led tours are one of the best ways to experience Ho Chi Minh City. Tours are led by student volunteers from several universities.
• Sozo Centre: A cafe, caterer and function space, Sozo offers a delicious menu of both Vietnamese and Western cuisine. Sozo works with many underprivileged families to help them break the cycle of debt and provide them with employment opportunities.

Sapa Social Enterprises

• CBT Vietnam (Sapa): Experience local life in Northern Vietnam by skipping the hotels and opting for a homestay. CBT Vietnam provides a directory of local homestays that are safe and highly recommended.
• Indigo Cat (Sapa): Shop for handmade textiles or admire the handiwork of the locals at this shop owned by a Hmong/French family. Local indigenous women in rural areas outside Sapa make tribal textiles.
• Sapa O’Chau (Sapa): Whether you’re looking for a trekking tour, homestay or a café to sit back and relax, using Sapa O’Chau is one of the best ways to ensure that your tourism dollars are being used to support the local community.
  The Hill Station (Sapa): Spend an afternoon eating cheese and sipping wine during your time in Sapa. A restaurant, deli and boutique hotel, The Hill Station is a combination of Indochina era history and hill tribe culture and employs several Hmong locals.
• Topas Ecolodge (Sapa, Lao Cai): Stay at this one-of-a-kind ecolodge perched atop two cone-formed hills in the Sapa Valley. A worthwhile splurge that supports sustainability and supports the local economy.

Other Social Enterprises Around Vietnam

• Fragrant Path (Dai Lai, Soc Son): Go on a tour or enjoy a wellness day at this farm outside Hanoi which supplies produce for the Maison De Tet Café in Hanoi. Fragrant Path also features a workshop focused on creating jobs for local artisans from rural villages.
• Hearts for Hue (Hue): Take a tour of Hue and gain a deeper understanding of the culture and life of the locals. Hearts for Hue’s main purpose is to improve the lives of the boat people of Thua Thien Province, including providing microloans to local artisans.
• Joma Bakery (Hoan Kiem): Good coffee, yummy baked goods and delicious sandwiches can be found at all four locations of Joma Bakery in Hanoi. 2% of all proceeds support local grassroots projects, which helps to improve the lives of locals.

The database of social enterprises in Vietnam is always expanding as GV Ambassadors map the world of projects and businesses that need support from responsible travelers. Wondering how we pick a social enterprise for inclusion? Make your time in Vietnam a better force for good by visiting and supporting businesses committed to environment, social, and community welfare.

Interested in Volunteering?

Volunteering in Vietnam is not nearly as complicated a topic as volunteering in nearby Cambodia, which has systemic issues embedded deeply within the volunteering industry, and a bit more like the Thai volunteering industry—there some issues, cautions, and things you should consider before booking a volunteer vacation.

All volunteers should start their research by seeking to understand the nuanced issues within the global volunteering industry, and the range of potential concerns. Read our piece, “The Psychology & Ethics of International Volunteering,” for an outline of key issues and mindsets plaguing volunteers. In essence, understand that volunteer programs should not compromise the dignity of local populations, and in many cases projects should work toward an end-goal of independence of the communities from the need for volunteers, even if it’s at a point further in the future.

To pick the right volunteer program, assess the length of time you have to give and the skills you offer. For those with long-honed specialized skills—things like financial degrees, law, medicine, fundraising, and more—there is great need in a vast number or organizations.

If you have few concrete skills, consider instead visiting any of the many social enterprises listed above. You can use your trip as a way to learn more about the culture, as well as research specific organizations you might want to support down the line. Avoid volunteering with children unless you have many months to commit to the project—numerous studies have found that short-term stints at schools and orphanages can have harmful longterm effects on the children.

All of that said, there are certainly a number of volunteer opportunities for volunteers of all skill levels and time commitments, so don’t let any aspect prevent you from researching and then assessing if you have the skills suited to a project that needs your help. Research independent volunteer opportunities in Vietnam.

Additional Resources for Responsible Travelers

If you’re planning a trip to Vietnam, or Southeast Asia in general, these travel resources are essential for travelers focused on sustainable and responsible vacations.

