Volunteer program types abroad

Fifteen program-type hubs covering the most common volunteer placements abroad — with the ethical, safeguarding, and scope-of-practice context each one needs.

We don't list orphanage / residential-childcare placements as a program type. See our child safeguarding policy for why.

Teaching

English, literacy, life-skills support in schools and community centres. Comes with safeguarding requirements you must take seriously.

MEDIUM caution: Any child-facing role requires background checks and qualified local supervision. We don't promote orphanage placements.

Wildlife conservation

Habitat protection, species monitoring, sanctuary support. Field work with measurable contribution.

MEDIUM caution: Avoid programs that allow tourist contact with wild animals (riding, bathing, petting). See our ethical wildlife guide.

Marine conservation

Reef monitoring, sea-turtle work, beach restoration. Often dive-certified. Real ecological data collection.

LOW caution: Verify scientific protocols and partnerships with academic or marine-conservation bodies.

Healthcare

Public health support, education, administration. NOT hands-on clinical work unless you are licensed in the destination country.

HIGH caution: Scope-of-practice limits are strict. Read our medical volunteering disclaimer before considering.

Veterinary

Animal-welfare clinic support, education, sanctuary husbandry. Usually requires veterinary or vet-tech credentials for clinical roles.

MEDIUM caution: Surgical/sedation work should only be done by licensed professionals.

Community development

Construction, water/sanitation, livelihoods, education projects. Best when working under a local NGO's direction.

LOW caution: Ask how the project was identified — community-led or volunteer-led? The former is better.

Human rights / legal

Research, documentation, translation, awareness campaigns. Requires legal or research background for most roles.

MEDIUM caution: Sensitive work — verify the local partner's safety protocols for both staff and beneficiaries.

Women's empowerment

Education, entrepreneurship, health support, gender-based-violence prevention. Best when locally led.

MEDIUM caution: Look for programs designed and led by local women, not foreign-imported models.

Agriculture / permaculture

Sustainable farming, permaculture design, food security, training projects. Hands-on, skills-transferable.

LOW caution: Confirm long-term continuity — short-term volunteers shouldn't be the backbone of crop cycles.

Sports coaching

Coaching, youth development, accessibility programs. Often child-facing — safeguarding rules apply.

MEDIUM caution: Child-facing safeguarding requirements apply the same as teaching.

Disaster relief

Emergency shelter, water/sanitation, food distribution — for trained responders or structured short-term programs. NOT for spontaneous self-deployment.

HIGH caution: DO NOT self-deploy. Deploy only through IFRC, UN OCHA, or established NGO partners. Untrained deployment diverts resources.

Mental health & counseling

Peer support, awareness campaigns, and licensed-clinician support. Unlicensed counseling is out of scope — hard limit.

HIGH caution: Unlicensed therapy causes harm. Non-licensed volunteers do peer support and awareness only.

Refugee & asylum-seeker aid

Language tutoring, integration support, food and essential distribution — through established UNHCR partners or NGOs.

HIGH caution: Not practicing immigration law. Legal support requires qualified legal counsel only.

IT & digital skills

NGO web development, data analysis, digital literacy training. Remote-friendly — one of the most accessible program types.

LOW caution: Confirm the NGO has capacity to maintain what you build. Building and abandoning creates more work than it saves.

Climate justice / environment

Reforestation, sustainable agriculture, renewable-energy projects, climate education. Distinct from wildlife conservation.

LOW caution: Reforestation projects need multi-year commitment — ask about survival rate monitoring before joining.

Cross-cutting reading

Ethical volunteering standards — eleven principles drawn from UNICEF, Lumos, Save the Children, ReThink Orphanages and World Animal Protection.
Program review methodology — how we evaluate and describe programs.
Voluntourism red flags — patterns to walk away from in any program type.
Run a specific program through our red-flag checker.