Do you know volunteer programs out there availabe for non-US/Canadian citizens that does not require payment?

Question

There are many volunteer programs out there that I really want to join in but they require fees which I can not afford. What about cultural exchange programs? I don't need a salary or whatever, just food allowance to get buy in the country I'll be volunteering in. I prefer to volunteer in third world countries since I come from one. I know UN has a volunteer program but I'm below 25 so I don't qualify.

Can anybody share some info?

Answer 1

It's not just the UN Volunteers has a minimum age of 25 -- it's that they require experienced people with a great deal of professional experience and the ability to work in a different language. They don't offer cultural exchange programs -- their volunteering is very intense, and is about serving local people in the long term (up to two years). Same for other organizations that don't charge fees for volunteering, such as VSO (England), VSO Canada, PeaceCorps, Australian Volunteers International, German Development Service, Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst, or DED (for German citizens only), France Benevolat (for French citizens only), Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (for Japanese citizens only), etc. These organizations are looking for people who can work in a language other than English, who have skills and experience that can lead to local people generating income, better feeding their families, improving children's health, etc., or that can lead to the transformation of key institutions, such as government, universities/schools or NGOs. They are looking for people who can commit to a two-year assignment, who have experience working with under-served communities, or who have a lot of experience in very diverse or religiously-conservative communities.

The goal is to give local people jobs, not to give Westerners a feel-good vacation -- hence why short-term placement agencies charge volunteers, or require these volunteers to pay their own way (transportation, housing, safety, insurance and accommodation).

Here is a web site that can help you learn more about the skills and experience desired by long-term placement organizations that don't charge fees, and how you can gain that experience locally.
http://www.coyotecommunications.com/volunteer/international.html