In late February, one of our host countries, Chile experienced a devastating earthquake. Our In-Country Coordinator Paul Fischer sent us word shortly after explaining the situation there. Please read below. The earthquake was 8.8 in the city of Concepcion, which is 6 hours South of Santiago by car. There are still thousands of people (including [...]

The following post is a interview with United Planet volunteer Carrie Schramm, who has just returned from a Volunteer Abroad Quest to Nepal. What was most surprising to you about Nepal or your time there? I went to Nepal not knowing what to expect.  I wanted to experience something different and I actually knew very [...]

The following post was written by United Planet volunteer Clarke Hung who is currently working in Bolivia. “What’s the biggest animal in the world?” asked Mr. Roly. “The whale or the elephant?” “The monkey!” shouted a little indigenous student. “It’s the whale,” smiled Mr. Roly amidst the ingenuous laughter of her classmates. “And where do [...]

The following post was written by United Planet volunteer Olivia McMaster, who is currently working in Ecuador. One of the most recognizable peaks on the Panamerican highway, Cotopaxi, has been calling to me ever since I arrived in Ecuador. Literally meaning “neck of the moon”, it is the world’s highest active volcano and stands at [...]

There’s a statue in Copley Square in Boston dedicated to the great Lebanese poet, Khalil Gibran, author of The Prophet. It reads: It was in my heart to help a little, because I was helped much. I pass that statue often. It captures how I feel—how blessed I feel by all the people who lent [...]