United Planet Group Quests
Volunteer Abroad Programs ( 1-12 weeks)

“It was a fabulous experience and I think I can speak for the whole team in saying that it is something that we will never regret having done. I have been affiliated with a variety of organizations throughout my life, and I can honestly say you have got a great thing going here, and if there is anything I can do to help support you, then I would be more than happy to. It is a pleasure to have been affiliated with United Planet!”

Grant Lloyd, Motorola Corporation Team, United Planet Tsunami Relief Team Leader, Ranong, Thailand

Program Cost:

The cost per volunteer is dependent upon the location of the project and any additional needs that are requested by the group. The estimated cost per volunteer of a 2 week program is between $1,195 and $1,845.

• Full orientation upon arrival by United Planet in- country coordinator
• Travel Insurance
• Round trip airport transfers
• Full Coordination on the ground by United Planet in-country coordinator

• Excursions
• Cultural activities such as dancing or cooking classes
• Accommodations/Meals  
• Language lessons in some destinations
• Optional excursions and activities as requested
• All Quests are tax deductible

Interested?

If you have a group of students, professionals, family members, friends or colleagues interested in volunteering abroad, please contact us HERE to learn how you can take part in an extraordinary Quest experience. The United Planet team will work closely with you both before your departure and during your stay to provide a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience for your group

Cambodia

United Planet Group Quest volunteers work with our partner organizations, local NGOs and schools in Siem Reap, home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Angkor Park. The projects vary depending on the time the group is in Cambodia and needs of the community. Possible projects include working in an orphanage, teaching English to children and adults, and plastering and painting school buildings. Excursions include spending a day or more at the Angkor Wat Temple – a UNESCO World Heritage Site; a boat ride to a nearby floating village; a tour of a silk-making plant; and, a visit to a Buddhist pagoda where you can have lunch with the monks.

Interested? Click Here!

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Chile

Groups work on home-building from April thru Nov. Groups travel to the south of Chile and build three houses on each of two consecutive weekends near the cities of Temuco and Concepcion and stay at normal schools vacant for the weekend. During the week volunteers tour the region, visiting the town of Pucon, volcanoes and national parks in Chile's Lake Region (where volunteers can also take part in rafting, trekking, etc.) while staying at hotels or boarding houses.

Interested? Click Here!

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Costa Rica

Volunteers can work with environmentally focused non-profits and nature reserves to help build infrastructure. This is usually done physically through trail creation and maintenance and construction work. There are also often opportunities in the host community to interact with children in local schools or at project sites. For groups interested in healthcare, it is also possible to work shadow doctors and nurses in local clinics in San Jose. We are currently offering a special Summer 2010 Costa Rica Teen Group Quest for teens aged 16-18.

Interested? Click Here!

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Ecuador

Social Work Projects
Groups work in Quito at a busy day care center that serves over 300 children in a low-income neighbourhood. The centre strives to better educate and develop the children at a young age. The centre has a morning day care program for children from 6 months to 6 years old. They also offer classes for 6 – 12 year olds and offer activities and homework support after school for the children until their parents return from work.

Environmental Projects
United Planet works closely with several projects in the Cloud Forest of Nanegal, located just two hours north of Quito. Volunteers plant seeds and organic coffee, identify flora and fauna, and assist in environmental education and outreach in the local community.

Interested? Click Here!

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Guatemala

Orphanage Projects
United Planet Groups in Guatemala can be placed at a number of different projects in Quetzeltenango. These projects include a boy?s orphanage where volunteers attend to the basic needs of the boys, giving them care and attention, teaching English, organizing crafts and sports activities, and spend time giving the children the individual attention they lack.

Women's Shelter
The shelter is managed entirely by women and funded by private donations. Volunteer work includes tutoring the children before and after school and/or organizing recreational and creative activities for the children and their mothers.

Rural Projects
Groups can live and work in the rural community of Finca La Florida, an organic coffee farming community. Work involves assisting families with the manual tasks around the coffee farm and other activities as stipulated by the community.  

Interested? Click Here!

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Peru

Cusco Social Projects
Your group can work in Cusco with street children organizations or orphanages. You can spend your days with the children, taking care of their basic needs such as feeding or changing them, as well as playing with them and doing educational activities.

Cai Cay Construction Project
Groups may choose to work in a remote Peruvian village called Cai Cay doing construction work on a youth center and working with the local children there. It is a small indigenous village with a quiet and slow-paced lifestyle, located about 2 hours drive from Cusco.

Medical Projects
If your group has a medical focus you can also work in medical clinics in Cusco. Your group would be split up among different clinics. Work can include shadowing the doctors and nurses at the clinics, and assisting in other areas as needed. Some of the clinics are private and others are public, which leads to a variety of experiences for the volunteers. All of the clinics have different policies and the range of work and activities may vary among clinics.

Interested? Click Here!

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Ghana

Groups are based in the village of Putubiw in the Cape Coast region of Ghana. Group work supports the Chief and the Youth Association to assist with community development according to their unique needs. Projects change regularly, but there are many areas for which they have requested assistance including small business development, building a school, HIV/AIDS education, educational consulting and more. Excursions include going to the beach on Cape Coast and also participating in a elevated canopy walk through the jungle.

Interested? Click Here!

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Tanzania

Groups are based in the village of Kwala in the Kwala Ward of Tanzania, located in the Kibaha-Pwani Coastal Region of Tanzania, 30 miles west of the country?s largest city, Dar es Salaam. Group work supports the local secondary school in Kwala to assist their community development according to their unique needs. Projects change regularly, but there are many areas for which they have requested assistance including: teaching, construction projects and more.

Interested? Click Here!

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India

United Planet works with a local non-profit organization in India that works with various non-governmental organizations to support social development projects in rural and urban areas. Volunteer opportunities are offered in Rajasthan, Goa and Himachal and involve construction, teaching, health education, working in orphanages and environmental projects, such as animal welfare and turtle preservation. Excursions are dependent on destination but can include trips to the Taj Mahal, hiking in the Himilayas or tiger safaris!

Interested? Click Here!

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Nepal

Volunteers work with local villages and communities in the Kathmandu area on a variety of education-related projects, one option is the 'adopt a school' program where your group could help construct needed buildings such as a library for a local school, and also bring books to fill it. Working at an orphanage and doing construction work is also a possibility. The orphanage is located in downtown Kathmandu and houses around 45 children from 2 months – 14 years old. Excursions include hikes in the surrounding mountains and valleys. Volunteers can also learn the art of Nepalese cooking and take dance lessons.

Interested? Click Here!

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Romania

Groups are based at a large rural orphanage in the Carpathian Mountains. Typical work includes construction work on the houses, working outside on the farm and of course playing with/tutoring the children. Interacting with the children is one of the most important jobs at the orphanage as it introduces the children to new people and gives them a taste of the world outside the village. There is always a long list of tasks to be done and volunteers are always needed and appreciated!

Interested? Click Here!

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USA

Groups are based in Boston, Massachusetts and work on community service projects in addition to experiencing local culture and learning about US history. Volunteers can work at food banks, homeless shelters and other community projects in addition to exploring the city of Boston and around. Boston is one of the most historic cities in the US and was the location of many crucial events to spark the American War of Independence.

Interested? Click Here!

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