VOLUNTEERING / INTERCHANGE

Work places and fields

You can work in one or several of these areas, depending on your talents and interests:

a. Health services   –  Good Vision Campaigns – Lentes al instante

Assisting in an optician team,  in (small) hospitals, in the pharmacy, accompanying country doctors

b. School assistance

Particularly English and computer classes, but also geography and history of your own continent, cultural exchange

c. Youth work

Offer free time activities for the children and teenagers of the villages like sports, basic crafts work, music

d. Environmental protection

Practical work, helping to develop and put to practice norms and rules, sensitization for environmental protection in school, organizing separation and disposal of waste, re-forestation

e. Other

Basing on the talents and interests of the volunteers, for example music workshops, updating online platforms (documentation with photos and videos), …

If you are planning to volunteer for several months, we encourage you to change your work place after some time to get to know the great differences within Bolivia.

Chronogram

1-3 weeks intensive Spanish classes (one-to-one lessons/small groups) staying at the HI Hostel Sucre
or: two month to prepare for the internationally recognized DELE language exam

voluntary work in one or several places (depending on the length of your stay and your desires)

1-3 weeks you should reserve for travelling and exploring this fascinating country. Depending on the length of your stay in between or at the end.

Locations, Accommodation

The foundation HI-Bolivia is engaged in all over Bolivia and supports volunteer projects mainly in left-alone villages, but also in cities.
As HI-Bolivia is the sister organization of Hostelling USA, Hostelling International Canada, the UK Youth Hostel Association and part of the Hostelling International networks all volunteers are accommodated in our own HI Hostels in shared dormitories and have member’s kitchen there.

Extra information

Check out the photos of volunteer work we post on Instagram  #lentesalinstantebol

Costs

Accommodation in HI centers, shared rooms, money for food, per week: 149 €
Spanish course (private, 15 single lessons, incl. photocopies), per week: 144 €
Furthermore flight costs to/from Santa Cruz de la Sierra (“VVI”) or La Paz (“LPB”) have to be paid
For 90 days free tourist visa, afterwards you need to apply for a visa in Bolivia.
All volunteers working longer than 16 weeks at HI-Bolivia are being gifted as a thank you the seven-day tour „salt and silver“ starting at Sucre to the silver mines of Potosí and to the largest salt lake on earth (Salar de Uyuni)and to La Paz and Lake Titicaca (value: 400 €).

You can apply easily by e-mail.

Your informal application should contain the following:

A short presentation of yourself   –   for how long you want to work with us

when you want to start your voluntary work a motivation letter of about one page in which you explain why you want and what work as a volunteer.

Kindergarten activities
Social project for people with vision problems, most need in Bolivia
Works in rural schools in Bolivia