Community volunteering lets you see the world and meet lots of new people in it! By participating in community volunteering programmes you experience the true culture of the country you visit. You can help within the community through education, conservation, caring for children and community development work.
Community Volunteering Projects
Real Gap has a huge number of community volunteering projects that span the globe, so if you are interested in community volunteering on your gap year it will be easy to find something that interests you.
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If you are patient, enthusiastic, enjoy working with children and want to gain some valuable volunteer experience, then this worthwhile programme is waiting for you!
Travel to an amazing location in South Africa where you will not only have the opportunity to soak up the wonderful surroundings and lifestyle but also help brighten the lives of orphaned and disadvantaged children in Cape Town
There are hundreds of children in Cape Town’s inner city who live in poverty and are do not have the opportunity of an education and who have to grow up quickly to be able to survive. They do not experience a childhood that you or I take for granted. This is where your help will prove invaluable!
Help the local children of the Masiphumelele township learn the basic skills they need in life including literacy, language and communication skills. Your interaction can greatly influence a brighter future for these disadvantaged children.
This is a great opportunity to experience the real South Africa in a small community near Cape Town, as well as making a massive difference to children’s lives by helping them to reading. Not only is this a very rewarding project but you will also be helping towards a generation of children build a brighter future.
Learn about the Thai culture, food and people on this unforgettable introduction of Thailand. Enjoy temples, markets, cooking lessons and tours and take part in a variety of volunteer projects or enjoy trekking in the hills of Sangkhlaburi. Spend your last week relaxing on the beautiful island of Koh Pha Ngan.
Choose from a huge range of projects set up to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and adults in a great part of Tanzania. You could teach in primary or secondary schools, raise awareness of AIDS, or get involved in handicraft projects.
Discover the real Tanzania exploring the stunning scenery and wildlife on safari before joining a hugely rewarding child development project in Zanzibar, where you can help disadvantaged children at a local nursery.
Get involved with teaching, playing, singing and ultimately ensuring that you enthuse the local children about their education on this rewarding programme on the beautiful island of Zanzibar.
Work with local staff to offer friendship, love and support to orphans and disadvantaged children in West Africa. Help with homework, organise fun games and activities and most importantly build friendships and trust in this rewarding programme in the beautiful country of Ghana.
A rewarding programme that will see you help build stronger homes for families having to make do with cardboard and dirt floors. Their smiles when you hand them the keys will be more than enough compensation for your efforts.
Enable school children from poor backgrounds the chance to a better future by helping to teach English, Maths, Science and Sports. This is a truly life changing project for both you and the children.
Make a real difference to the lives of people in Himalayan India. Your work in orphanages, day centres and schools will have a direct impact and will be much appreciated. Cultural activities and a trip to the Taj Mahal included.
Project Video Now Online
Help Coach and play football with keen young players in a country where the sport borders on religion by assisting with well thought-out training and matches. Encounter Ghana’s other undiscovered marvels including rainforests, golden beaches and some of Africa’s friendliest people!
Help care and teach orphans and children whose parents can no longer look after them. Your love and attention can make a huge difference to the children in these two centres near Port Elizabeth.
Choose the 14-week placement which includes accommodation and meals during the 2010 Football World Cup!
Help relieve the pressure on teachers who have up to 200 children to look after! Any assistance with core and creative subjects, and sport, will be much appreciated by everyone in the community.
Change the lives of children and young adults who live in some of Peru's poorest areas by volunteering on one of four excellent social programmes. You will work in schools, orphanages or day-care centres and will help make a considerable difference to their lives through teaching, activities and games. Project Video Now Online
Help improve the literacy, numeracy and communication skills of children in Port Elizabeth; you can really make a difference to the lives of your students and their future prospects.
Choose the 14 week placement which includes accommodation and meals during the 2010 Football World Cup!
Care for sick and orphaned children in a rehabilitation centre or boarding school. You’ll play with the little ones and teach the older ones. Mainly, though, you’ll give them much-needed love and affection.
Combine trekking, a stay in a tribal village, a yoga course and volunteering with children or adults. You’ll get a real taste of India and help areas that haven’t benefited from international money.
This worthwhile project gives volunteers the opportunity to work in sports organisations and community clinics in Ghana. You will assist in providing physiotherapy treatment to West African athletes and local patients whilst experiencing a different culture and way of live in this beautiful country.
