South America

Take fun, innovative and fruitful Spanish lessons at one of two language centres. Learn from experienced teachers and take advantage of cultural activities and a home-stay to practise outside of lessons. ¡Olé…!

A language course is a fantastic way to start your adventure. Learning the language is the best way to make the most out of your volunteer project. The lessons will help you converse with the locals, introduce you to the culture and it's a great way to meet new people.

Get involved with all aspects of orphanages and homes. Teach English and other lessons, run arts and sports activities and help the staff feed, bathe and take care of the children. Most importantly, make them smile.

Channel your creative energy into community centres and make a huge difference to their users. Whether you make puppets, play Simon Says or organise a sports day, you’ll make a valuable contribution.

Learn Spanish with students from across the world. Classes are small and friendly and the teachers are qualified native speakers. Cultural activities and home-stays mean plenty of chances to practise.

Carry out valuable conservation work on the Pacific Coast. Patrol the beaches, collect and take eggs to the hatchery and record data – your efforts will help protect a fascinating species from extinction.

Work with high-risk street children and adolescents, who for a variety of reasons are sleeping/living on the streets of Cusco. The children are offered a structured, educative, formative and occupational program with the aim of identifying and relating to the needs of the individual.

Make the most of your trip to Latin America by learning Spanish. Experienced teachers will set up role-plays and organise cultural visits and classes to make your stay as authentic and enjoyable as possible!

Make a valuable, long lasting contribution to a village in Guatemala. Give the children some basic lessons in English, maths, computing or crafts, build classrooms and recreational facilities or help with healthcare.

Learn enough Spanish to chat with the locals, travel around South America and make your ideas understood on a volunteer programme. Cultural activities and excursions will help you get the most out of your stay.

Learn Spanish from native speakers in fun and friendly classes. Small classes, experienced teachers and lots of conversation practice will have you chatting in no time. Very useful for travelling or volunteering in Latin America.

Get up close to jaguars, parrots and other wildlife. The creatures have been held captive, but will hopefully be returned to the wild. Help nurse them back to health and educate the public about the centre’s work.

Work as a PE teacher in a village school. Help out with lessons and take your own, organise competitions and give advice on keeping healthy. Football, volleyball and basketball are all popular with the children.

Brighten up the lives of children who are largely left to fend for themselves. Organise activities, encourage them to keep healthy and show them someone cares. You’ll also be supporting children who attend school.

Play a vital role in rehabilitating wild animals that have been maltreated. Get involved in their daily care, feed them, monitor their behaviour and make sure their enclosures are clean.

Children with mental or physical disabilities are able to receive essential treatment for free at the centre. Volunteer help is highly valued.

Make life a little brighter for orphans in Bolivia. Organise dancing, music, painting and sports classes, help cook and feed them – but most of all, give them the love and attention many miss out on.

Give orphans and vulnerable children the chance of a better future. Work at a centre and help them learn vital skills such as English, manual labour and sports – essential if they don’t go onto university.

Work with some unusual but very friendly creatures at a wildlife society. It’s a hands-on experience, which allows you to feed and exercise baby sloths, monitor eating habits, help with specialist care and more.

Help children in Ecuador acquire the skills and knowledge they need to secure a job. Work with other volunteers to develop lesson plans, then give your own lessons in English, sports or the arts.

Give an impoverished family the keys to a house you’ve just built for them. You’ll be working to build safe, solid houses to replace their cardboard shelters. An extremely rewarding project - no building experience needed.

Study two of the best bits of Costa Rica! Get to grips with the language in the mornings and practise salsa, merengue, reggae, the cha-cha-cha and others in the afternoons. Classes are fun and friendly.

Help families break the poverty circle by teaching English, mentoring children, organising leisure activities and helping with the running of the day care centre. Your efforts will help them towards employment in the future.

As an English teacher in Buenos Aires, you have the unique opportunity to really make an impact on the lives of disadvantaged children of the city. They will look to you not only as a teacher, but also as a mentor, making this an extremely important and rewarding volunteer role.

This rewarding and worthwhile youth outreach project gives you the opportunity as a volunteer to play the role of mentor and teacher to children and young people in Buenos Aires.

Work with children from the local Pavão – Pavãozinho community in the South Zone of Rio. The education centre cares for 353 children from ages 3 months to 18 years. The centre aims to deliver education and medical care, to children and their families who are living in social risk situations.

Help brighten up the lives of underprivileged children in Rio. Whether you teach them English, play games with them or run arts and crafts sessions, you’ll improve their self-confidence and social skills.

This is a rewarding project that gives you the opportunity to care for orphaned and abandoned children in Santiago, and provide them with the love and care they so desperately crave.

Not only is this a hugely worthwhile programme, it also gives you the chance to experience at first hand these amazing creatures. The nearby beach also offers fantastic surfing and you will get the chance to learn the sport or hone your skills as part of the project.

Help take children off the streets of Quito by arranging football coaching and competitions. Watch as the magic of sport interests and enthuses young people with very few advantages in life.

