Involvement Volunteers International 6 Reasons to volunteer in Philippines written by: prithvi1902
Do you take pleasure in helping others and
doing your bit for the society? Do you feel a sense of achievement and
satisfaction when someone learns something new from you or finally has the
means to work and earn money because of you?
If you do, then you should seriously consider
doing some volunteer work. And instead of volunteering and doing something good
for the local community, why not try doing some good some place different? For example, why not consider heading to one
of the most beautiful islands in the world, which are the Philippines?
There is so much to do in Philippines;
you will definitely not repent your decision! You not only have things to do,
and services to offer to others, but also have things to keep yourself busy and
entertained while here. The people need your services, while the island offers
some of the best diving, relaxing beaches and tranquil mountains that keep
beckoning you.
In fact, one of the islands here, the Palawan
Island is considered to be Philippines’s last ecological frontier. This title
itself gives you all the more reason to pull up your sleeves and do some
volunteer work here so that you can do your part at retaining this title for the
Philippines.
Not only is there the environmental
project you can volunteer your services for, there is something for everyone to
do here. Philippines need volunteers in teaching, construction, renovation and
kindergarten projects, so you just have to make your choices based on your
priorities.
If this is not enough reason for you to
pack your bags and head to Philippines, here are 6 more reasons that should
finally convince you!
1. Wonderful people
One of the main reasons people loves
volunteering, and helping out in the Philippines is because the people here are
so friendly, happy and welcoming in nature. The people here are always happy and helpful,
so don’t be surprised if you are greeted by the local group of smiling faces
when you land at the Puerto Princesa airport!
All it takes is a few days in Philippines
and you will soon find out how welcoming and friendly the locals actually are. You in
fact feel so comfortable in their company that you won’t even realize you are
away from home!
2. Beautiful surroundings
You will soon realize why the Philippines
are a favorite destination amongst nature lovers! The islands here are
absolutely stunning with the crystal clear waters surrounding it, sparkling waterfalls and the beautiful and
diverse wildlife.
You can safely go diving or snorkeling
in your free time here or organize some wonderful hiking adventures climbing
one of the many volcanoes found here. Don’t be surprised to find a cute Philippine
Tarsier, which is one of the smallest monkeys in the world, keeping you company
while doing all this!
3. Language is not a problem
You need not worry about any language
and communication problems while in the Philippines as most of the people here
know and speak English. In fact, English is the preferred language used in presenting
government documents and schooling.
Your volunteer work is so much easier if
you can easily get your message and instructions across, which is possible in Philippines.
This point is in fact advantageous to you if it’s the first time you are
heading to the Philippines as there’s no problem blending with the locals.
Of course, the locals do appreciate, and
are always eager to help you learn and practice the local Filipino language. Even if
you manage to learn and say just the simple greeting of Kumasta’, it will go a long way at helping to
get you in their good books!
However don’t worry if you can’t learn
much Filipino as the locals are more than ready to converse in English with you
on an everyday basis. In fact, if you volunteer in the teaching or kindergarten
areas, you can help the local children learn essential and required English speaking skills
from an early age itself. This in turn proves helpful to them in their studies, and
when they eventually enter the working world later on in life.
4. Cheap cost of living
The cost of living in the Philippines is
rather cheap, giving you yet another reason to volunteer here. You won’t end up
burning your pocket paying for your accommodation and meals here, as you might if you volunteer in some other countries.
In fact, most of the volunteer programs that
are run here include your accommodation and meals. This means that your breakfast,
lunch and dinner costs are taken care of. So if you don’t have much more additional expenses to bear,
your stay here will eventually work out to be rather cheap. At the most, you may have to spend some money buying some bottled water, some snacks and perhaps a cup or two of coffee, which are
all affordable and within your budget.
5. A lifetime experience
It is only after you go volunteering to
the Philippines will you agree that it is a once in a lifetime experience everyone should go through. Living
and working in an entirely different place like the Philippines gives you a first
hand exposure and experience of living in village life, something many people in cities have never experience before. You actually learn to live a life that is very much
different than the lifestyle you have always been accustomed to.
Besides, the people here are so friendly,
you will usually end up surrounded by people wherever you go. The locals have a
fascination for foreigners, and are eager to learn more about your culture,
while you too can learn a few interesting things about their ways of life and
culture.
6. Relaxation
Last, but not least, if you go
volunteering to Philippines, you don’t actually realize you are doing much WORK
there. Not only is the day’s work easy, you can spend the rest of the day
relaxing at home.
Your home here is usually some type of accommodation that is located
on the water, meaning that you actually have a beach in your backyard to go out and relax in! What
more will you want than to be able to spend the evening relaxed on the beach,
reading a book or two or just absorbing the beauty and tranquility in the
atmosphere!
After reading all these 6 reasons, you
should not actually have any second thoughts about heading to the Philippines on
volunteer work! There is so much to learn here, so much you have to do and so
much of job satisfaction you experience at the end of the day!