Dedicate your energy and skills to helping some of the world’s poorest children. Assist with community support, improve orphan skills, or spend your time teaching basic subjects and organising school activities.
Work in a school, a childcare centre or a school for children of snake charmers! Your time in any of these places will be rewarding and gratefully received. Excursions including camel and tiger safaris are included.
Project Video Now Online
Assist in this local community which is still suffering the effects of the 2004 Tsunami in South East Asia. You will be concentrating on the welfare of the local women and children; improving their knowledge and skills in order to earn a better living.
Get involved in this worthwhile volunteer programme and help develop the resources that Thai school children will be able to benefit from in the future.
Embark on a life changing marine odyssey and feast your eyes on rare and beautiful species as you travel from the shores of Mozambique to coast of Costa Rica. Mozambique – Sri Lanka – Peru – Costa Rica
Help support the rural people of Thailand by providing medical care and assistance. As well as assisting existing medical services you will be offering support to the most needy.
Be amazed and humbled at the spirit of Guatemala’s poorest communities. You’ll play a vital role in improving their lives by teaching English and other lessons, or by helping to look after the health of local children.
Whether you work in an orphanage, women’s centre, school or clinic, you’ll be giving something back to an underdeveloped but extremely friendly community. Living with a local family will give you extraordinary insight into Ghanaian life. Project Video Now Online
Keep young people off the streets with sports sessions. Coach football, netball, rounders or whatever you fancy – even the simplest drills will fire their enthusiasm! Get involved in successful conservation and construction projects, too.
Teach at a school, an orphanage or in a monastery, work on a medical project or help with building and construction work. Jungle safaris, elephant rides and dance lessons will teach you about Nepal, too.
Help provide AIDS victims with food, shelter, emotional support, education and increased awareness of the disease. Children who have lost their parents to AIDS are given the chance of a better future through this programme.
Enjoy the best bits of Tanzania, hand-picked by Real Gap staff. Carry out rewarding project work on a community project, trek Mt Kilimanjaro and go on a camping safari in some of the best scenery in Africa!
You’ll be invaluable to the over-worked leaders of orphanages and homes. Finger-printing, hopscotch or baking cakes will encourage abused, neglected and orphan children to smile again, while you’ll get a rare insight into Costa Rican life.
This varied programme will get you involved in elephant conservation as well as community development on the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. Work with the local people to improve education and promote the work of the project in improved elephant care and conservation.
Give children in Moldova the chance of a better life and teach them English or French. Be creative, be enthusiastic, take along games or toys, and you’ll make it fun for you and them.
The Community and Environmental Conservation programmes aim to improve the relationship between local communities and their natural environments. There are several projects working to improve the overall quality of life in rural communities around Buenos Aires.
Help make a difference at a unique school that is part of an amazing floating village in Cambodia. Assist the teachers during the week and then see the incredible temples of Angkor and so much more in your free time.
Volunteer in the slum areas of Bangalore in Central-South India and make a difference in underprivileged childrens' lives. Teach English, play games and provide food, clothes, love and support to ensure these kids are kept off the streets and have the opportunity for a brighter future.
Experience raw Africa through the plains of Kenya. You’ll witness it's breathtaking landscapes, learn about nomadic cultures, help provide first hand data on wildlife activities and promote harmony between the community and wildlife.
Help plant crops to feed the elephants of the province, enjoy giving them a wash down at the river and offer support to the local communities on this exciting programme in Surin.
Experience life in Kenya from the inside with the Kenya Gap Experience. It includes community work, a wildlife safari, a snorkelling excursion, visits to Diani, beach parties – and an overwhelming sense of achievement.
Volunteer with needy youths from poor communities and help to fight poverty in various areas around the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Working towards integrated social and economic development through organising events, community support and promoting social studies and research this programme will allow you to give a great deal back whilst experiencing an exciting new culture.
This is an amazing opportunity for you to give the children of Phnom Penh a chance to a brighter future. You will be able to make such a difference to the lives of these orphaned children by providing them with the vital education and care they are in desperate need of.
The Youth Outreach programme offers volunteers who are passionate about children’s rights, the opportunity to work with local youth in Argentina who are in need of day to day assistance, health education, and most importantly, who are looking to spend time in a safe and secure environment.
Channel the enthusiasm of poor but extremely eager children into learning. Teach English, run after-school activities, organise sports lessons and give them a chance to make a success of their lives.
