Volunteer as a Family with Projects Abroad

TORONTO – May 10, 2017 – Projects Abroad offers volunteering trips for families as a meaningful way to spend their upcoming summer vacation. School breaks are fast approaching and families can use this opportunity to customize a trip abroad to positively impact a local community or environment in need. Families can make a difference together while experiencing a different country and culture abroad.

Family volunteering is becoming increasingly popular as a travel option. Families combine their vacation with service work to help in areas of need such as healthcare, education, and conservation. It's an excellent opportunity for parents who want to open their children's eyes to a world very different from their home. Grandparents can also travel with grandchildren as an enriching opportunity to grow together.

Last month a family of five from France volunteered on Project Abroad's African Savannah Conservation Project in Kenya, an experience which allowed them to develop individually and learn about one another. "It was good to see the kids get involved with different tasks with other people. Even our youngest, in one week, succeeded to be less intimidated or shy, and the two older ones learned how to integrate into a group," says Bruno Visser, father in the family. Madelien, the mother, encourages all families to consider volunteering to expand their horizons. "It's so important to help others and to take care of the environment and not just be focused on ourselves and our little family," she says.

Individual family members can choose to explore personal fields of interest or career options such as medicine, archaeology, teaching, or journalism. Or, families can choose to tackle a project together, such as building a school, running public health outreach campaigns, or planting trees for reforestation.

Projects Abroad has projects in destinations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the South Pacific. Some locations are close to important tourism sites such as the breathtaking Machu Picchu ruins in Peru, or Table Mountain in Cape Town, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

The world celebrates International Family Day on May 15th. Take this reminder to sign up for a family volunteer trip abroad, and to make this summer one to remember.