Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash
If you enjoy helping people or the environment; or if you aspire to be an advocate of making the world a better place, volunteering might be a good idea for you. By volunteering, you will be able to take holistic actions to contribute to the development and positive social impact.
Anywhere in the world, volunteers are essential for a variety of sectors including health, education, gender equality and empowerment, youth development, disaster relief, environmental conservation, and many more worthy causes.
For instance, in an archipelago like the Philippines where an average of 20 typhoons visit every year, volunteers for calamity relief operations are needed. Moreover, being a thriving economy, the Philippines also benefits from the efforts of various community development programs where volunteers involve themselves. These community development programs help alleviate the plight of the underprivileged.
Here are some volunteer opportunities to help you search for your preferred type of volunteer projects to get involved in in the Philippines.
Volunteer Opportunities in Child Care
Save The Children is a global independent organization working for the welfare of children. The organization has been working in the Philippines for 3 decades focused on addressing children’s rights, education, health, and emergency responses.
Save The Children’s efforts are dedicated to the protection of children from violence, abuse, exploitation, or any other damages. It aims to create a world of opportunities for children, give them a good start in life, and help them learn crucial skills ultimately to deliver lasting, massively rewarding results.
Childhope Philippines Foundation, Inc. or Childhope Philippines is a non-government organization for children in the Philippines. Tracing back to its mother organization Childhope International founded in 1986, the organization’s main mission is to promote welfare, uphold, and protect children’s rights, particularly children in street situations.
They made it their mission to care for street children, protect them from any form of abuse and provide them with opportunities to realize the fulfillment of their rights and potential.
Volunteer Opportunities in Animal Care
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society or PAWS is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and the promotion of humane treatment of all animals.
According to its website, PAWS is currently rehabilitating over 200 cats and dogs that have been through cruelty, neglect, and pain. To be a volunteer in PAWS may mean getting included in spectacular pet activities and programs such as bathing, grooming, and of course giving cuddles. Thus, mandatory pre-exposed rabies shots are required.
CARA Welfare Philippines or Compassion and Responsibility for Animals
To control the increasing street animal population, CARA Philippines started a trap-neuter-return program. They also host a humane education program for anti-cruelty campaigns. Aside from this, they also manage a sanctuary for pit bulls rescued from a dogfighting syndicate in Laguna, Philippines. To get involved, you may choose to adopt, sponsor or foster a pet.
Volunteering Opportunities in Conservation Work
Save Philippine Seas is an organization run by a small team of dedicated and passionate ‘seatizens’. As the world’s second-largest archipelago with over 7 thousand islands, the Philippines’ biodiversity provides several ecosystem services for food, water, energy sources, pharmaceuticals, climate regulation, and more.
Save Philippine Seas’ goal is to create a simpler awareness between research findings from scientists and the general public. Through increased awareness, the SPS team will be able to mobilize customary initiatives towards collective action and behavior change.
World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines
The World Wide Fund for Nature or WWF is a non-governmental organization that works to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
The World Wide Fund for Nature organizes their work in preserving six areas: Food, Climate, Fresh Water, Wildlife, Forests, and Oceans.
Volunteer involvement in Environmental Conservation projects is crucial to compensate for the damages that may have been caused by rapid global development and urbanization. The reward for volunteering in these projects is the satisfaction of knowing that future generations would get to witness nature’s beautiful scenery as they enjoy a safe and sustainable environment.
Whether you are volunteering to benefit an individual or a community, it is important to bear in mind that you genuinely like to help and involve yourself in efforts to address certain causes which are part of a bigger picture.
