Most of these communities are economically impoverished and in great need. But they also have tremendous hope for their future and, given that hope, they invited Global Volunteers to work with them in their struggle. Our goal is to ensure that they have the opportunity to achieve the benefits brought by ongoing teams of North American volunteers. First , the community is provided the occasion to draw upon the resources of Global Volunteers' teams. We put volunteers and their skills, labor and education at the service of communities.
Volunteers perform a wide variety of tasks, and share their skills in a multitude of ways.
But volunteers only do what they are asked to do and only under the direction of local people. Second , through the volunteers, the community is able to acquire training and education in numerous fields. In many locations, this is achieved through direct classroom instruction in English, math, the sciences, etc. In other communities we work with small businesses in transferring information about marketing, manufacturing, bookkeeping, etc., or with health care providers regarding nutrition, public health issues, potable water, etc. Training and education enable community members to learn new skills and fresh approaches in their effort to realize self-reliance.