Projects Abroad gives teens a chance to lend a hand

From childcare to medical internships, Projects Abroad offers high school students an opportunity to travel and help nurture a community in another country.

This year about 1,000 students from around the world will volunteer through Projects Abroad’s High School Special program. Care and Community Projects in which students split their time between childcare and group renovation projects are the most popular programs in Ghana, Argentina and India, the three countries where most U.S. high school students want to volunteer this summer.

Projects Abroad says that Ghana’s reputation for safety and welcoming volunteers has made it popular for several years. Argentina attracts students interested in practicing their Spanish while assisting with childcare or medical work. India offers childcare and medical projects in a country where English is a more common language.

More than 40 High School Special programs are available in 23 countries including Peru, Romania, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, Jamaica and Fiji along with India, Ghana and Argentina.

Most volunteer projects range from two weeks to a month. Two-week programs usually cost between $2,245 and $3,295, which includes room and board and medical and travel insurance but not airfare.

Geography professor Peter Slowe created Projects Abroad in 1992 to enable students to travel as volunteers during school breaks. The first project involved teaching conversational English in post-Soviet Union Romania.

Today, Projects Abroad has short-term volunteer projects in 28 developing countries.

Info: Projects Abroad, (888) 839-3535

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