Planning
Volunteering in Latin America: projects, countries and the language question
The working language is Spanish, and that decides more than any other detail. What kinds of project exist, what to check per country and what to sort before you go.
Irene Salazar 6 min Photo by Andres Medina on Unsplash Latin America is one of the most sought-after volunteering destinations, and it has one particularity that decides more than any other: the work happens in Spanish, or Portuguese in Brazil, and not in English. How much of it you have decides, from day one, what you can actually contribute.
What kinds of project exist
- Education and school support, where your level of the language weighs more than anywhere else.
- Conservation and reforestation, in rainforest and mountain areas.
- Building and improving community infrastructure.
- Health and support work, which usually requires qualifications.
- Community tourism and local development, where management is needed rather than hands.
The last one fits professional profiles best and is the least offered in paid-volunteering catalogues.
What to check per country
Each country has its own entry rules, its own security situation and its own health recommendations. And within a single country, the difference between one region and another can be enormous.
- Entry requirements and whether the permit allows volunteering.
- Your foreign ministry's travel advice for that specific region, not for the whole country.
- Vaccinations and prophylaxis by area, which differ in the rainforest from the city.
- Altitude, if the destination is in the Andes: there are projects above three thousand metres.
Connectivity
In the cities you won't have problems. On rural projects, expect patchy coverage and for the accommodation's wifi to be shared and slow. Your own data plan for the country is the safety net, and at several of these destinations the local card requires paperwork that's more awkward to do from a village.
How coverage stands at one of the most common destinations: internet in Colombia.
And one thing about the language
School Spanish goes further than most people think and less far than the programmes promise. On top of that, everyday words mean something quite different from country to country, sometimes very different: asking always beats assuming. That's exactly the small thing that opens doors on the first day.
Frequently asked questions
What volunteering is there in Latin America?
Education, conservation and reforestation, building, health work requiring qualifications, and local development projects, which fit professional profiles best.
Do I need a visa to volunteer?
It depends on the country and the permit: many tourist permits don't allow volunteering. Check on each country's official site.
Will there be coverage on the project?
In cities yes; in rural areas it's patchy and the wifi tends to be shared and slow. Your own data plan for the country works as a backup.
How much Spanish do I need?
For education projects, a lot; for building or conservation work, less. And beware: everyday vocabulary means different things in different countries — asking beats assuming.
