<p>Has anyone had any experience with this company? Volunteer</a> Abroad with the International Volunteering Organization Projects Abroad
Son has graduated from college and looking towards graduate school. He will not be able to begin grad school until 2012 most likely and would like to do some volunteering in other countries. What are some organizations in this area that are highly respected (and safe--my requirement!). He is planning for dental school so anything in a more medical based area would be great.</p>
<p>I didn’t see your post until today and don’t know if the info is still useful to you, but my daughter spent 6 months in Africa with Projects Abroad in 2008. If you check a thread called “Teaching English Over Summer Break” in parents forum, I have a fairly detailed post in it (sorry, tried to link directly, not successful). They do have health-care placements.</p>
<p>D. volunteered in Ghana in 2006 with Projects Abroad as a HS student and had a wonderful experience. She’s did another one in 2008 in Tanzania with a similar (and cheaper) organization that was not nearly so well run. Also a good experience, but far fewer employees on the ground. Bottom line, based on only 2 experiences–Projects Abroad seems like one of the more expensive organizations that does these “pay-to-volunteer” trips, but you get more on-the-ground support.</p>
<p>We are beginning to train folks to fabricate biosand water filters - [Friendly</a> Water for the World](<a href=“http://www.friendlywaterfortheworld.com%5DFriendly”>http://www.friendlywaterfortheworld.com) - I drove someone to the airport to go to Haiti today. Once you have this skill, you will be in demand almost everywhere. (We’ve trained some Peace Corps folks, too - one now in Togo, one leaving for Morocco.)</p>
<p>The one going to Haiti is working with All Hands Volunteers (you can google them). When she first went to volunteer, they said they had a six-month waiting list. When she told them she had been trained in biosand water filters, they asked, “When can you start?”</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. And yes, the info is still useful as he is looking at this organization for in the future. He had thought about going this semester, but decided to go back and work on some post grad classes he feels will be useful for ultimate goals.
Again, thanks all.</p>
<p>The one going to Haiti is working with All Hands Volunteers (you can google them). When she first went to volunteer, they said they had a six-month waiting list. When she told them she had been trained in biosand water filters, they asked, “When can you start?”</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>My younger daughter went to India through Projects Abroad after high school, she briefly met some people ( that were from our part of Seattle), while she was there who were taking time off before ( or during?) medical school- ( which I found when I couldn’t get a hold of her & was trying to find out where she was- she had basically taken off on her own after spending three months volunteering)
I think it was fairly well run, although the program in India was taken over by the son of the director who had died suddenly- so at the time she was there - I think it probably was a little chaotic.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.projects-abroad.org/projects/medicine-and-healthcare/medicine/[/url]”>http://www.projects-abroad.org/projects/medicine-and-healthcare/medicine/</a></p>