Help meet the need for teachers on a spectacular island. Teach English and music, crafts, sports or foreign languages – whatever you feel comfortable with. A great way to contribute while learning about a new culture.

Get involved with efforts to help blind people lead normal lives. Accompany residents on daily errands and leisure activities, type up materials and promote the project work. A challenging but very rewarding programme.

Teach English, take part in vocational and health workshops, organise leisure activities and help with fundraising. You’ll give people of all ages the chance of a better education and a better life.

Give vulnerable children a better quality of life by teaching English, football and other subjects. You’ll assist with homework, build up their confidence and help them to a brighter future.

Learn Portuguese and make visiting Brazil a more involved experience. Small, classes, innovative teaching methods, cultural activities and accommodation with a local family make learning quick and enjoyable.

Put your love of tennis to a worthwhile cause and coach underprivileged children. Help out with sessions, organise your own classes and competitions, umpire in the community – you’ll be amazed by what sport can do.

Dive and swim amongst whale sharks, dolphins, and manta rays in the heart of the Carribbean. The reefs are studded with beautiful corals and feature a wide variety of colourful tropical fish. So, you’ll be surrounded by natural splendour, whilst receiving top-quality training in a fantastic part of the world!

Put your scuba diving qualification to good use or make this your reason to learn! Carry out underwater research, looking at manta rays, turtles and other marine life, or get involved in on-shore educational projects.

Join like-minded volunteers doing their best to save the tortoise. Feed the baby and adult tortoises, care for the unhatched eggs, tag the hatchlings and collect data on them. Take time to explore the beautiful scenery, too!

Explore the true heart of Rio whilst making a real difference to the city’s underprivileged communities. Get involved in a broad range of projects from educational support and health programmes to working with handicapped teenagers from low-income communities.

Study two martial art forms: jiu-jitsu and capoeira. Take lessons with locals, practise the techniques and learn about the history behind the art. You’ll find out why size doesn’t count when it comes to jiu-jitsu…!

This is a unique opportunity to make a difference to the lives of young people in one of Venezuela’s most under-resourced areas. These are charming and friendly people, living in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, but they really need the help and support of volunteers.

This is a chance to bring your enthusiasm for environmental conservation to the ‘Great Savannah’ area of Venezuala. You can live and work with the local population and other volunteers actually inside La Gran Sabana National Park, making a real difference to the long-term prospects of this important habitat.

Watch the wonderful effects of this invaluable therapy as you work with disabled children, helping them to build up their confidence and to get fitter and healthier. This project is ideal for lovers of horses and children and is especially valuable in a country like Venezuela due to the limited resources that disabled children have access to.

This programme offers a unique opportunity to live amongst the indigenous people of south-east Venezuela, helping with the conservation of rare and endangered animal species. You will also be helping to preserve the Pemon people’s tradition and culture in an isolated community in a beautiful part of the world.

This project offers a terrific opportunity for an enthusiastic volunteer to make a real difference to the future of a group of Venezuelan children. Teaching English in the local school, you will have the chance to experience the rich culture of the region and improve your own communication skills at the same time.

Carry out research work in one of the world’s most beautiful ‘laboratories’. Help survey coral, dolphins, reef fish, whale sharks and lobster in the reefs off Honduras, or do some land-based research.

Master the basics of rock climbing above a truly spectacular city. Learn the ropes(!), and in your free time, relax on the beach or explore Rio de Janeiro’s many other attractions.

Take part in a truly unique project. Give English lessons in the morning, help build the touring, floating school in the afternoon then learn capoeira from locals in the evening. No experience needed, just enthusiasm!

A chance to try some new sports. Learn to surf and kite surf, go white water rafting and take a forest canopy tour. A sunset cruise and Spanish lessons make for the perfect short adventure!

Discover why so many people love Bolivia. Take Spanish lessons and learn to salsa, do some valuable volunteer work with children or animals, visit the highest city in the world, meet the indigenous Tacana people and lots more.

Incorporate education and conservation as you travel by boat around the islands of the Tinhare Archipelago raising environmental awareness amongst children. You will also be involved in tree planting, assist with local environmental research and even producing a theatrical performance to raise environmental awareness!

See a stunning country from all angles. Trek through national parks, take a Spanish language course, go white water rafting, meet local craftspeople, climb a (safe!) volcano, help with a community project – and relax on the beach!

Become fully immersed in Brazilian culture and lifestyle through language lessons, cultural studies, Capoeira and drumming classes and homestay accommodation in the historic city of Salvador.

Every year thousands of dolphins are hunted and killed illegally along the Peruvian coastline. Volunteer help is urgently required on this pioneering programme to protect the dolphins. You will form an integral part of the research team, collecting important information on the dolphin’s distribution areas, their behaviour and interactions.

Spend 5 months or more on an amazing gap year in Latin America. This programme provides all the structure you need, with lots of activities including Spanish lessons, volunteering with wildlife or disadvantaged street children.

Spend from 24 to 32 weeks travelling, volunteering, teaching, learning and enjoying yourself. An incredible trip. Can be extended if you want to stay even longer. Costa Rica - New Zealand - Australia - Thailand - India.