Community Development
In an effort to expose our volunteers to the wide range of projects within the broad field of development, HELP International encourages volunteers to explore the needs within the communities they are working and develop responses in conjunction with local leaders. As a result, HELP volunteers spend much of their time in the communities working on a myriad of manual labor projects designed to help families and communities meet some of their immediate needs.
These projects may range from building houses for several families, painting a school, building desks for young students, starting a literacy class for the women in a village, or helping to build a community center. These community development projects offer volunteers a chance to work hand in hand with local leaders, explore local responses to poverty and need, and see both the good and challenging side of development.
Community development projects are often an opportunity for non-fluent volunteers to get heavily involved with local families. These projects rarely require proficient use of language skills (after initial planning has been taken care of), and non-fluent volunteers generally find these projects to be some of the most rewarding. In the past, volunteers have also commented that several of the community development projects and manual labor projects are especially rewarding because the results and initial impact are seen almost immediately, whereas several of our other educational projects are part of a long-term strategy.