FAQ's
For the Volunteer
HELP International volunteers can spend anywhere from 2 weeks to three months in-country. Program costs vary based on how long volunteers choose to stay. See Volunteer Abroad for program specifics.
HELP International participants must be between 18-34 years unless otherwise approved. Minors are not permitted to accompany volunteers unless the program specifically allows for it. Prospective volunteers must fill out an application on the website. There is a $35 nonrefundable application fee necessary for completion of the application. When you are applying, you will need:
- A current resume
- Preferred departure and return dates
- Location preferences
- Contact information for a professional and character reference
Click here to fill out an application.
Prior to departure, participants will attend a mandatory training with HELP International to prepare them for their in-country experience. Information on when and where the training will be held will be sent out to the volunteers in advance. Training topics include, but are not limited to:
- Safety and security
- Introduction to International Development
- Intercultural communication
- Country-specific information
In country your coordinators will do weekly meetings, one on one goal setting and mentoring as desired, and continued trainings.
Housing:
All volunteers live in the same facilities as the country directors. Country directorsselect the housing prior to volunteer arrival. HELP accommodations are in safe neighborhoods, with additional security measures in place. Males and females have separate bedrooms. Housing includes basic amenities such as electricity, running water, flushing toilets, a stove and a refrigerator. Volunteers are responsible for supplying their own bedding. Laundry can be sent out or washed by hand.
Food:
HELP supplies breakfast and dinner Sunday night through Friday morning. Dinners will be provided by a cook. Volunteers are responsible for their lunches, weekend food, and other snacks or eating out. Often the volunteers will be eating local meals. In most countries it is considered rude to not finish your food or accept a meal when offered. We expect volunteers to be consistenly kind, accepting, culturally sensative, and adventurous. Even if you have eaten rice for every lunch that week and get offered it for lunch by a partner again. Here is a look at some of the meals volunteers ate in our Peru location!
Leisure:
Volunteers will have spare time during the evenings after they have finished their projects for the day. Weekends are also free time. Leisure time can be spent relaxing, traveling, socializing with other volunteers, or learning more about the culture and local community. HELP is a non-religious organization; however, volunteers are welcome to attend religious services during their free time as well. We hope you take full advantage of every free moment you have in country. Learn and experience the culture and build relationships in the communities in which you work. If you learn and develop a love for the people you are trying to help, you will be better at your job. You will listen more, care more, and build invaluable trust.
There are two hired country coordinators for each team in-country. Country Coordinator Fellowships run from the time they are hired to September of the following year. They receive extensive training upon selection. Country Coordinators work closely with team members to welcome them and prepare them for their in-country experience. In country, they act as a liaison between HELP International and our in-country partners.
A Country Coordinator Fellowship is a full-time job. During the first several months, Country Coordinators will actively recruit HELP volunteers working 5-10 hours a week with hourly pay. Starting in May, Country Directors will be living in-country for just over three months, working with volunteers around the clock. They receive payment and a stipend during these months. Following the program, they will complete a comprehensive year-end report to be used in-office and for our future Country Coordinators that go after them. Country Coordinators must be fluent in the native language of the country in which they will be working. International travel and leadership experience is required. Experience in international development and humanitarian service is preferred. HELP International covers all program expenses and airfare for Country Coordinators.
Check the apply button for open applications.
HELP International participants will work on inernational development projects in their communities Monday - Friday, regular business hours of 9-5. You should plan on one to two main projects a day depending on length and location. Often there will be a project in the morning, a break for lunch, and then a project in the afternoon. If a community can only meet in the evening, sometimes volunteers will adjust the day per project and location. Some days or portions of the day may be spent lesson planning, researching topics or needs for a project, or evaluating new projects. HELP International is extreamly flexible due to the nature of the approach. We hope that each team member will be passionate about their projects and dedicated to solving evaluated problems as they are discovered. Your days are not planned out for you, but it is expected that by 6-9AM all volunteers are up, ready for the day and working. Your day will depend on you. HELP seeks for positive, self-motivated individuals that will work hard. Your country coordinators will have many project opportunities for you in country, but it is up to you to be committed and work hard until your last day. Volunteers come home after projects in the afternoon or evening depending on the day and country curview and have dinner as a team. After working hours teams have movie nights, plan for the next day, clean the team house, read, call home, catch up on social media, and relax. On the weekends or on days where plans fall through we hope that volunteers with take advantage of their surroundings and explore their cities and learn about the culture and people.
