Top 10 Mission Trips Abroad to Make a Difference This Year
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Are you a college or university student, looking for a mission trip abroad? Or a gap year traveler, thinking about how to make the most of your time while contributing towards change? Well, your search ends here.
Over the last 17 years, Volunteering Solutions has hosted several young adults across the globe, who enthusiastically traveled on their mission trips to serve the underprivileged communities. Not only is this journey about making a difference in society, but it also helps the participants to know the country more closely while polishing their skills.
We’ve curated a bunch of affordable and valuable international mission trips which are throughout the year, and one can choose a program depending on their tastes and preferences. The programs include Teaching, Childcare, Construction and Renovation, Environment Conservation, Medical & Healthcare, Community Development, Animal Care & Wildlife Conservation, and Women Empowerment, etc.
Check out the 10 best international mission trips for 2024:
1. Street Children Volunteer Program, India
While India is one of the most popular volunteering destinations across the world, the street children volunteering program has always been a top favorite among people. It’s a perfectly curated mission trip for high school, college, and university students, looking for international work experience while serving underprivileged communities. Being a part of this mission trip in India, your main tasks will be to work at a childcare center, where you’ll teach the kids, play with them, take them on educational tours of the city, and fundraise for their food, clothing, stationery, and other essentials.
You can also assist the local staff in managing the shelter home, as well as help them to improve the center. Your main mission as a volunteer should be to ensure the well-being of the children and shower them with adequate love and care.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years old when joining the Street Children Program in India.
- You should be flexible and open to working with others, and be motivated enough to manage the kids while spending time with them.
- You’ll have to provide a Criminal Background Check Report, before joining.
Program location:
New Delhi, India.
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 1 week while the maximum is 6 months. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 301 for 1 week (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
2. Short-term Volunteering Program, Nepal
If you have just 2 weeks in hand, and looking for an affordable yet meaningful mission trip abroad, then the short-term program in Nepal would be perfect for you. As a volunteer for this program, you’ll be working at underprivileged schools, either assisting the staff in managing the kindergarten students, helping them learn basic English and Maths, or teaching the young adults, ensuring a better future for them.
It’ll also be an incredible opportunity for you to meet fellow travelers and volunteers from other countries, and work together for a meaningful cause. You can also run awareness campaigns for education, and fundraise for the essential supplies that are required in the school. The short-term program in Nepal has been curated for solo travelers and students looking for a mission trip to join during their alternative breaks. And we believe that ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ – so there will be ample scope for you to explore beautiful places in Nepal like Bhaktapur and Nagarkot.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years old when joining the 2-week special program in Nepal.
- You should be flexible and open to working with others, and be motivated enough to manage the kids while spending time with them.
- You’ll have to provide a Criminal Background Check Report, before joining.
Program location:
Kathmandu, Nepal.
Program duration:
The duration of this program is only for 2 weeks, and it’s available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 595 for 2 weeks (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, local sightseeing tours, accommodation, and meals).
3. Childcare Volunteer Program, Kenya
Five years back, when I decided to volunteer in Kenya, little did I know that it would change my way of looking at life. Trust me when I say this, beyond the rugged landscapes and the game drives from which Kenya is known, a mission trip to Kenya would make your heart feel full. As a volunteer for the Childcare Program, you’ll work at a shelter home on the outskirts of Nairobi, taking care of little children, helping them with their daily chores, and teaching them basic English, maths, rhymes, etc.
Diseases like HIV and tuberculosis have been on the rise in Kenya, leading to rising mortality rates – and thus, the number of unattended and uncared children is also increasing. If you wish to make a difference while traveling abroad on a mission trip, then this surely would be a fulfilling experience. Not only that, it’ll be an opportunity for you to gain first-hand international work experience.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years old when joining the childcare volunteering program in Kenya.
- You should be flexible and open to working with others, and be motivated enough to manage the kids while spending time with them.
- You’ll have to provide a Criminal Background Check Report, before joining.
Program location:
Nairobi, Kenya.
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 1 week while the maximum is 6 months. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 350 for 1 week (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
4. Medical Mission Trip, Tanzania
If you are a pre-med, medical, or nursing student looking for a healthcare mission trip abroad, then you can choose to be a part of the medical volunteering program in Tanzania. As a developing African nation, the healthcare infrastructure isn’t very well-organized here, and the public hospitals and clinics often have inadequate doctors to cater to the huge number of patients.
As a volunteer, you’ll be assisting the doctors and medical staff in their daily chores, gaining first-hand learning experience. you’ll get to work in departments such as gynecology, operation theater for surgeries, general medicine, physiotherapy department, first aid department, laboratory and research, and x-ray facilities.
If you are a dental elective student looking for a mission trip in Tanzania, you can get in touch with our Program Advisors, and we can arrange for a placement in the dental department in hospitals here.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old and you must be enrolled in a medical/nursing course.
- You should be flexible and open to working with others.
- You need to provide us with the documents and credentials about your medical qualifications before joining the program.
- You’ll have to provide a Criminal Background Check Report.
Program location:
Arusha, Tanzania.
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 1 week while the maximum is 6 months. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 375 for 1 week (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
5. Wildlife Conservation Mission Trip, South Africa
If you are an animal lover, looking for an ethical wildlife conservation program, then this would be the perfect opportunity for you to work alongside professional conservationists in South Africa. Located on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, volunteers joining this mission trip are placed in a wildlife reserve area covering an area of 6000 hectares.
