Volunteer in the Philippines

The Global Volunteer Network currently has opportunities for you to volunteer in either urban and rural areas of the Philippines. A marriage of Eastern and Western cultures in a paradise-like setting, the Philippines has been described as the best-kept secret of the Orient. Made up of over seven thousand islands, the Philippines is home to numerous languages, mouth-watering foods, intricate traditions, and some very interesting animals (such as the monkey-eating eagle). Unfortunately, however, many Filipinos do not have the access to education, health care and jobs they deserve. The Philippines program will offer you the chance to experience life in a beautiful island location while making a difference in peoples' lives at the same time.

The Program

The Global Volunteer Network's partner organisation in the Philippines is a newly established NGO. Their objective is to assist and develop local Filipino communities through education, integration, research and volunteerism. Their programs are nationwide, assisting local communities with their basic needs, focusing on children.

The volunteer opportunities are in the following areas:

Teaching Programs:

Day Care Centres: Volunteers teach children ages 3 to 5 in a day care centre for 2 to 4 hours a day. They will teach children the alphabet and basic concepts like colours, shapes, sizes, days of the week, and the like through songs, stories and play. This program is not available during April and May.

Elementary and High School: Volunteers on the program teach elementary and high school students in public schools for two to four hours a day. Subjects taught include English, maths, science, health, and basic computer skills (only in schools where computers are available). Volunteers may teach on their own but there will be a local teacher available to assist. This program is not available during April and May.

Health Program: Philippine laws provide for a community health centre in each of its 41,000 barangays (communities). Sadly, not all communities have their own health centres and those that have one are woefully under-equipped and understaffed. Medically-trained volunteers may help in community health centres and hospitals, and may perform medical tasks depending on their skills and qualifications. For volunteers to practice as licensed doctors and nurses in the Philippines, however, they must submit their applications at least three months before their scheduled program in order for their accreditation to be processed by the Philippine Professional Regulatory Commission. They may also conduct trainings and workshops to train the people on hygiene, health care, reproductive health care, first-aid, and other health concerns. Volunteers may also help set up clinics in public schools and train teachers and students to become effective health officers and clinic custodians. Only volunteers who are in their final year of study or who are professional doctors or nurses can participate in the Health Program.

Health volunteers will be asked to live and immerse themselves in the communities where they will conduct medical missions, especially in the rural placements. This is done to give the volunteers a more holistic appreciation of the people they wish to help, their economic activities, culture, values, issues and struggles. At some point in their programs, they will also be taken to both public and private hospitals for them to see the problems of the health sector in the Philippines.

School Building and Maintenance Program: Volunteers on the program will be doing manual tasks of building. Your time will be spent repairing school buildings, painting roofs, walls, chalkboards, desks, teaching aids and other equipment. Volunteers may help in the installation of water pumps. Volunteers may also help in setting up of libraries. Volunteers can start by asking for donations of old books from families, friends, towns, parishes and former schools. You can encourage the use of books by the students through class visitations and regular story-telling sessions. The objective is to introduce to public school students the joys of using a library, which most do not experience until college, if at all.

Volunteers can spend up to one month on the School Building and Maintenance Program. If volunteers want to stay on the program longer, they can elect to combine their time with two or three programs.

Environment Program: The Philippines is one of the world's biodiversity hot-spots. Volunteers have the chance to help out with these placements to promote environmental conservation.

Marine Sanctuary Project: This project has been set up by our partner in San Agustin (Romblon). The town's main economic activity is fishing but its traditional fishing grounds already show signs of fish stock depletion due to destructive fishing practices, such as the use of fine nets and dynamite fishing. This is now being countered by the establishment of a marine sanctuary between the villages of Carmen and Long Beach. Volunteers help in several ways. First, they operate a nursery for the propagation of mangrove seedlings. Second, they help reforest mangrove sites by planting. Third, they also help in implementing the marine sanctuary project with regular patrols, beach clean-ups and education on the needs and benefits of the project.

