Similar to other volunteer work abroad, opportunities to volunteer in women’s rights can be as short as one week, but the longer you are able to stay the greater your impact on the community and the project. Usually volunteers do not need any specific skills, unless you are hoping to teach a class focused on a specific skill, in which case you should have basic experience. Most volunteer opportunities working with women are broken up into three main categories:
Public Health Outreach is extremely important and life-changing volunteer work, especially in rural and less-visited areas of the developing world. Mothers risk death when birthing their children due to a lack of access to healthcare and doctors. Young women and girls are sometimes not educated about HIV/AIDS and other sexual transmitted infections or general sex education. Medical and dental support is needed in many parts of the developing world, however, if you aren’t a practicing doctor or dentist you should be aware that you will be limited in your ability to assist in these areas. Education and outreach is an excellent way to lend support without overstepping boundaries or stretching your professional capabilities.
Business Skills are more and more in demand as women around the world begin to start their own companies, sometimes through the help of micro-lending. Your expertise in areas such as marketing, accounting, grant-writing, and even basic computer skills can help these women be more competitive and better businesspeople. You might write a marketing plan, analyze if there are ways they can be more efficient or sustainable, or lead a computer class.
Education is an important and popular area for volunteering with women. If you are interested in working with children or teens this is an excellent area too. Specific education volunteer placements working with women might include teaching English, tutoring, constructing a school, leading teacher trainings, holding reading or writing workshops, or working on policy changes to allow more girls to go to school. Since many families can only afford to send one child to school, most pick boys since they feel they will have more opportunities to further their education and obtain good jobs or careers. By helping increase literacy, knowledge, and skills of local women, you’ll bring them one step closer to independence and equality. Your presence as a positive role model can give the girls an example of an educated and confident woman too.
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