HELP International matches the skills, knowledge, academia, and passion of our participants with existing needs of our local in-country partners to create service opportunities for our teams that will have a meaningful and measurable impact. Participants will have the opportunity to design and implement development projects with the support of local partners and communities to meet a specific community need. HELP Interns and volunteers will work on projects such as:
- Developing and implementing programs to decrease prevalence of infectious and noncomunicable diseases
- Working with vulnerable populations of children, youth, and women victimized by child labor, domestic violence, and other forms of exploitation
- Building and repairing water systems
- Assisting with educational programs in underserved schools and orphanages
- Acquiring clinical and shadowing experience in health clinics
- Teaching English, business, vocational training, and health classes
- Running recreational, empowerment, and sports outreaches
See our country pages for more specific past projects in each location, or contact the office if you have something particular that you would like to be involved with abroad. We will either tell you where that specific project has happened in the past or where we think it would be best to set it up.
HELP International is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people to fight poverty through high impact, sustainable development projects, primarily in community education, public health, and business/entrepreneurship. Our model assists the people we serve to become self-sufficient, rather than dependent on others to meet their daily needs. HELP currently runs programs in Peru, El Salvador, Uganda, Thailand, India, Fiji, Nepal, and the Philippines. The HELP International model for sustainable development allows college-aged volunteers, interns and young, working professionals to contribute their skills and expertise to help us fight poverty and empower people at the grassroots level.
Program costs vary depending on length of stay. HELP's more traditional long-term programs cost $2,950 for 6 weeks and $3,250 for 12 weeks. Additionally, HELP International runs crisis teams and other short term programs as needs and opportunities arise at lesser costs. Please refer to our homepage for information on all current available programs. Program costs cover room and board, all daily travel to and from worksites, airport transit, breakfast and dinners Monday through Friday, project expenses, and international emergency and health insurance. The program cost does not include lunches, weekend meals, personal tourist-related travel, souvenirs, or other general travel expenses.
To help fund your HELP experience, we offer personalized fundraising mentoring. We are happy to set up a meeting with our staff to discuss fundraising ideas. After you have been accepted to a HELP program, we also provide some fundraising resources. Most of our volunteers pay little to none of their program costs out-of-pocket after fundraising.
There are no deadlines for applications! Teams are built on a rolling application basis. However, the sooner you apply the sooner we can get you fundraising and meeting your directors and the other members of your team! You can apply for a program here.
Help International programs are open to students, professionals, men, women, and anyone who wants to make a difference! Help International participants must be between 18-34 years unless otherwise approved. We do not have any minimum requirements for education or skills required to volunteer with Help. If you are ready to work hard with a diverse team then we can't wait to meet you!
Breakfasts and dinners are covered during work days. HELP International hires a chef to cook a local dinner each evening for the team and provides breakfast basics of milk, oatmeal, bread, peanut butter, spices, sugar, oil, butter, fruits, eggs, and vegetables so the volunteers can make a local breakfast on their own before work.
(Make sure you read the application since meals covered can vary for specilty teams!)
HELP International has a strict code of conduct that we take very seriously. The purpose is rooted in professionalism, cultural sensativity, and saftey. The code of conduct must be followed at all times while in country, even on the weekends.
You can review the HELP Code of Conduct here:
No, HELP International is not affiliated with any religion. Proselyting of any kind is not allowed in country and could result in being removed from the program.
Each of us in the office has fundraised inthe past and are more than willing to serve as your fundraising mentors! We will create a personalized fundraising plan for you with ideas of things that have worked in the past and give you access to our fundraising letter campaigns. Once you have applied, been accepted, and completed your orientation we will set up a fundraising meeting and get you started! This is very easy to fundraise for so make sure you don't let funds be the reason you don't work abroad! Fundraising is also a very important skill that you may want to use in your future resume - so let us help you!
For the Donor
Donations made to HELP International are tax-deductible. Your financial support will contribute to our various projects in-country to continue our efforts in poverty alleviation. Donations can be made in two ways:
Checks can be mailed to:
455 N. University Ave. Suite #212
Provo, UT 84606
Make a donation online via Paypal or you can visit our website and click on the Donate Now tab.
If you would like to donate your time and you live in the Provo, Utah area, you can apply for an office internship.