Program Location

Volunteers may be placed in various locations in laid back archipelagic province of Romblon-one of the poorest provinces in an already economically poor country. Short term volunteers will be placed in and around the capital city of Metro Manila. Volunteers to Romblon must be ready to tackle challenging travel experiences to Romblon via ferry and outrigger boats as well as basic accommodations and limited internet access therein. GSM cellular phone connections are available, however, and are recommended to all volunteers. (Local sim cards are preferable because of their cheap services.) But they will be rewarded with beautiful sceneries that only few places can equal or surpass. The peoples' hospitality is also hard to equal.

Program Requirements

Volunteers for the Philippines program must:

• be 18 years or older
• have no major health problems
• possess genuine openness to different cultures, sensibilities and conditions

Program Schedule

Volunteers are required to arrive before the start of the month they are volunteering in. Training and orientation will be held on the 1st of each month. The program has a minimum time frame of 2 weeks, however you can volunteer for a period of up to 5 months. Volunteers will stay in Manila for the first two days for orientation (Program, Placement and Volunteer Work) and training (Language, Culture and History). On the third day, volunteers leave for their placements. Volunteers will have further orientations and local language training for three days before beginning volunteer work. The orientation and training will be conducted by staff of our partner organisation. Saturdays and Sundays are days off. Volunteers may use the weekends to explore the neighboring islands.

Program Cost

A US$350 application fee (fully refundable if you decide not to go) will secure your place on the program, with your program fee due for payment eight weeks before you begin your placement. You only pay your application fee once and then you can access any of GVN's volunteer programs over the next 5 years.

Your application fee includes the following benefits:

• Personal Staff Support
• Your Philippines Program Guide
• Your Fundraising Guide and Software
• Access to Your Own Online Journal
• Online Video - Preparing For Your Trip
• Opportunities for Discounts on Airfares

Once your application fee is paid the remainder of the cost for your time in the Philippines program is:

• Cost for 2 weeks - US $732
• Cost for 1 month - US $847
• Cost for 6 weeks - US $1037
• Cost for 2 months - US $1227
• Cost for 10 weeks - US $1417
• Cost for 3 months - US $1607
• Cost for 14 weeks - US $1797
• Cost for 4 months - US $1987
• Cost for 18 weeks - US $2177
• Cost for 5 months - US $2367
• Cost for 22 weeks - US $2557
• Cost for 6 months - US $2747

The in-country fee covers administrative charge, training, accommodation and meals during training and placement, transportation for volunteers, and supervision.

You will also need to meet the costs of your flights, visa, shots, travel insurance, police check, corresponding airport departure tax, transportation back to the airport to return home, and personal expenses.

Your program fee includes the following benefits:

• Your In-Country Fee
• In-Country Support
• 24hr Emergency Line
• Membership To The Change Makers Club
• International Travel Advice
• Letter Of Completion

Apply for the Philippines Program

Your application process is free and seamless and if you are successful we will provide you with a choice of application fee payment options that include a secure online service. We also are one of the few organizations that offer a full money back guarantee on your application fee if you decide not to go.
Click here to apply for the Philippines program.

Frequently Asked Questions

We have put together the following page, which answers the majority of questions people have. Click here to read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Volunteer Journals

If you would like to read about the experiences of some of our volunteers who are currently in the Philippines, you can do so here. This journal service is provided free to all our volunteers.
Click here

Articles

Read articles written about our volunteers in the Philippines.
Click here.

Book Resources

We have a selection of books available that you may find useful if you decide to volunteer overseas.
Click here

Application Process

All applicants will be notified by email as to whether their application has been successful.

(1) Complete the Application Form: Fill out the application form below. Upon receipt of the form we will assess your suitability for the program within two working days.

(2) Contact You: If you are successful we will then email you a letter of acceptance.

(3) Decision Point: Once you have read through the letter of acceptance and we have answered any questions or concerns that you might have, it is time to pay your US $350 application fee to secure your place on the program. Please note that we will fully refund your application fee if you decide not to go.

(4) Confirmation: Once the application fee is paid, our volunteer partner will contact you to ensure everything is organized. We will also send you the link to our program guide which covers topics such as country information, travel links, visa application process, fundraising ideas and much more!

(5) Communication & Support: Throughout the application process, we are committed to working with you to answer any of your questions or concerns. During your placement we are also available as a form of support to you as a volunteer and will email you while in country to discuss how the program is going.

To apply for this program, click here