A world where people are united behind their shared humanity and committed to working together for positive change.

 

Grassroots action

To improve the economic and social conditions of disadvantaged communities in the developing world by empowering volunteers to work on grassroots projects driven by locally identified needs.

 

Experiences for all

To mobilize people of all backgrounds and provide them with inspiring volunteering experiences that are affordable and flexible.

 

Connecting people

To bring people together to advance cross-cultural understanding, increase awareness of international development issues and promote lifelong civic engagement.

 

Bottom-up, demand driven initiatives

We understand that people know what is best for their own communities. Our projects address issues that have been identified by local communities as opportunities to engage volunteers in meaningful collaborative work.

 

Impact through sharing

We believe that the energy, ideas and skills that volunteers and communities share with each other help support development in key areas such as education, environmental sustainability and public health. As part of our commitment to accountability and transparency we are also dedicated to measuring the impact of our programs and sharing the findings with the public.

 

Seizing the opportunity

Today there are unprecedented opportunities for people to volunteer in countries other than their own. We seek to assist volunteers in taking advantage of these opportunities so that they can make a difference.

 

Affordable programs

We believe that everybody can connect, impact, learn and share through volunteering. We structure our programs so that they are as affordable as possible without compromising quality or safety.

 

Flexible placements

We embrace diversity and the breadth of ideas and perspectives that it brings. We offer varying programs to ensure that regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, nationality or skill everyone can find a program that is right for them.

 

Investing in personal growth

We believe that being a volunteer is as much about engaging in meaningful work as it is about building self-confidence, shaping leadership skills and strengthening social ties. We strive to support our volunteers before, during and after their placements by providing them with educational and networking tools to help them achieve their goals.

 

Cross-cultural dialogue

We seek to actively provide opportunities for volunteers and their hosting communities to share their experiences, ideas and perspectives because we believe that bringing people together advances appreciation for diversity and promotes cross-cultural understanding.

 

Focus on fieldwork

We recognize that the best way to comprehend international development issues is by going to the field and gaining firsthand experience. Consequently, our programs emphasize field presence and experiential learning.

 

Nurturing civic engagement

Volunteers and local people learn from each other through direct human exchange. For a volunteer, a hosting community is not a far away notion but a set of faces and life stories. We strive to offer programs that instill a stronger awareness of shared humanity and reinforce volunteers´ commitment to lifelong public service.