• The Responsible Traveler’s Guide to Southeast Asia
• 8 Behaviors of Socially Responsible Travel
• Should You Give to Child Beggars?
• How to Pack for Long-Term & Round The World Travel
• ALA Free Travel Guides for: Thailand and Vietnam
• Guide to Street Food in Saigon (and a guide for celiacs)
• ALA Cost of Living in Vietnam
• Lonely Planet Vietnam
• The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook

Books to Read Before You Visit Vietnam

Understanding a country’s history and culture is a fundamental aspect of responsible and informed travel. Plus, you’ll enjoy your travels so much more when you have context to wrap around your interactions and experiences.

These memoirs offer a heartbreaking and humbling entry into the country’s sex trafficking industry, as well as the legacy left by the Khmer Rouge. Bring one of these books on the plane, or download to your e-reader before you leave, you’ll be thankful for the nuanced insight you gain by better understanding the aspects of Vietnam you’re unlikely to talk about over coffee or with your tour guide.

• The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam by Bao Ninh
• The Girl in The Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph and the Vietnam War by Denise Chong
• The Quiet American by Graham Greene
• Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X. Pham
• Eating Viet Nam by Graham Holliday

The post Vietnam Responsible Travel & Social Enterprise Guide appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.

Last Updated on August 10, 2023

How long you volunteer for is entirely personal, but your volunteer time commitment has a large effect on which type of volunteering is right for you. There is a debate to be made about if you should even volunteer for most types of international volunteering.

There are only specific scenarios where volunteering abroad is a good choice, and it varies by every single country, type of project, and type of volunteer. That said, if you’re wondering how long to volunteer for to reap the benefits of volunteering—we’ll that’s suprisingly low!

To truly understand the various scenarios that you will encounter, and to accurately judge if you have enough time to volunteer, first study the ethics of the international volunteering industry, as well as the politics and economics of the developing world. Then we’ll look at what volunteer time commitment yields the best benefits for the volunteer, as well as those their working with.

Only once you have a good foundational knowledge can you determine how long you should volunteer to have a positive impact on the place you’re visiting.

Best Volunteer Time Commitment for Personal Benefits

The benefits you derive from volunteering vary depending on individual circumstances, the nature of the volunteer work, and the organization involved. And it depends on if you’re approaching your an international volunteer trip as a one-off, or if its integrated into your life both abroad and at home.

The fact is, no amount of volunteering guarantees you will experience personal benefits, but the research does suggest that even relatively short volunteer time commitments yield positive effects, according to BMC Public Health. This is true for older adults, for whom it counters loneliness and fosters increased connection, and for younger volunteers hoping to increase their paid work prospects.

Here’s what the science says about the you side of volunteering—how long you should volunteer for to see benefits. It’s a whole different ball game when we talk about how long to volunteer in impoverished communities overseas.

Short-Term Volunteering

Even a few hours of volunteering can lead to improved mood, increased self-esteem, and a sense of social connectedness. A study published in Psychological Science found that as little as two hours of volunteering per week was associated with greater life satisfaction and happiness. That means you’re committing about 100 hours per year to volunteer work.

That’s a pretty easy time commitment for most, either for those volunteering in their local communities, or for a digital nomad hunkered down in one spot for a few months or years.

Moderate-Term Volunteering

Engaging in volunteer work for a few months or more can provide deeper social connections, skill development, and a sense of purpose. Research published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior showed that volunteers who commit to longer periods of service tend to experience more positive outcomes, such as enhanced well-being and improved health.

Basically, you need a regular time commitment across months, not days to see the most personal benefit to your mental and physical health. And if you’re a single person who doesn’t get out much, the benefits stack up even faster if you commit more time to volunteering.

For international travelers, this means take a sabbatical and planning a six-month stint somewhere, versus popping in for a week or two.

Long-Term Volunteering

Long-term volunteering, spanning a year or more, may lead to profound personal growth, skill acquisition, and a strong sense of community involvement—more so than compared to those who volunteered for a short time, according to the Journal of Behavioral Sciences. This is especially true for older adults who volunteered regularly over a longer period reported increased levels of life satisfaction and mental well-being.

