Looking for a way to contribute in Middle/Sth America
 

Hello Hubbsters,

Slowly I am approaching the departure for my motorcycle adventure however I still have a big gap in my timeline during my journey. This is a gap which was supposed to be filled in with volunteer work or teaching English. So far however there has been nothing which meets my fussy criteria.

So is there someone out there reading this who could point me in the right direction? It would be nice to contribute using either one of or a mix of the following areas:

• TESOL certificate (although handicapped by my Australian accent)
• In depth knowledge of I.T. (first half of a networking degree, a cisco CCNA certificate and 2 years work experience)
• A very experienced motorcyclist whom is very passionate with off-road riding and planning to travel to many remote and underprivileged areas in the space of a year.

Almost all of the volunteer opportunities which appear in search results are 'package' deals involving things such as helping turtles which isn't really what I am looking for (hopefully something more innovative and less mainstream).

A few ideas which come to mind are helping people build community structures, providing internet access, teaching English to poorer students, delivering healthcare essentials to small communities in remote places possibly even raising awareness through photography.

Ideally something with the Peace Corps would have been nice but I am not a U.S. citizen and I do not have a full degree. One thread I came across mentioned Unicef but I am unsure on how to approach them for a very non-specific opportunity such as this.

So if you have a 'friend' or have heard a 'rumour', read about an opportunity in a newspaper or even just a lightbulb idea then please share with me your extensive knowledge which I know exists here on the hubb :)

Thank you

Hi Caminando,

Sorry I should have replied sooner. If I was to donate to charity it would probably be a local charity, however my reasons were to immerse myself in their culture whilst giving back at the same time. I am currently learning Spanish and may attend a homestay, still considering different options. The half-degree mentioned is actually a 2-year diploma which is a government funded course that is only recognised within Australia but exempts you from the first half of your bachelor degree, it's kind of complicated which is why I just say half-degree. I did look at the VSO website but everything still required a bachelors degree.

Some good news actually, a friend gave me the phone number for a very promising position with a family operated English teaching school in Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango Guatemala which fits my criteria perfectly (and they hire travelers for short and long periods of time) so I plan to Skype them after I purchase my ticket. Not looking to save any money but prolonging the journey would be nice :)

Thanks for your input, much appreciated.

Habitat for Humanity
 

Check out Habitat for Humanity. If you can swing a hammer and you are near one of their projects, you may find a fit.

Filling Gaps
 

Hi, I just looked through this section and suggest you check out Volunteer Abroad, Volunteering overseas, International Expeditions, Conservation and Community Projects as they offer some amazing opportunities that might suit you. Linzi.