Safety in International Volunteering Programs:

How to be safe as a volunteer abroad

Most people that go abroad to volunteer in another country have a safe experience. While I cannot say if most volunteers make a real difference with local people, one that is as valuable to those local people as it is to the volunteer, or if most volunteers are satisfied with their experience, I can say that most volunteers that go abroad are never robbed, assaulted or killed.

But those awful things do happen.

More than 1000 Peace Corps members, most of them women, have been sexually-assaulted or killed in the 10 years between 2005 and 2015. The Peace Corps has come under a great deal of criticism regarding how it has handled the safety of its members, particularly women, while they served abroad in that decade - and before. I have been stunned at what I have heard from women who are former Peace Corps members first hand, let alone what I have seen in reports on television shows like 20/20. I know of United Nations Volunteers (UNV) who were robbed, harassed and worse while serving, and many who were sexually harassed by colleagues, but it never got talked about in any official UNV meeting I was ever a part of, and I have no idea if UNV is better than the Peace Corps in terms of volunteer safety.

Not saying you shouldn't volunteer with the Peace Corps or UNV - just pointing out that bad things can happen, and volunteer sending organizations don't always do what they are supposed to.

Violence, robberies, harassment, even illness, are things anyone who wants to volunteer abroad needs to be aware of and to plan for.

Again, MOST volunteers abroad have a safe experience, but remember that those who have a negative experience tend not to blog about such or to be featured on the volunteer sending organization's web site. MOST women have a great experience serving in such a program, and some feel so safe the entire time that they think safety precautions and talk of such are overblown.

The reality is that there are MANY international volunteering programs that are also at fault regarding how they handle assaults on volunteers. The same is true of international organizations that place paid staff - many have poor, if largely unknown, track records regarding protecting their staff while working abroad.

I am not at all attempting to tell you not to serve in an international volunteering program. But I do think women in particular need to take precautions to stay safe when serving in an international volunteering program.

My advice on what you can do to better ensure your safety abroad:

 
Your safety supersedes your volunteer commitment - if you are under threat, do what you need to do to get away from that threat if your volunteer-sending organization / host organization isn't responding appropriately.

And if the worst happens, despite all your precautions, please don't blame yourself. There are people that flaunt all of the aforementioned rules and never have a problem. There are people that do all of the aforementioned, and more, and the worst happens. Get counseling and get medical treatment and seek out people that will help you get through this.

Here are lots more thoughts about health & safety for USA women traveling, abroad or in the USA, and here's information specific to going abroad during global pandemics (or to be ready if such should break out while you are abroad - COVID19 won't be the last).

You can read a very similar page of advice from the US State Department for people that want to volunteer abroad. Very similar... mine was before theirs... hmmm...

The CDC Yellow Book: Health Information for International Travel, last updated in 2020 (before the COVID-19 pandemic), is published every two years as a resource for health professionals providing care to international travelers. The fully revised and updated CDC Yellow Book compiles the US government’s most current travel health guidelines, including pretravel vaccine recommendations, destination-specific health advice, and easy-to-reference maps, tables, and charts. It's available free online. Have a read if you want further guidance on what to pack. Chapter 9 is all about health care for aid workers traveling abroad. As the site notes, "Humanitarian service can have an adverse effect on personal health. Studies of long-term humanitarian workers indicate that >35% report a deterioration in their personal health during the mission." It also has advice for the Business Travelers, for Aircrews, for Long-Term Travelers & Expatriates, for Study Abroad & Other International Student Travel, for Adventure Travel, and more (including advice for Sex & Travel).

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