travel – YoungRetired.ca

Volunteering abroad with Cuso International

Fri, 07 Mar 2014 04:20:51 +0000

Cuso International arranges hundreds of volunteering opportunities for skilled Canadians each year in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. About a third of the people they send abroad are retired or near retirement. Erin Bateman, manager of recruitment, describes the kind of people they are looking for and how to apply:

Going on a Cuso International mission can be a very rewarding experience for the right volunteer.

Anne and Andy Joyce describe how volunteering in Namibia affected them:

A few years ago, I interviewed Doreen Spence who described her experience volunteering with in Africa:

Erin recommends checking the Cuso International volunteer placements page to see if there are any opportunities which fit your profile, and apply using the forms available on their site. Even if you don’t find something that fits, you can send Cuso an application to keep on file in case a suitable opportunity opens up.

CUSO has produced videos to describe their programs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ghS73boQoQ

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International volunteering with Uniterra

Sat, 01 Mar 2014 18:04:05 +0000

Uniterra sends 450 Canadian volunteers abroad each year, a quarter of them retired, or near retirement. Chris Eaton, CEO of WUSC, describes how they select volunteers to work with partner organizations in Africa, Asia and South America, and how to apply for their international volunteering opportunities:

They are looking for people with a variety of management and technical skills to help NGOs or government agencies for periods ranging from three weeks to two years. They post their openings at Uniterra.ca. It’s best to apply for specific volunteer opportunities, but you can also send in your resume for ongoing consideration.

To find out more, go to: Uniterra.ca

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Touring Asia by bicycle

Mon, 27 Jan 2014 21:05:37 +0000

More →]]> I am just back from a long tour through South-East Asia by bicycle with some 40 other riders, mostly retired or semi-retired.
Riding a bicycle day after day, supported by a tour company that finds the route, moves the luggage, books the hotels, and arranges the meals is a close and personal way to see the world at a leisurely pace. We saw, smelled, felt, tasted and heard amazing things along the way. This was not a race. Nor were my fellow riders hard core athletes; there was quite a range of people.
Here’s how some of them describe their experiences on this trip:

Voluntourism

Thu, 29 Aug 2013 23:07:48 +0000

More →]]> Every year, Cross-Cultural Solutions sends 2,500 people of all ages to their volunteering centres in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They offer a well structured experience allowing guests to experience living in the country and helping out as volunteers in social & educational roles. Alexandra Rabb describes the volunteer experience, how to get involved, and what it costs. Apologies for the bad video/audio quality.

Going abroad as a volunteer with CESO

Thu, 15 Aug 2013 20:56:15 +0000

CESO is the leader in providing volunteering opportunities in developing countries for retired Canadians. It has been a while since I interviewed them about volunteer opportunities. When I spoke to Jennifer Filson, CESO’s volunteer recruitment manager, she told me CESO is once again active supporting First Nations communities, so they offer opportunities for skilled volunteers both at home and abroad. We spoke via Skype, and unfortunately the video and audio in the recording became unsynchronized.

To learn more, go to CESO Volunteering

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