The great American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King once said, "Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

If you feel the need to volunteer, to give back to the world, there is no better place to do that then by exploring a different culture. Volunteer opportunities abroad are great. You will not only be giving back to the world, you will be enhancing your skills as well. Volunteering abroad allows you to move out of your own comfort zone and experience things in a different culture that may not be happening in your own corner of the planet. You will also be able to learn about the different cultures and peoples, and possibly develop a new set of language skills, or enhance the language skills you learned in high school or college. More important, you'll be helping others in the process. While there are many volunteer abroad opportunities in developing nations such as in many African and Latin American countries, the need for volunteers also exists in certain parts of Europe and the United States as well. Anywhere there is need, there is a volunteer opportunity.

How do I Choose the Right Volunteer Abroad Opportunity for Me? 
If you're a student, you might be seeking a volunteer opportunity, rather than an internship that will help you gain experience in your chosen field. If, for example, you are studying firefighting, you might want to join a volunteer program that is helping small towns in Mexico train their own firefighters on how to use equipment donated to them from wealthier nations. If you are studying agriculture and irrigation at your college or university, you might choose a volunteer program that is assisting residents in Africa on irrigating their crops to feed hungry residents. However, your chosen volunteer opportunity may not even involve your field of study, but a certain skill you've acquired such as painting, construction or in languages or teaching. How you want to help by entering a volunteer program and what you want to bring home with you in terms of skills and lessons learned is your choice. Some schools offer volunteer opportunities in many different countries and some will also offer credit for volunteering abroad. Other programs are sponsored through religious organizations, businesses and governments - such as the American Peace Corps programs. While the costs of living associated with volunteer opportunities are routinely covered (travel, food and shelter), this also might be a consideration when choosing a program as well.

Why Volunteer Abroad? 
Unlike many study abroad programs that costs money, the costs associated with volunteer opportunities are routinely covered. While you will usually not be studying in a classroom in a foreign country while volunteering, you will be developing some of the same skills many people learn during study abroad programs. Enhanced world knowledge, a broader view of different people and cultures, and language immersion are all benefits to volunteering abroad. As well, you will definitely be more exposed to the problems and issues facing certain people, as well as the standard of living in a different country.