There are a lot of options if you want to do volunteer work in Asia. There are a lot of organizations or groups you can join to make most of these opportunities. A lot of people are needed to do volunteer teaching or maybe do conservation work to help with the environment or endangered animals. Here are some of your best options for Asia volunteer work:

Panda conservation in China

This is a very unique volunteer work where you will have a rare opportunity to get close with the giant pandas of China in the wilderness. These creatures are already in the brink of being extinct and so a lot of organizations are trying their best to help slow down their decline in numbers. You will also be able to meet other species like the red panda, Taikin, and golden monkey.

Teaching English in Nepal

Head to the city of Kathmandu and help the locals have a good grasp of the English language. Along the way, you will also be learning from your students. In between classes or during your rest day, you can do some trekking and discover the mountains.

Mountain adventure and Elephant conservation in Thailand

This journey will get you up close an personal with the Thai elephants. You will tandem with other volunteer workers and help feed the gentle giants. In between your chores, you can trek to the mountains and enjoy the rustic view in the rural parts of Thailand.

Join a theater group in Jaipur, India

If there is a thespian in you, this volunteer work in India will be a perfect choice. There is a group in Jaipur which reaches out to children by helping the channel their energies to the stage. You will also be able to learn about the local culture, truly a journey that will open your eyes and heart.

Giving Back

People want to do something that they are passionate about and be of service to other people by sharing these talents. Most people want to volunteer in their community to make the place better for their family and others.

Unique Opportunities

If you travel to a destination as a tourist, you do not get to see as much compared to what an insider will know. Doing volunteer work like for conservation projects and animal rescue will give you unique experiences that you cannot find unless you have a special educational background or training.

Seeing the culture as an insider

Volunteerism can give you the opportunity to stay in a country for an extended period in a certain country. You will be able to interact with the locals, immerse in the new culture, and become a traveler instead of just being a tourist.

Personal Growth

Volunteerism has a lot of positive effects in one’s life. Most volunteers will tell you that they are a better person after the volunteer work. You also become more aware of the issues that need to be addressed.

Learning experience

Every volunteer work means learning a bunch of new things. Your eyes are opened to reality when you are fielded in a very poor country, in a population that needs a lot of care, or an environment stricken by disaster.

Some ideas for volunteering as a family would include preparing a meal for a homeless shelter…this could involve all the children and they will help you shopping, cutting vegetables, and wrapping gifts if it is a festive season and so on. It is a very special time together and the children at the home would enjoy it too. You may also go on a marathon walk, run or even a swim for a good cause like AIDS or Cancer. You can take the smaller kids in a stroller or back carrier with sunscreen if they would find it difficult to walk. You may also engage your children in e-activism wherein they can contact heads of Government through fax or email to help a particular cause or you could add one click charity websites to your favorites where if you just click someone’s needs are catered.

There are a number of organizations that send knitted bags and hand made cuddly dolls to children who are sick in hospital or in some difficulty. You can also encourage children to make teddy bears or collect teddy bears from neighboring children with a Bear making event or Teddy bear party and send it to organizations who will send your cuddly teddies to put a smile on a sick or needy child’s face. Instead of hosting a birthday party at home with children who have everything, you can host a party at a homeless shelter and brighten the faces of many children and give a sense of achievement and empowerment to your little darling. You can get your children to paint cotton bags with fabric paint, host paint-a-mural events and make as many as possible and also create hand made greeting cards and pictures. These may be small things but can surely brighten some child’s life and that is surely worth all the trouble. And to top it all you will see your little kid grow up into a thoughtful and responsible individual.

There are numerous benefits of being a volunteer firstly you tend to meet a lot of new people, you learn new skills, you tend to be interested in a lot of things and you have a sense of being a part and parcel of the community and the society as a whole. You have the satisfaction of being a responsible citizen contributing to the well being of the Nation and if you are a global volunteer contributing to the cause of peace and well being in the world.

By volunteering you grow personally in the sense that you increase your social awareness, gain a lot of self confidence, become independent, expand your contacts, discover your talents and strong points and learn a lot through service. As a volunteer you also gain work experience and attract potential employers who get impressed with your voluntary work. Unknown to you, you begin developing a job finding network and you will have a really strong resume in hand. You actually get much more than you invest…it is a wonderful thing to do so do not miss it.

You would need to clearly state to your employees your volunteer efforts so that enthusiasm is instilled and there is good will formed within the community. Also keep in mind that this is an indirect way of maintaining smooth public relations and marketing your company. Reward the employees who involve and take interest and appreciate their effort. When you have a recognition program others are also inspired to take it up and venture. Finally it is very important to evaluate because without that you will never know whether the exercise was successful. You may evaluate based on employee feedback i.e. their satisfaction about the program and whether it meets your overall mission.

Volunteering for hospitals is a very satisfying job and you will have many opportunities available. You may even use it on your resume or college application as proof that you are a compassionate and caring person. If you need a reference like that, you may ask for a letter of recommendation from your volunteer supervisor. You may call or visit your local hospital to find out about their volunteer program and probably fill an application and a background check would be done. After approval you may sign up for volunteer shifts as per your convenience. You may also provide dolls or blankets for deserving patients and could also plan a one day visit as a group or with your family to brighten someone’s day. The stress of illness is truly very frustrating and the aid of volunteers is really appreciated and gratefully accepted. If you can put a smile of hope on a saddened face…the satisfaction you receive is truly invaluable.

Internships are generally taken up by students who need experience in a specific field or for those who want to switch careers. Generally intern students are hired as replacements and may work for a very less pay or no pay at all. Internships actually offer a lot of education, learning and experience in a specific field which you can show in your resume. There are several types of internships and they are many times volunteering opportunities. There may be paid internships too but do not hesitate if you get an unpaid one only because it will give you the same expertise and experience and the prospects of a better job. Internship can be termed as a pre-employment opportunity wherein you get a feel of what work in the real world is like.

One may opt for virtual volunteering due to time constraints, inability to commute, disabilities or personal preferences. Through virtual volunteering you may offer your expertise to hospitals, schools, government organizations and non profit organizations. It is not necessary that virtual means only online, the person may work virtually as well as in direct communication, it varies according to people’s preferences.

While volunteering virtually it depends on what is your area of expertise. If you are a freelance writer you may offer to write content for these websites or write proposals or any writing job. In case you are a doctor and would like to work virtually there are a number of websites willing to hire your services wherein you can enter chat menus and speak to patients online. You may opt for data entry, filling forms, recording CD’s for the blind and so on. Virtual volunteering is truly a boon to those who have a desire to work online and cannot commute. You may also be a volunteer by rendering prayer support online; speaking in chat menus, be a virtual assistant…the list is truly endless.

The types of volunteering opportunities available abroad are teaching English to underprivileged children, helping in procurement of good drinking water for the village as a whole or even caring for rare species of birds and other wild life in nature reserves. You may feed the hungry in homeless shelters during natural calamities, help the sick in hospitals if you are a medical practitioner or a nurse and probably just show love and compassion to children in need. The need is truly great out there probably much more than you can actually imagine so think about it, if you truly have the inclination and the strength to bear any hardships that you may encounter this will be a road to a bright career and future for you.