Organise fun activities that allow the vulnerable children of Bolivia to enjoy themselves and be children again. Run painting, dancing, drawing, music or sport sessions, and help out with cooking, cleaning and feeding the children.
Teach English or computer skills or organise fun activities such as plays, arts and crafts and sport in schools or centres around Costa Rica. Living with a family will give you an excellent opportunity to practise your Spanish.
Volunteers with medical qualifications assist in hospitals while those that don’t are just as valuable in the orphanages. Plus, you’ll be involved in tough but very rewarding work to improve life in Nairobi slums.
Give some much-needed assistance to medical staff. Help out at a hospital or clinic in the mornings, then dedicate your skills to playing with children, renovating schools or the Elephant Pepper Project in the afternoons.
Make your round the world trip one to remember, visit the world’s most incredible countries including India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the USA on a intrepid voyage of cultural and adventurous discovery! India – Thailand - Australia – New Zealand – Fiji – USA
Get a recognised TEFL certificate, teach English to disadvantaged children and make a valuable difference to many lives. Any extra time you spend with them – even just helping brush their hair - will be gratefully received.
Take in the best of Indonesia in a four-week programme. Learn to cook Indonesian-style, meet the locals, visit the temples, explore the beaches and take part in a volunteer project or a week of adventure activities.
Learn to build houses the Swazi way! Get hands-on construction, painting and repair experience and provide children with secure shelter and proper facilities. A great project that desperately needs volunteer support.
Teach English and other activities to underprivileged children on two of the most remote and beautiful islands in the world. The help you give them will greatly improve their chances of working in tourism or other industries.
Spend your time in Malawi introducing children to community sports and getting involved with community projects. Based in an idyllic but desperately poor country, you’ll make a real difference to young people’s lives.
Lend children your skills and experience and help them out of poverty. Teach English, take drawing and painting lessons, draw up lesson plans, encourage children to develop their vocational skills and give them hope for the future.
Give vulnerable children what they crave – love and affection. By organising games, teaching them basic English and maths, and helping build profiles of deprived children, you’ll play a vital role in improving their quality of life.
Work with the local community to conserve and protect turtles in Sri Lanka. Help with cleaning, feeding and releasing the turtles and increase their chances of survival.
Take part in projects aimed at helping children and adults in rural Mozambique. They could be fun days, English lessons, HIV/AIDS workshops, football tournaments, craft workshops, cooking lessons or house rebuilding for disabled villagers.
Make a difference volunteering in clinics and hospitals in Ghana whilst help local medical staff administer essential treatment to their patients. You will also be supporting under funded clinics and overworked staff as well as gaining invaluable insight into medical care in Africa.
Explore jungle, beach and mountains on this exotic tropical island. Assist local communities in their day-to-day life, while being enriched by their culture and traditions that are unique to this island. There are options to experience many exciting adventure activities throughout this journey including: diving, mountain climbing, jungle trekking and white water rafting.
Make a difference to a country crippled by AIDS and unemployment. Help teachers with English classes or give your own lessons, set up new sports clubs, put on plays or get involved in building new facilities for the schools.
Experience some of the best sights and culture in Southern Africa whilst giving vital help and support to desperate families in two project locations. Combine volunteer work with children and families in need with travelling along the stunning Wild Coast and Garden Route from Swaziland to Cape Town.
Give some much-needed help to social or labour projects in Indian villages. You might carry out restoration work or raise awareness of AIDS, and will get a real feel for village life. Trips to top attractions are included.
Experience Ecuador through Spanish lessons, cooking classes, trips around Quito, community and conservation projects in the Andes and the Amazon, horseback rides, sunbathing on the beaches, surfing, scuba diving, a night forest walk and lots more!
Full of variety, this programme incorporates volunteering on childcare projects in the Himachal region in Northern India and then on a community project close to the beautiful beaches in Goa. Experience stunning scenery and friendly locals whilst giving something back to needy communities.
Use your background in medicine to assist medical clinics in underdeveloped and impoverished neighbourhoods outside Buenos Aires. The neighbourhoods often lack basic amenities and services and are home to a community of people who do not have access to proper health care of education.
Self motivated and pro active volunteers can spend time entertaining children, playing games and simply spending time with young patients at the National Paediatric Hospital to distract them from their various illnesses.
Choose a volunteer project that lets you put your skills to use: therapeutic horse riding or sailing, volunteering in a school or gallery, nature and wildlife conservation, or a specially requested project. Explore British Columbia in your free time.
