Step IV: Preparing for volunteer work and for living in Latin America

Some steps in preparing are obvious, like getting a plane ticket, so we won't belabor them here. None the less, you should make sure that you have prepared the following things:

1. Money. In most countries in Latin America, ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) are now common, so you need only make sure that your bank card works on the Plus or Cirrus system. Oddly, Brasil is the exception to this rule: it is often difficult to find international machines except at central offices of the Banco do Brasil. We suggest that you take some cash, some travelers checks (dollars are more easily exchanged that pounds or euros), and several credit cards (Mastercard and Visa are the most common).
2. Health. Check to see if your health care plan covers international travel; if not, there are several reputable companies that offer inexpensive travel insurance. Take the advise of your national health service on immunization and prophylactic medication: working on the streets, in dumps, and in sewers is not healthy!
3. Safety. Most Latin American cities are no more dangerous that New York or Paris, but one should take the usual precautions. Ask locals which are the unsafe parts of the city. Lock your bags. When you are in public, look like you know what you are doing -- especially when you don't. There are several cities where one should take particular care, especially Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Lima, and anyplace in Colombia.
4. Housing. It is easy to worry about this issue, but there is no real need. People at the program where you will be volunteering will almost certainly be glad to help you find housing. Apartments are seldom expensive, but if you can find a room in someone's home, you'll probably save money and have a better experience. Even if your hosts don't ask, please offer to pay rent or help with the bills! If you can't arrange housing before you arrive, don't worry; two or three nights in an inexpensive hostal will not break your budget.
5. Language. Work on your Spanish or Portuguese before you leave home! It will make your life much easier once you get there.
6. Communications. Make sure that you can access your email account from an internet café. Check on prices of phone calls -- sometimes it is cheaper to call from Latin America, sometimes from Europe or the United States. Be aware that mail is often inefficient or expensive (Brasil is an exception). In Colombia, don't count on sending or receiving mail; the post office just doesn't work.
7. Other issues. It is important to be intellectually prepared for the work that you will be doing, because most Latin American organizations do not understand social services in the same way that Europeans and Americans do. We have prepared an essay on understanding social services for street kids in Latin America. We also suggest that you read books on the history, culture, and literature of the country where you will work as a volunteer, as well as taking the omnipresent guidebooks.

Meredith Fabian, a Shine a Light Fellow in 2003 and a volunteer with São Martinho (Rio de Janeiro), includes valuable advice for volunteers in an essay that you can download here.

Move on to Step V: Going Home and Following Through

1. Finding the right program for you
2. Contacting the organization
3. Waiting... and arranging the details of the trip
4. Preparing for volunteer work and for living in Latin America
5. Returning home and follow-up