Volunteer For Philippines - Volunteering Abroad Opportunities, Missions Overseas

Volunteer For Philippines and immerse yourself in Filipino culture

The culture of the Philippines is a combination of Asian and Spanish influence. The people are an ethnic mix of Malay, Chinese, Spanish, American, and Indian.

Since the Spaniards dominated the Philippines for over 300 years, many of their traditions, and holidays originate from the Spaniards. Over 90% of the country is Christian and 80% of these are Catholics. Local feasts for patron saints are some of the popular Catholic celebrations. Religion plays an important role in the lives of the Filipinos.

Filipino, also known as Tagalog, is the official national language in the Philippines with English considered as the country's unofficial one. Both English and Tagalog are taught in school starting in grade one. In addition, there are over 111 dialects spoken throughout the different regions of the country.

Hospitality is one of the Filipino characters that truly distinguish them from other Southeast Asian people. A visitor is treated as the most important person they have ever met and will be introduced to the best the family can offer - the best food, the best place in the table, the best things, and, if they have to stay overnight, the best room and beddings!

The Philippines primarily has a tropical rainforest climate. Heavy rains are common from June to October because of the Southwest Monsoon. Monsoons are rare from December through June so there is little rainfall during these months. Strong typhoons are a concern from June through November.

The Volunteer for Philippines projects are located in the Visayas, on Leyte Island, supporting the education of orphan and rural children from the surrounding areas. The poverty experienced in this area is not just a lack of money but also the inability to access basic needs, such as health care and health facilities, as well as basic quality education for all of its children.

The programs allow you to take part in meaningful community service work, while discovering the people, sights, smells and tastes of the Philippines.

Volunteering while traveling n the Philippines is a way to totally immerse you in Filipino culture.

This is a great opportunity to make life-long friends, learn a new culture from the inside out and discover that one person really can make a difference.

Volunteer for Philippines in Visayas Region: Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Abroad in Visayas Region, Philippines: Volunteering Opportunities Tacloban City, located 360 miles southeast of Manila, is the capital of the large island of Leyte in the Visayas region of the Philippines.

The island is known for the landing of the American General MacArthur, during World War II, which liberated the Philippines from Japan.

With a population of 300,000, the Filipinos in Tacloban speak the Waray-Waray dialect, as well as Tagalog (the national language), English, and Cebuano.

The people of the Philippines are highly educated. The literacy rate of Tacloban City is 97.3%.

Despite the high literacy rate, the unemployment rate is 8.4%. Although the literacy rate is high, the quality of education in the rural areas is very poor.

With minimal resources, it is a challenge for the local teachers to instruct the basic subjects in school. It is common for children in rural communities to drop out of school early to help out on the rice farms and provide additional income for their family.

Both in the cities and the rural areas, the people are suffering from the country’s struggling economy. The average family income is only 134,183 Pesos (approximately $2400) per year. The people in the rural communities have little access to health care and rely on religion and natural remedies to get them through the tough times.

Tacloban City, is not a tourist destination, so it is a great opportunity for our volunteers to be immersed in a unique Asian culture. Our volunteer programs support the local orphanages and education of disadvantaged children in the community.

With the Volunteer for Philippines program in Tacloban, you can discover the wonders of the Leyte area, while doing meaningful and rewarding community work.

Volunteering in the Philippines is a great opportunity to explore life in a friendly third world country, live and work amongst the locals and realize one person can make a difference.

A Broader View offers the following programs in Tacloban City:

Program Length: From 1 to 24 weeks
Accommodations: Local Host Family
Meals: Breakfast and dinner daily, including farewell dinner
Program Date: Flexible Start & End Date
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 35-40 hours per week.
Requirements: 17 years and up, open-mindedness to new adventures

Orphanage / Child Care Assistance

Volunteer for Philippines projects are located in orphanages within Tacloban and the surrounding towns. Each orphanage has over 50 children, some with 100 abandoned and unwanted orphans. All these children have come from poor families and many have suffered from malnutrition or neglect. The children thrive on the attention and love our volunteers can share with them.

Volunteers are free to tutor the children, organize arts and crafts or sports activities, and help out with basic chores such as feeding the kids, and folding laundry. This is a meaningful way to learn first hand the hardship most children in the world face, and give back to the underprivileged children growing up in a Third World country. Prior experience not necessary, volunteers should have a lot of patience and come prepared with creative ideas and games to share with the kids.

Volunteer for Philippines Teaching English:

Volunteers support local primary and secondary schools throughout Tacloban City that provides free education to orphans and vulnerable children. Native English speakers are needed to assist the local teachers in teaching English and other subjects. The classes are conducted five days a week, in morning and afternoon sessions. The school year runs from the beginning of June through the end of March (school is closed April and May, and three weeks in December) Prior experience is not required, guidance will be provided as to what subjects to cover, but volunteer teachers will be expected to help prepare lessons. Bringing teaching aids (flash cards, picture books, alphabet and number games, maps) with you is highly recommended, and needed.

Volunteer for Philippines Street Kids / Youth Program:

Volunteer at a shelter/rehabilitation center for street kids and disadvantaged youth. Most children who have settled on the streets have families of their own but turn to the streets in search of food. Glue sniffing, known as "rugby" is a common addiction amongst the street children who turn to this drug to suppress their hunger pains.

Volunteers can assist the social welfare office in helping to give the simple things these children lack in life, such as compassion, trust, love, education and food. This volunteer for Philippines project aims to take these youth off the streets by training them to be self-reliant or self-employed through education, support and counseling. The project addresses social and physical issues affecting youth, such as gender, reproductive health, and drug abuse through counseling and education. Volunteers help initiate talks about the existence of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. Prior experience not required, just a caring heart for these disadvantaged children.

Volunteer for Philippines Health Care Program

Volunteers with medical experience are placed in local community health clinic around Tacloban City. Most clinics are very busy, understaffed; with limited medical supplies.

There is a wide variety of cases but disease such as malaria, HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and syphilis, as well as childbirth/maternity needs are most common.

Some time may be spent in home visits.

Volunteers with medical training; doctors, nurses, paramedics, lab technicians participate in direct patient care such as diagnosing, injections, IV starts and lab work.

Nursing and medical students are welcome and assist with tasks like dressing wounds, record and immunization chart keeping, helping dispense medications, helping to screen and organize patients and assisting with administrative needs or seminars. *Medical volunteers must submit a copy of their credentials or nursing certificate.

Program Includes:

Accommodation with a local host family, private bedroom, shared bathroom. Breakfast and dinner daily. Airport pick up and drop off in Tacloban City. Our local volunteer for Philippines Project Coordinators will provide full orientation, including basic language and cultural classes and tour of Tacloban City. Two organized weekend excursions to local sites, and a farewell dinner.

Volunteer for Philippines project coordinator is available 24/7 in case of emergency, health-related or otherwise. They can assist in arranging sightseeing excursion before, during or after the volunteer program. (A Broader View)

For more Volunteer for Philippines information:

PO Box 14, Wyncote, PA., USA 19095
215-780-1845
http://www.abroaderview.org
http://blog.abroaderview.org