How to Volunteer Internationally Without Travelling

The pandemic has plunged the entire world into crisis; people everywhere are in need of so much including jobs, access to healthcare, food, housing, and more. While travel is beginning to open up, not everyone is going to want to get on a plane, with no vaccine in sight.

With travel and tourism driving the economies of many areas around the world, those populations are especially in need of our support right now. Even if we’re not travelling, we can find a way to use our resources to help them out. Here’s how to volunteer without leaving your home.

Use your skills

The United Nations has divided its online volunteering based on skillsets you may have. This includes:

• Writing and editing would include blog posts, proofreading, draft proposals, creating presentations and handouts, and editing video and audio.
• Outreach and advocacy including communications strategy development that provides an organisation with the best strategies to propel their organisation and receive more funding.
• Technology development including UX design, creating websites and developing apps and software.
• Research including collecting and analysing data, institutional donor support, and oil and gas safety.
• Translation might include editing and proofreading, graphic design support, and rewording press releases.

By clicking on a skill, you will see volunteer opportunity postings with detailed information. These posting will show the organisation you’d be volunteering for, the country in which they are based, and the number of hours they will need you per week.

Save the elephants

Oyster Worldwide will allow you to volunteer with elephants in Sri Lanka.

The online volunteering program curriculum is designed to provide background information through readings and presentations, lesson plans, interactive exercises and discussions, graphics, photos, videos, worksheets, quizzes, homework and independent assignments. You can choose the project which suits you best…

All lectures take place at 6:30pm AEST and requires you to use Skype or Zoom. The volunteer program is 2-3 weeks long and includes:

• Learning about the Asian elephant and why it is under threat
• Understanding elephants to better help conservation
• Reducing human-elephant conflict through research and social media
• Learning about field research, wildlife conservation, and the importance of community-led conservation efforts from the comfort of your own home

There is a cost depending on your length of volunteering that will cover the support of the local workers and sustaining the organisation. You can find out more about that here.

Give humanitarian aid

There are many places around the world that are devastated due to being war-torn and healthcare systems nearly non-existent. You can only imagine what a global pandemic has done to cause even more hardship, destitution, and famine among these places.

The International Rescue Committee is an organisation that is specifically tailored to aid populations that are devastated by conflict and disasters while ensuring the people can bounce back for a more stable future. Where you would normally be able to put care packages together and help by your hands, IRC has found ways for you to do so without leaving your home.

Your donation will help people in these areas:

• The Democratic Republic of Congo
• Yemen
• Syria
• Bangladesh
• Myanmar
• South Sudan

There are levels to your donations.

• Opt to donate on a monthly basis.
• Give a “rescue gift.” These include one year of schooling, a refugee survival kit, baby kits, emergency hygiene relief, and more.
• Welcome a refugee. This program is partnered with Airbnb and allows you to host a refugee family in need of temporary shelter.