Your main tasks here would include the removal of alien vegetation in and around the reserve, tracking the number of lions and other predators as well as monitoring them, tree planting, fencing, etc. You can also conduct anti-poaching awareness workshops. Apart from working for a meaningful cause and protecting the animals, you’ll also get to experience thrilling game drives and spot the African BIG 5 in their natural habitat.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old and you must be keen to work in the outdoors.
- You should be flexible and open to working with others.
Program location:
Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 1 week while the maximum is 6 months. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 715 for 1 week (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
6. Girls’ Education Volunteer Program, Ghana
This is your chance to make the most of your mission trip abroad by spreading the light of education among underprivileged women in Ghana. The main objective of this program is to educate the girls and help them to pursue their passion.
As a volunteer, you’ll be working in a school, attended by young females living in urban villages around the city of Tamale. Over the last few years, we have hosted several volunteers for this program, who contributed towards the sustainable growth of the school, ensuring that there’s an adequate supply of essentials for the students, including books, notebooks, etc.
You don’t need to be a professional teacher to be a volunteer, and there’s no need for TEFL certification either. If you are motivated enough to utilize your alternative break or gap year abroad, and wish to make some meaningful contribution to the lives of these girls, then this is your chance.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years old when joining the program.
- You should be flexible and open to working with others, and be motivated enough to educate the girls while spending time with them.
- You’ll have to provide a Criminal Background Check Report, before joining.
Program location:
Tamale, Ghana.
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 1 week while the maximum is 6 months. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 449 for 1 week (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
7. Sea Turtle Conservation Program, Sri Lanka
Wish to spend your alternative break by the beaches, while signing up for a mission trip? Well, if that’s what your heart calls for – look no further and join the sea turtle conservation program in Sri Lanka. The main aim of this project is to protect the turtle eggs until they hatch and take care of the baby turtles, protecting them from poachers and predators.
The turtle hatchery also acts as a shelter home for sick and injured turtles, where you can nurse them, feed them, and take care of them until they are healthy enough to be released back into the ocean. Apart from that, you can also conduct awareness campaigns, enlightening the local fishermen about environmental and beach pollution.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years old and you must be keen to work in the outdoors.
- You should be flexible and open to working with others.
Program location:
Galle, Sri Lanka.
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 1 week while the maximum is 6 months. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 725 for 1 week (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
8. Elephant Sanctuary Volunteer Program, Thailand
Get ready for a mission trip to Thailand, where you will experience something absolutely different. You will get to stay at an elephant village in Northern Thailand, where the Asian Elephants are being taken care of. As a volunteer for this program, you will engage in various works including assisting the mahouts (caretakers of the elephants), collecting elephant feed from the forest, helping in making their vitamins, taking them for walks, morning and evening baths, and taking care of baby elephants.
You’ll also learn how to make paper from elephant poop! And explore the breathtaking countryside of Chiang Mai, diving deep into their culture and heritage. Thailand is known to be a paradise for backpackers and gap year travelers, and what can be more exciting than traveling to Thailand for a mission trip?
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years old and you must be keen to work in the outdoors.
- You should be flexible, and open-minded as well as have a passion for working with elephants.
Program location:
Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 1 week while the maximum is 6 months. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 840 for 1 week (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
9. Wildlife & Animal Rescue Center Program, Costa Rica
Despite having just 0.25% of the world’s landmass, Costa Rica is home to 5% of the world’s biodiversity. The country is teeming with tropical plant and animal life, boasting over 200 species of mammals and more than 800 species of birds. And if you are an animal lover looking for a mission trip abroad, then what can be a better place than Costa Rica? You’ll be living inside an eco-reserve, working alongside professional conservationists, and learning more about the flora and fauna of the region.
You make tasks would be to look after the rescued and sick animals, prepare food for them, observe their daily behavior as well as understand the environmental hazards that directly impact the animals here. This is a perfect volunteering program for high school and college students as well as for gap year travelers, who wish to contribute meaningfully towards the environment.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 17 years old and you must be keen to work in the outdoors.
- You should be flexible, and open-minded as well as have a passion for working with animals.
Program location:
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 4 weeks while the maximum is 6 weeks. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 1350 for 4 weeks (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
10. Community Development Volunteer Program in Spain
If you are looking for a mission trip in Europe, then we have an exciting and affordable community development program in Spain, being a part of which you’ll get to work in the most humble parts of Barcelona. As a volunteer, you’ll be hosting workshops with children, as well as work on marketing and human resource-related work, as well as getting involved in maintenance work as required.
It’ll be a wholesome opportunity for teen volunteers as well as gap year travelers, looking for a meaningful opportunity abroad, and you can also learn Spanish while working here. Meet some like-minded travelers from different parts of the world and work together for a common cause, during your mission trip.
Program requirements:
- You must be at least 16 years old and you must be keen to learn new things.
- You should also be proactive and can take initiative.
- You’ll have to provide a Criminal Background Check Report.
Program location:
Barcelona, Spain.
Program duration:
The minimum duration to be a volunteer is 2 weeks while the maximum is 8 weeks. The program is available throughout the year.
Program cost:
USD 889 for 2 weeks (includes 24-hour assistance and support from staff, comprehensive pre-departure information, pick up from the airport, program orientation, accommodation, and meals).
If you’re looking to join a mission trip abroad in 2024, we have our Program Advisors who can support you and help you plan your trip to make a difference. You can write to us at [email protected] and we’ll connect with you.
Remember, no matter how small your steps might seem, you can make a big difference in this world. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, to stay updated about all our volunteering initiatives.
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