Volunteer Vacation Resource: Bootsnall.com

By Kate | Permalink |

No Comments | September 30th, 2007 | Trackback

If helping out at community gardens in Cuba, teaching English in Ghana, or assisting with domestic animal rescue in South Africa is your thing, look no further than Bootsnall.com. Bootsnall is an independent travel company and the host of this very logue. Up to now Bootsnall services have included hostels, cheap international airfare, and travel forums. Now you can find volunteer vacations at Bootsnall adventures as well.

In addition to those above, destinations include Costa Rica, Kenya, Honduras, Ecuador, Thailand, Honduras, China, and Peru, Guatemala, Chile, Zambia, Botswana, Uganda.

A few examples include:

The Uganda program includes an online TEFL course. Volunteers will be teaching English to children in the south of the country, staying at the “Teach Inn Uganda”, which was built to house volunteer teachers. Funds raised but the Teach Inn will go towards funding future projects that will benefit the local community – the current goal is to build a grain store with these proceeds.

The Honduras program is in need of volunteers with medical experience to assist in the pharmacy, blood bank, or pre-natal care unit of a small hospital. Currently there is a specific need for those with a background in nutrition. Accommodation is as a homestay with a local family, and two meals a day are included. The basic cost is $1895, though this probably varies with program length which can be anywhere from 4-24 days.

And if you’re from the US, Cuba is probably particularly interesting. This project combines five days of volunteering in community gardens in Havana with a week-long tour and a visit to a tobacco plantation. While it is forbidden (illegal?) by the US government for US citizens to travel to Cuba independently, it is in fact allowed for educational and journalistic purposes…so an organized program such as this one might be just the ticket.

The site provides information on what is included in each program, possible length, accommodation, meals, activities and schedule, and requirements. Most projects fall into the one to two week range, and cost from about $1000-2000.

Donovan is the Bootsnall Adventure Expert to contact with additional questions. 1-866-549-7614 toll free in the US, or, if you visit the page, via Skype chat.