For others, volunteering positively contributes to happiness levels by increasing empathic emotions and shifting aspirations according to a study in the Journal of Social Science & Medicine. 

Ultimately, as one might expect, the personal benefits of volunteering are cumulative, but also depend the type of work, the organization’s mission, and your personal goals. To maximize the benefits from your volunteer time commitment, choose volunteer opportunities that align with your interests and values.

How Long Should You Volunteer For?

Remember, you can best assess this once you have the foundational knowledge mentioned above. Then you should honestly evaluate your trip to decide which type of service—because you don’t have to volunteer to be of service while you travel—is right for your trip.

Should you volunteer for one day?

Are you sure volunteering is the best fit for your trip? Short vacations for those with just a day or two of service are often a part of organized tours. Consider instead practicing socially responsible tourism on your independent trip by supporting grassroots businesses: cafes, artists, tour operators, hotels, and local workshops.

With just a few days of service, social enterprises and locally run or community-organized day tours are a fantastic option to feel good about the way you spend your money on the road. Remember, you can’t do much in a day, but single-day volunteer opportunities can contribute to a total cumulative benefit when picked wisely and when they keep the issues of dependency and dignity in mind.

A few examples of daylong volunteer experiences to consider are things like: language/conversations exchanges, beach cleanups, construction or outdoor work that just needs warm bodies (think Habitat for Humanity), and other situations like this, where it’s not necessary to volunteer for very long because the experiences are designed to host a rotating cast of short-term volunteers.

Should you volunteer for a week?

Again, I ask: Is volunteering is the best fit for your trip? Consider how you can make your vacation a service-learning trip by traveling responsibly and spending money directly in local communities, and in support of socially responsible business. While it is possible to find ethical short-term volunteer opportunities, these are often most effective for highly skilled volunteers offering medical, financial, or other specialized skills. You can truly have an impactful vacation by traveling responsibly.

You can also really have an impact by picking an off-the-beaten-path location for your vacation. Many of the world’s most popular destinations suffer from overtourism, and it’s only worsening every year. Picking offbeat vacation destinations makes for incredible vacation memories, unique adventures, and also spreads your money into locations and countries where ever tourism dollar has a more profound effect on the local economy.

That said, if you are dead-set on adding service to your trip, choose wisely and be sure you are not simply painting a school, or some such. Search for a service-based tour operator that focuses a week of your trip on volunteering. Or, go independent and arrange a week of service directly through an organization near your vacation spot—you could even make volunteering your entire vacation. Either option works! Search our database of vetted independent volunteer organizations to find something that fits your timeframe. Remember, the longer you can stay the larger your impact.

Examples of weeklong volunteer experiences that could have a positive impact include: workshops to train others in your highly specialized skills, organizational/office work for non-profit, small building projects.

Should you volunteer for a month?

Find an independent organization in your field of interest. With a month at your disposal to commit to a volunteer project, you have time to self-arrange the tourism side of travel and can save a lot of money by skipping the middleman.

Or go through a middleman for a hassle-free, all details handled volunteer trip—just be sure that the middleman is not a catch-all operator allowing volunteers of any skill or interest.

This is the catch, because these types of operators are hard to find. You want to find operators with a long-term investment in the communities where they work, that way you can be sure your service is both wanted and needed, not simply a project intended to make volunteers feel good. Start with this comprehensive list of questions to ask your volunteer organization when vetting potentials.

How to volunteer for the summer.

Independently arrange your volunteer placement. Placement fees charged by middlemen can stack up for a volunteer, but also take a lot of potential money and autonomy away from those on-the-ground who manage volunteers.

Long-term volunteers and interns have time to figure out the specific placement details through research or while on the ground. With time on your hands, you may find independent grassroots organizations can offer plenty of assistance, and you don’t need placement organizations at all.

I highly recommend that you skip the multinational companies—the fees you save by not using a middleman or a massive voluntourism company are better spent locally when you are on the ground.

How to volunteer for a year.

Use the term “internship” when searching for organizations to fit your needs. There are many wonderful companies offering low-cost or free placement help for volunteers with a long-term time commitment to give to important projects. I highly recommend long-term volunteering: it’s the best way to integrate, understand, and make a difference.

