How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas

by Stefano DeZerega, Joseph Collins, Zahara Heckscher

Book Overview

More than 100,000 people contact the Peace Corps every year, but only 3,000 are placed overseas. To help more Americans find volunteer opportunities abroad Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zahara... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014200071X
• ISBN13: 9780142000717
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 467 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.4" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

This book was my bible...

I did extensive research before going overseas to volunteer, and this book was my bible, beacon, guiding light, whatever you want to call it. It answered questions I didn't even know I had, and opened my eyes to the various ways I could accomplish a goal that, at the beginning, I thought had very few options for accomplishment. The appendix is incredibly thorough, and that alone could be a great resource. This book changed my ideas about how I wanted to volunteer, and in the end I completely restructured my plan and had a wonderful experience abroad. I would have felt very lost without this resource..

A must-read for those who want to do it right

A lot of people seek to broaden their personal horizons overseas, and some of them hope to make the world a better place while they do. Unfortunately, many are unable to find their way through a maze of humanitarian and international organizations of differing quality, to the ones that can really satisfy those goals. Ultimately, this undermines the volunteer's self-selected mission. With that in mind, "How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas" is a tremendous resource and a real contribution for any volunteer who wants to make the most of their time and energy, both for the needy and for themselves.

Intelligent and Engaging Resource

If you are interested in giving something back overseas, this book is for you. This is a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to the issues, logistics and options for pursuing an international volunteer experience. I only wish this book had existed before my wife and I went on our 9 month honeymoon adventure 7 years ago. It's a great feeling of satisfaction and comfort when you find a text that is the perfect accompaniment for your desired activity or pursuit. Keep it by your bedside!!

Amazing resource for anyone volunteering abroad

I just returned from a volunteering project to rural Kenya and I would not have been as prepared as I was without this book. This book is invaluable, it not only prepares you before you leave, it also helps you while you are abroad. The descriptions of the different organizations were very accurate. I defenitely recommend this book to anyone going abroad.

This Book is a Treasure

This book is a treasure. It is a good book for anyone in the age group of about 18-75 of any ethnicity, religion and socio-economic background. It addresses safety, among other issues, for women travelers. This book includes more than information one could find on the Internet about particular opportunities and organizations in any region of the world. It includes in depth studies as well as information for the person considering volunteering overseas to examine his/her motivations and come up with criteria to apply to choosing an organization as well as a location. In addition, this book discusses issues surrounding language barriers and how to overcome the obstacles as well as use the volunteer opportunity to become fluent in another language. This book makes a wonderful gift.