If you are a student who wants a more in depth volunteer abroad or international internship experience or a mid-career professional or active retiree interested in an enriching overseas volunteer experience which includes international community development and training, GSC’s longer term Overseas Volunteer Programs are for you.  

GSC long-term volunteer abroad assignments and international internship programs have been created for volunteer participants who want to have an in-depth service-learning experience and gain first-hand experience of international development work. These longer volunteer programs are available in all GSC Program areas in both Thailand and Tanzania in both long-term and internship formats.  The main difference between these two options is that GSC’s International Internship Programs are scheduled to meet the minimum duration requirements of academic institutions (9 weeks) while long-term GSC Overseas Volunteer Programs can be arranged for any length of time from nine weeks or more.

GSC’s International Internships Program is ideal for student volunteers looking to gain academic credit or to fulfill university internship or service requirements.  Academic credit can be arranged through SUNY-Albany or through your own college or university.

All participants receive our Training of Trainers (TOT) Program, language skill-buiding, education about local culture and development training.  Once trained as trainers, volunteer participants then work with GSC staff and partner development professionals sharing technical expertise on community training and service projects administered by GSC.  GSC has developed these volunteer community training and service projects over a period of years and is now welcomed and recognized as a leading community development organization.

Long Term Overseas Volunteer Programs In Tanzania

Tanzania Community Training Program

The Community Training Program is designed for individuals who are specifically interested in working with and training community groups.  Community Training participants may choose to focus on either HIV/AIDS Prevention and Nutrition Education or Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. Community Training volunteers are also encouraged (although not required) to take on an additional volunteer project in their extra time. Participants will have the opportunity to work with a local orphanage, support home-based care projects by building and distributing sack gardens and, when appropriate, assist GSC’s Community Development volunteers with on-going development projects with local organizations.

By the end of the Tanzania Long Term Community Training Program, participants will have provided life-saving information to the community.  They will have also gained valuable training experience in their chosen field as well as a greater understanding of project monitoring and evaluation. The minimum time commitment to this GSC program is at least nine weeks.

Tanzania Community Development Program

The Tanzania Community Development Program is designed for individuals who are interested in having an in-depth experience of international development work. Participants explore the intricacies of international development by assisting in the implementation of one of GSC’s or a partner’s sustainable community development projects. This program requires a minimum three-month commitment. Community Development volunteers may choose to focus on either HIV/AIDS Prevention and Nutrition Education or Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security or on both areas in a six-month program.

Community Development participants receive one to two weeks of orientation and training, participate in three to four weeks of community training, and spend the remainder of their program time supporting a local community development organization.

Tanzania International Health Program

The Tanzania International Health Program is designed for health professionals or individuals interested in pursuing a career in medicine, or international or public health. After completing the one-week orientation and training, volunteers spend the next eight weeks or more providing HIV/AIDS prevention training to community members, shadowing medical staff at local healthcare facilities and supporting a community health project.  Community development project options include assisting with development and staff training on a hospital telemedicine project, working with a local orphanage, providing further HIV/AIDS prevention training, supporting, GSC’s Peer Education Health Clubs, and assisting GSC’s Community Development participants with on-going development projects.  Project assignments will be determined based on the needs of the community during the volunteers’ program.

Tanzania International Health Program participants who are licensed health care professionals, such as doctors, nurses, or EMT's, can share their skills and knowledge by working directly with Tanzanian physicians and nurses. Tanzania licensing requirements do not easily allow volunteer participants to be directly involved in patient care or clinical work. Therefore, the shadowing aspect of the International Health Program is primarily educational and observational with care and clinical work dependent on the needs of the supervising clinician.

Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Food Security Integrated Program

Designed for individuals with multiple programmatic interests, the HIV/AIDS and Food Security Integrated Program allows volunteers to participate in both the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Nutrition Education and the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security short-term or longer programs offered in Tanzania. The Integrated Program requires a nine-week minimum commitment.

Long Term Overseas Volunteer Programs In Thailand

International Health Program
Thailand long-term International Health Program/Long-Term Health Care Program are offered year-round.  A nine-week minimum commitment is required for this program, which begins with an initial week of orientation and training followed by:

1. A four-week community service project such as teaching English in a local school, orphanage or Buddhist wat (temple). Project opportunities may vary and depend upon the needs of the community at the time of service. .
2. Four weeks of observing and experiencing international health care by shadowing medical staff in a local Thai hospital while imparting valuable English skills to the hospital staff.

International Health program volunteers in Thailand experience many unique facets of hospital administration and operation by shadowing a Thai health professionals and observing surgeries, emergency room procedures, primary health care practices, and preventative health programs. Participants who are licensed health care professionals may have the opportunity for a more hands on experience while working in the hospitals.  Throughout the course of the program, licensed professionals can greatly assist Thai doctors and nurses with information exchange about their respective health care systems.  Thai doctors and nurses are eager to learn about the U. S. health care system from licensed physicians, nurses, and E.M.T.s who participate in the program.

Other Thailand Long-term and Internship Programs
Long-term assignments and internships are also available as options within GSC’s Teach English Abroad, Buddhist Immersion, and Orphanage Care in Thailand.  At the start of each long-term program, interns undergo a six day orientation and training period that begins upon arrival in Bangkok and concludes at the GSC orientation center in Nonthaburi.  Topics covered during the orientation and training include Thai language lessons, discussions on Thai culture, and an introduction to Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).

GSC works with each participant to assist them in selecting the appropriate long-term program. Every effort is made to ensure that both the needs of the participant and the community are met during the internship. All volunteers, regardless of the focus they choose, spend some of their time teaching English as a second language. 
 
Integrated Thailand Long-term Programs

Opportunities are available for volunteers in Thailand to combine project work after the first week of orientation and training into an integrated program.  A minimum six week commitment is required for an Integrated Overseas Volunteer Program in Thailand.  Please contact the GSC headquarters, where the Thailand Program Coordinator can work with you to select the best integrated option.