We have an entire section of the site dedicated to listing volunteering internships, most of which start at three- to six-months or longer of a time commitment—it varies by project, so simply use the filters in the sidebar to find the right project for your internship.

Additional Considerations

It’s not just about the amount of time you have on your hands when you’re figuring out how long you should volunteer for, but also the skills you bring to the projects and how you can support the development and conservation work.

Some areas of volunteering really do lend themselves to short-term volunteers—there are trash collection projects in Southeast Asia that do wonders and every hand helps—while others contain sensitive elements that are best handled either by skilled or long-term volunteers.

Just because a volunteer organization will let you join a project does not mean that you should.

There are few hard and fast rules about how long you must spend volunteering to consider your time ethical and well-spent. The world is a big place and issues in one part of the world appear very different in others. That said, here are a few rules of thumbs that you can use to determine the type of volunteering that might be a good fit for your upcoming travels.

Working with children

By and large, you should not work on volunteer projects allowing volunteers to work with children for less than a one-month time commitment, nor on projects that do not require a background check. Turnover in orphanages, after-school programs, and more can have a negative effect on children and it’s best to reserve a month of your life to ensure you can dedicate the time needed to help more than harm.

This includes volunteer positions where you are teaching English to children. While there are some exceptions—projects that have volunteers work with teachers instead of directly with the children—this is a good rule of thumb.

Environmental conservation

Good news, there are no restrictions here and the wide range of conservation projects available—tree planting, picking up trash, educational initiatives, etc—mean that there are both short- and long-term options on nearly every continent.

Projects include such things as trail marking in South America to reef monitoring off the coast of Madagascar. With such a range, it’s best that you identify your specific interest and then see how long is normal for volunteers hoping to make a positive impact.

Animal and wildlife conservation

Like environmental conservation, there is a range of opportunity here and this is an area where volunteers with shorter time-frames can feel good about dropping in and helping in their short amount of time (sometimes just a day or weekend affair).

The shorter projects tend to work with animal welfare—dog rescue centers and such—while those projects requiring long-term volunteers (a month or more) often work with endangered or vulnerable animals.

Construction projects

There are a lot of time commitments, but it’s usually only the multi-national companies that allow volunteers to spend days or a mere week building something like a school. If you are using independent volunteer companies, they will want you there for a month, at least, to see a project through to completion.

By requiring that volunteers stay longer, organizations can minimize their losses in training time. If you have experience in construction work, however, there are many projects that may use your skills building local capacity in the week+ that you can stay.

Medical and healthcare volunteers

This massive subsector of the volunteering industry offers everything from voluntours where you spend a day or week and then see local sights. These are not inherently wrong. Trips like that usually command high fees because the medical volunteer’s fees pays for the medicines and supplies that they will distribute to rural communities.

Specializations within the medical fields—eye doctors, surgeons, etc—are often highly sought in some areas, and many projects bring in foreign doctors to not only treat the community, but to pass on skills. As such, many of these projects ask that doctors stay at minimum two weeks so that there is strong knowledge sharing between the volunteer and local healthcare workers.

Your Next Steps:

Now that you have a good idea of the type of projects that are a good fit for your trip, and the type of skills you can offer to international communities, you have a few possible next steps.

• Search our social enterprise database for organizations—restaurants, tour companies, massage parlors, hotels, and more—that need your business as you travel the world!
• Use our resource page to begin finding and selecting projects: How to Get Started With Independent Volunteering.
• Search our database of hand-vetted independent volunteering projects discovered by our GV Ambassadors.
• Check out our Responsible Travel Guides, which are thorough resources offering advice on responsible travel for some of the most popular countries in the world. You’ll find advice on the best social enterprises, ethical considerations specific to each country, and an entire primer on responsible travel there.
• Secure the right volunteer travel insurance for your trip. Volunteer trips do not always have the same needs as regular vacations and this piece lists out your key options for volunteer travel insurance—in most cases I believe that means going with IMGlobal.

The post How Long Should You Volunteer? Here’s the Best Way to Assess Your Volunteer Time ommitment appeared first on Grassroots Volunteering.