Volunteer Abroad - 12 Countries

Description: Volunteering abroad is the opportunity of a lifetime, and our flexible short-term programs let you design your ideal experience overseas. Volunteer from 1 week to 3 months in your choice of 12 countries, in meaningful projects that will let you work side-by-side with local people and experience another culture like never before.

As an international volunteer with Cross-Cultural Solutions, you're making a positive contribution, by sharing in the goals of a local community that warmly welcomes you. You'll gain new perspectives and insight into the culture and yourself. It's an exciting and personally inspiring experience, and you'll develop memories that will stay with you forever.

Enjoy the flexibility of choosing from 12 countries, start dates year-round, and programs from 1-12 weeks long. CCS offers international volunteer programs in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Morocco, Peru, Russia, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand.

As a Cross-Cultural Solutions volunteer, you'll work side-by-side with local people to help achieve important community objectives. The volunteer work is with carefully selected Partner Programs, all of which are dynamic and inspiring community-led initiatives. These include orphanages and childcare centers, schools, health clinics and hospitals, homes for the elderly, centers for people with disabilities, and other community organizations.

Cross-Cultural Solutions is a recognized leader in the field of international volunteering, with more than 4,000 volunteers each year. Founded in 1995, we are an international not-for-profit organization with no political or religious affiliations. CCS has a worldwide staff of more than 300 people, and operates in 12 countries, with administrative offices also located in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. We are in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations, and have been profiled in more than 500 news outlets.

Highlights: Cross-Cultural Solutions offers a wide variety of programs and experiences, but all of our volunteers come away with the same benefits:

- Personal Growth
- Having a Purpose
- Gaining Independence and Confidence
- Connecting with Others
- Seeing a Country from the Inside-Out

* The CCS Home-Base

CCS offers volunteers unprecedented support, and our entire infrastructure is designed around volunteer safety. Each of our programs is located close to a CCS Home-Base, your "home away from home" while volunteering abroad. Each Home-Base is exclusively for CCS volunteers, and designed for your safety and comfort. Here, you can connect with other volunteers and CCS staff, reflect on your experiences, enjoy meals together, read, and relax.

The CCS experience also includes cultural and learning activities so that you can learn about the local culture. These include an in-depth orientation, language training, guest speakers and more. Volunteers also have plenty of free time to relax, reflect, or explore the community and country.

Qualifications: No qualifications necessary, other than the ability to speak English fluently. Minimum age is 18 years old; however 16 and 17 year olds are accepted into some programs with application.

CCS is committed to make volunteering abroad possible for people of all ages, abilities, and all walks of life. We offer dedicated Teens Only Start Dates for teens wishing to travel on their own. We strive to be accessible to volunteers with mobility concerns and are taking important strides toward that goal. Four CCS Home-Bases - Costa Rica (Cartago), Ghana, Peru (Lima), and Thailand (Bangkok) - are accessible to volunteers with mobility restrictions and people who use wheelchairs. We also have experience working with volunteers who are hard of hearing, visually impaired, and living with mental disabilities.

Cost in US$: Please visit our website for program fees.

Credit Available: yes

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: While other volunteer programs may require certain skills or degrees, Cross-Cultural Solutions' programs are open to everyone. No matter what you believe your skill level to be, you have something meaningful and helpful to offer. We are dedicated to providing a meaningful placement for anyone willing to volunteer, and believe that the only skills required for international volunteering are a willingness to learn and an open mind.

Age Range: 18-80

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to - Multi-Country Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Other

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Cross-Cultural Solutions's Mission Statement: Our mission is to operate volunteer programs around the world in partnership with sustainable community initiatives, bringing people together to work side-by-side while sharing perspectives and fostering cultural understanding. We are an international not-for-profit organization with no political or religious affiliations.

Year Founded: 1995