Although food, shelter and clothing are among the basic necessities for survival, children cannot thrive without adequate human contact. Too often, children left orphaned by war, poverty or disease are fated to spend their lives in orphanages, cared for by overworked and underpaid adults. They need your help.
Your love for children, your time and good listening skills are all that you need if you''re interested in volunteer work overseas. You can visit exotic countries like Brazil, Kenya, Costa Rica or India. There, you can spend time trekking through the countryside, swimming in your hotel pool and exploring local wonders, and for a few hours a day, you can make an important difference to a child.
Many of the children who need your help are typical kids in many ways. They will laugh, play and climb onto your lap for a cuddle. They''ll hang on to you as you take them for a walk, just as any child would.
Others have special needs. They may have a disability - missing limbs, a disfiguring disease or emotional trauma. Some children have had little or no formal schooling. Some have lived on the streets, struggling to survive. Some are at-risk teens who need an adult to listen to them.
Some of these children may have spent most of their short lives in abject poverty, eating garbage and clothed in rags. Your care and attention can make them feel safe. You can teach them to play and encourage them to smile and laugh. All they need is a connection to an adult, even for just a short time.
Some programs have well-organized activities with scheduled events. Others are open to your creativity. You might be rocking infants one day and coaching teens through a ball game the next. Some days, you might be staring at the rain with a group of kids, explaining how water helps to make things grow.
You don''t have to hold an advanced degree in child care to work with children successfully. All you need is a loving heart, an open mind and a willingness to spend three to eight hours a day, five days a week, working with needy children.
Because their resources are limited, orphanages and programs for children need volunteers to provide support. If you can teach the basic skills and have knowledge in areas such as health and hygiene, language, writing and reading, that''s especially great. Alternately, you can focus on your own skills: gardening, singing, dancing, drawing - whatever interests you is bound to interest the kids.
If you like to work with infants and babies, your love and patience will be richly rewarded. Your job will be providing stimulation, physical contact and a sense of safety.
You''ll be surprised at how easy the work can be. Although programs differ on the minimal amount of time required, some welcome you for as little as two weeks, while others might expect a minimum of three months.
Also, some programs will schedule you for six to eight hours, while others might expect as little as three or four hours in the morning. In either case, you''ll have plenty of time for sightseeing and visiting. An added benefit is your connection with local people in the program. You might find yourself at a village wedding or the guest of honor at a seasonal festival.
Accommodations might be with a host family or a comfortable hotel with basic services. In some countries, your hotel might have a pool and room service. In other countries, you''ll eat what the locals eat and spend your evenings chatting around a campfire. If you keep an open mind, you''ll form friendships and learn a lot about local culture.
If child care is up your alley, you already know the rewards of working with children. Are you willing to take your generous heart to an exotic destination?