Of all the volunteer travel programs, the most urgent work involves providing medical care in disaster relief situations and areas suffering from malnutrition and/or the ravages of war. Volunteer work abroad can be richly rewarding, although often heartbreaking. If you''re in a medical profession, your participation is needed today.
Natural disasters, wars and epidemics receive broad coverage across the world, so figuring out where help is needed isn''t too difficult. The AIDS epidemic in Africa, the rebel attacks in the Sudan and the war-torn areas of Iraq and Afghanistan are obvious locations for medical volunteers.
Organizations such as Doctors Without Borders (Mè:decins Sans Frontiéres) recognize, from many years of experience, that overseas volunteer work is life changing. Granted, some assignments can be hazardous and the facilities primitive, but to see the world and have the opportunity to change it will soon blur the discomfort and the annoyances of doing without the best technologies and medicines. The Doctors Without Boarders program will also challenge your skills as a physician or nurse and force you to think "out of the box."
You don''t have to be a doctor or nurse to volunteer in the medical field. Dentists, pharmacists, logisticians and financial advisers are also in great demand. If you''re experienced in contracting, engineering or water and sanitation specialties, your help is needed to build hospitals, clinics and other facilities.
Help with sanitation, paperwork, driving, roadwork, food service, and many other tasks are necessary at clinics, hospitals and field facilities.
Arranging your volunteer travel can be as simple as picking an organization such as Doctors Without Borders and letting them make the arrangements. In most cases, though, you''re expected to pay for your own airfare and room and board. Poor countries simply can''t afford to feed and lodge volunteers, but they''ll treat you like royalty.
Make sure you read the fine print. Some organizations require a minimum stay, such as six months. Some require that you speak a particular language or that you have experience in living or working in a foreign country. While some volunteer travel programs work exclusively with medical professionals, others welcome medical students, professionals in allied fields (such as veterinary medicine or dentistry) and non-medical volunteers.
The rewards of volunteer work are obvious. Think of how triumphant you''ll feel at conquering fears, bugs, foul weather, rudimentary conditions, exhausting travel and strange customs. You''ll find yourself in the middle of breathtaking rain forests, alluring beaches, exotic wildlife preserves, colorful festivals and pick-up soccer matches - and you''ll wake up one morning to find a bouquet of wildflowers left at your doorstep. You get the picture.