Make a difference from heart of the Amazon Jungle by teaching English and other subjects to local children – vital if they want a job in the future. Help preserve the traditional values of Ecuadorian tribes too.
Help the local community in a rural fishing village on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast. You will be warmly welcomed by the locals and spend time with other volunteers teaching children and developing key skills given them more opportunities and a brighter future.
Volunteer on different projects in this community in South-West Zambia. Helping to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and adults you will build mud hut homes for locals and assist in the pre-school, out patients department and home for the elderly. You will also experience a trip into Botswana for a bush camp and wildlife safari.
Join other medical interns and a team of multidisciplinary professionals to provide support in complete medical treatment and exams, prosthetic and orthotic laboratory, physical, language and occupational therapy and psychotherapy and technical aids.
We’ve spiced up our complete South America gap year option with a Galapagos adventure! Combine volunteering with intrepid exploration, a linguistic challenge and a trip to these awe-inspiring islands! Ecuador - Galapagos Islands - Peru – Bolivia
Offer your time, energy and attention to poor and orphaned children in the beautiful surroundings of a Buddhist pagoda. Organise and play games, help initiate a teaching English programme and assist with feeding the babies!
With no previous medical experience necessary, you can help improve and implement new health care programmes in local communities in need. Assist in many areas of health including HIV/AIDS and STD prevention, youth empowerment, nutrition and gender issues. Through active participation, this programme aims to foster strong community leadership initiatives.
Sample some of Africa’s exhilarating highlights. Camp in Kruger National Park with the big five, do a volunteer placement in Swaziland and learn to scuba dive in Mozambique. An adventure with a bit of everything!
A varied programme that sees volunteers working on childcare projects in the Rajasthan Desert then on a community project near Goa’s beautiful beaches. You’ll change people’s lives while soaking up the scenery. Cultural activities included.
Play a vital role in improving levels of English – vital for people’s futures. Work with children or adults in a school, orphanage or language centre, and get a unique insight into a fascinating culture.
A massively rewarding project that involves helping wash, feed and look after mentally and physically handicapped children, and, if you wish, getting involved in their lessons. Great whether you have care experience or just want to make them smile.
Through work experience at radio stations, newspapers and TV centres, you will gain valuable insight into the journalism and media industry in this beautiful country. This is a great internship placement to gain first hand experience whilst working with local journalists to help under-funded organisations.
Let sport work its magic on enthusiastic but deprived children in Swaziland. Organise sports days and run training sessions in football, tennis, netball and volleyball – or all four. Don’t be surprised if the children mob you!
Travel from Darwin to Adelaide to Sydney and finish in Cairns. Hike in national parks, enjoy spectacular sunsets, see some native wildlife, do a week of activities in Sydney, try your hand at surfing – plus lots more!
Immerse yourself in a very different, very welcoming but very poor community and help with academic lessons and sports coaching. Perfect for people wanting to put their interest in a range of sports towards a worthwhile use.
Help with PE lessons in local schools and organise games of football and other sports. Your skills and enthusiasm will inspire underprivileged children who often have to make do with little or no equipment.
Ever wanted to travel to China but do more than scratch the surface as a tourist? This rewarding programme is a great way for you to discover China, its culture, customs and people. You will be teaching in schools in the stunning province of Guangxi. As a volunteer your time will be spent mainly teaching conversational English.
Take part in this incredibly worthwhile project, helping to improve the lives of the local community whilst broadening your own horizons and gaining an insight to another culture and way of life. Based in Rio de Janeiro, you will also have plenty of free time to explore arguably the most beautiful city in South America.
Help provide much needed medical assistance and educate the local community about HIV/AIDS awareness on this medical programme in the beautiful location of St Lucia.
Help with the construction of a new children’s centre, and come away feeling you’ve made a worthwhile contribution. Learn new skills or practise your old ones – but what really counts is enthusiasm and a positive attitude.
Offer vital support to young boys in Tanzania – AIDS victims, and those who have been neglected or abused. Teach them the skills and show them the affection they’ll need to lead happier lives as adults.
Join the Tanzania Street Children Sports Experience to enhance the lives of many Tanzanian orphans and street children in this incredible project. Your efforts will help to promote essential lessons and life-skills and will also give some orphans and street children the opportunity to train and play sports at a much higher level.
Project Video Now Online
Project Video Now Online
