Community Choice Awards 2022: Volunteer Abroad

Based on the scores for all volunteer programs reviewed here on Go Overseas last year, here are the top volunteer abroad providers in 2022

There's no feeling quite like the one you get when you give back and truly do good to improve the world for someone else. Volunteering abroad is a powerful experience because it allows travelers to go out, experience the world, and hopefully change it for the better in the process.

Companies across the world offer services to help prospective volunteers reach areas with the greatest need; voluntourism is one of the biggest travel trends we've seen in the last decade. Here at Go Overseas, we strive to help prospective volunteers identify those companies who work with the local community, offer services that don't undermine local efforts, and ethically interact with the people or animals they serve.

When a volunteer wants to share their experience here, we ask them to rate the volunteer program on five categories, too: Impact, Support, Fun, Value, and Safety. Based on the scores for all volunteer programs reviewed here on Go Overseas last year, here are the top volunteer abroad providers in 2022.

Learn more about how we scored programs for this year's awards by clicking here.

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Overall Top Volunteer Abroad Providers

There are companies everywhere working hard to improve the world for the better. When these companies allow volunteers to join them from abroad on their mission, it's a powerful opportunity to literally change the world. It's also hard for volunteers to know which providers offer the best experience, across all the important areas that affect the volunteer experience. The following providers had top scores across all of the categories we ask reviewers to rate, making them the top volunteer abroad providers from 2022:

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  1. IVHQ Globe

    International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) brings people together from all walks of life to make a difference...

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  2. GIVE Logo

    Since 2011, GIVE has led hundreds of all-inclusive, award-winning & life-changing group trips around...

    2nd
  3. The Excellence Center Logo

    The Excellence Center/Engage in Palestine was established in June 2011 to provide educational...

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Top Volunteer Abroad Providers: Impact

Volunteering abroad, unlike other categories on this site, is the one category where it's not only important to understand how the experience changed the reviewer. It's also important to understand if the program achieves its goals and the work volunteers do has a lasting positive impact, so we ask reviewers to rate the impact of their program. The following providers had the top scores in the Impact category:

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  1. Project Bio Pic

    Projeto Biodiversidade is a young Cabo Verdean non-profit association that aims to implement a wide...

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  2. PMGY Logo

    Plan My Gap Year is an award-winning volunteer abroad organisation, offering volunteer projects in...

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  3. One World Center Logo

    We are a non-profit research organization with a mission to inspire and empower ordinary people to...

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Top Volunteer Abroad Providers: Support

While volunteering abroad is an opportunity for volunteers to experience freedom and independence they might never have before, it's also critically important that the volunteer abroad program they choose is available for any support they do need. We ask alumni to consider how much support the volunteer abroad program staff provide; the following providers had the top scores in the Support category:

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  1. African Impact Logo

    African Impact pioneered responsible volunteer abroad travel in Africa back in 2004 and have since...

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  2. Integrated Learning Experiences logo

    Integrated Learning Experiences offers volunteer programs , group volunteering and internships in...

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  3. PMGY Logo

    Plan My Gap Year is an award-winning volunteer abroad organisation, offering volunteer projects in...

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Top Volunteer Abroad Providers: Fun

We obviously think that volunteering abroad should be a fun experience -- in fact, we ask every reviewer to tell us how much fun they had overseas, for almost every program they rate on our site. For volunteer abroad programs, we ask alumni to share what they rate the social scene for their volunteer abroad program. The following providers had the top scores in the Fun category:

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  1. Atlas Kente Logo

    Atlas Volunteers is a volunteering group based in Abetifi, Ghana. We are ran by a mixture of British...

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  2. One World Center Logo

    We are a non-profit research organization with a mission to inspire and empower ordinary people to...

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  3. Passport stamp that reads Therapy Adventures, Do Good, See the World.

    We are Therapy Adventures International, a nonprofit organization bringing pediatric therapy...

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Top Volunteer Abroad Providers: Value

Value is a tricky thing to score; everyone has a different idea of what they value and how much something is worth. Generally speaking, our goal in asking volunteers to rate the value of a volunteer program is for them to tell us whether they think the cost of their program was worth the money they paid. The following providers had top scores in the Value category:

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  1. AMIGOS logo

    Founded in 1965, AMIGOS is the safest, most authentic volunteer and immersion program in Latin...

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  2. Passport stamp that reads Therapy Adventures, Do Good, See the World.

    We are Therapy Adventures International, a nonprofit organization bringing pediatric therapy...

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  3. Global Volunteers Partners in Development

    Global Volunteers, an international NGO in special consultative status with the United Nations, has...

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Top Volunteer Abroad Providers: Safety

Safety is one of the most important factors we ask reviewers to rate; almost every program on Go Overseas (even those that aren't in the volunteer abroad category) is rated on safety. In particular, we want to know how safe volunteers felt while volunteering and living in the local community. The following providers had the top scores in the Safety category:

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  1. Volunteering Solutions

    Since 2007, Volunteering Solutions (VolSol) has been working with the aim of providing support to...

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  2. AMIGOS logo

    Founded in 1965, AMIGOS is the safest, most authentic volunteer and immersion program in Latin...

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  3. Atlas Kente Logo

    Atlas Volunteers is a volunteering group based in Abetifi, Ghana. We are ran by a mixture of British...

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