<p>I liked the article’s focus on different options for many different areas of interest. I’ll add one more: [International</a> Workcamps, Voluntary Service Projects, Volunteers for Peace](<a href=“http://www.vfp.org/]International”>http://www.vfp.org/)</p>
<p>The organization is based in Vermont and places volunteers all over the world, in developed as well as developing countries. I learned of it through my daughter, who is on a short-term volunteer assignment in Lithuania, and someone from her floor at school is working this summer in Germany with VFP. VFP coordinates with local agencies, and there is a $300 fee per project, with terms as short as one week as well as longer term projects. The $300 seems to be basically administrative costs; volunteers pay their own transportation and in some cases also a small additional fee (in some of the poorer countries or where the co-sponsoring agency needs some additional money to cover volunteers’ boarding costs). I do not believe it includes insurance. </p>
<p>The website’s list of open projects is easy to search by country and desired term of service. I’ve had a few text messages from my daughter, and she’s having a great time. She’s in a camp teaching English and computer skills, working with two partners from Finland and France. We live in Germany, so it was a cheap RyanAir flight away, and a good way to fill two weeks before her regular job starts.</p>
<p>When D was first considering VFP, I put out a query on CC looking for someone with some experience with the program and had a reply from someone who recommended contacting the cooperating agency in question, since VFP is really just the go-between. I think that is good advice–I don’t intend this to be a blanket endorsement, but the particular program my daughter is experiencing is very satisfying to her.</p>