In Latin America, ICYE volunteers are received in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru. In addition, it is possible to apply for a voluntary work period in the United States.
You can find out more about the general practices of the ICYE program on the program main page. In each program country, the local ICYE organisation trains and supports the volunteers.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · climate and environment · culture and arts · education
In Argentina, volunteers are hosted by communities who, among other things, support the schooling of children and young people, provide environmental education through plant and gardening activities, and offer vulnerable people the opportunity to develop their skills through plant cultivation. Volunteers can also be placed in a hospital to support patients and their relatives and the hospital’s daily work, or in ICYE Argentina to help coordinate international volunteering. Volunteers going to Argentina should have knowledge of Spanish. Volunteers will live in shared accommodation with other volunteers.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · climate and environment · culture and arts · diversity, equality, and inclusion · education · office work and communications
In Bolivia, the ICYE volunteers work especially among children and youth – in support centres for children and youth living in the streets, for instance. Volunteers are welcomed also to human rights organizations and to workplaces working with people with disabilities. Most of the voluntary workplaces are situated in the area of La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, and Sucre. Accommodation in most cases in a host family, but sometimes also at the voluntary workplace.
NB! In Bolivia, the voluntary workplace of each volunteer is usually decided after their arrival to the country, when the volunteers have personally discussed their wishes with ICYE Bolivia.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · diversity, equality, and inclusion · education
In Brazil, ICYE voluntary work is done especially among children and youth. Volunteers are received by a support center for children living in the streets, a kindergarten for the children of needy families, and an educational center for disabled children and youth, for instance. Most of the voluntary workplaces are situated in Porto Alegre. Accommodation, almost without exceptions, in a host family.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · climate and environment · culture and arts · diversity, equality, and inclusion · education · office work and communications · leisure activities and community development
In Colombia, the volunteers work mostly among children and youth – in kindergartens, schools, and support centers for children and youth with disabilities, for example. Voluntary work is available also at the ICYE organization of the country. Most of the voluntary workplaces are situated in Bogotá or nearby. Accommodation in most cases in a host family.
Themes for voluntary work: climate and environment · diversity, equality, and inclusion · education · office work and communications
In Costa Rica, the volunteers work e.g. in schools, youth organizations, institutes, and projects in the social work field as well as in the environmental field – in protecting the sea turtles, for instance. It is possible for the volunteers also to be placed in ICYE Costa Rica, for instance. Accommodation in most cases in a host family, in environmental education projects at the voluntary workplace.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · climate and environment · culture and arts · diversity, equality, and inclusion · education · office work and communications · leisure activities and community development
In Ecuador, volunteers are welcomed to take part in the work of, for example, kindergartens, schools, and environmental organisations. You can volunteer, for example, at a botanical garden in Cuenca or Quito. At most voluntary workplaces, volunteers stay with host families, but sometimes they stay on the premises of the placement or in shared accommodation with other volunteers.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · climate and environment · culture and arts · diversity, equality, and inclusion · education · office work and communications
In Honduras, the volunteers work especially among children – in a kindergarten or a center for disabled children and youth, for instance. Volunteers work also in projects working for advancing human rights, development of the countryside, health, and the position of women and indigenous people. Accommodation in a host family or at the voluntary workplace.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · climate and environment · culture and arts · diversity, equality, and inclusion · education
In Mexico, ICYE volunteers are received by e.g. kindergartens, schools, support centers for children living in the streets, and a home for the elderly. Voluntary work is done also in the field of environmental and art education, for instance. The voluntary workplaces are situated in different parts of Mexico, such as Chiapas, Mexico City, Puebla, and Toluca. Accommodation in most cases in a host family, but also in some cases at the voluntary workplace.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · climate and environment · culture and arts · diversity, equality, and inclusion · education · office work and communications · leisure activities and community development
In Peru, cooperation takes place, among other things, in supporting children and young people receiving hospital care and their families. In addition, volunteer opportunities are available, for example, with ICYE Peru and at a food bank that collects and distributes edible rescue food. Volunteers stay either in host families, in shared volunteer housing, or at accommodations connected to their volunteer placement.
Themes for voluntary work: care and health · diversity, equality, and inclusion · leisure activities and community development
In the United States, volunteers work in communities where people with disabilities live. In these communities situated in New Hampshire and Virginia, people with different abilities and disabilities share their life together in a safe and supported environment and participate in workshops and other activities.
See also:
