Group Volunteer Abroad Opportunities

Group members gain valuable insight into the unique healthcare challenges facing other countries while forging connections with healthcare professionals around the globe.

Work sites include supporting teachers in afterschool and daycare centers and  community development projects.

Work sites include conservation projects,  endangered wildlife reservations, environmental education projects, and more.

Make the most of your organization’s talents and background to impact communities around the globe while building your team’s competencies.

Texas Tech University sent a group of ten volunteers to Costa Rica to help with sea turtle conservation and learn and grow as a group. The volunteers were able to improve the hatcheries, participate in night patrols of the beach, learn about the importance of compost, guide an environmental education course for local children, and observe baby turtle releases. While every action these volunteers took was impressive, perhaps the most impressive thing was that they learned to push themselves outside of their comfort zones and truly appreciate the people and their surroundings, as they wholeheartedly understood and assimilated the Costa Rican mantra of Pura Vida.

Louisiana State University sent a group of eleven student volunteers and two faculty members to Ecuador to immerse in local culture, volunteer at daycare centers, and learn and grow as a group. The volunteers were able to paint four murals and plant a vegetable garden for a daycare center in Quito and repaint much of the furniture for another center in Otavalo. However, the most impact was found in the bonds the volunteers formed with the children, staff, and communities that they became a part of for two weeks.

TAQA, which means energy in Arabic, is an international energy and water company based in Abu Dhabi. TAQA employees traveled on a United Planet Group Quest to Ghana so they could learn more about the people and culture of one of the countries in which they operate. TAQA’s Quest project focused on renovating a local school and immersing in the culture, strengthening relationships, and building teamwork skills.

Twenty-four nursing students and three advisors from Cape Breton University traveled to Ecuador to learn about healthcare in another country. They were able to observe and participate in many different aspects of nursing through visits to an obstetrical hospital, a community clinic, an acute care hospital, and an indigenous clinic. Their healthcare quest to Ecuador was a great opportunity to learn different skills and techniques in their final year as students, and apply the knowledge and values they gained in Ecuador to their future careers as nurses.

Mercyhurst University joined United Planet for a faculty-led volunteering quest in Italy. During their quest, the students had the opportunity to learn about different Art Therapy practices during a wide variety of activities, including doing an art therapy workshop and volunteering with refugee women and children. Aside from faculty-related activities, they also volunteered at a local food bank and got to immerse themselves in Italian culture.

PittServes from the University of Pittsburgh traveled with 12 students to Ecuador during their spring break in March. Before their departure, students participated in pre-training and service. Their group quest was filled with cultural immersion, community engagement, and continuous reflection on how to be of service to local agencies as international volunteers.