Aid work in struggling countries?

ok, so ive been thinking for a while now about doing some aid work in indonesia or the philipenes or something. i really want to speak to some people who have done similar stuff round the world. my darling mother says its not a good idea now or in the next few years because of risk, but isnt that half the fun and expreience? anyway she has no say in this methinks
has anyone done anything similar or anything? id love to get an idea of what it would be like to travel and help out the less fortunate at the same time. apparently its one of the most beneficial things you could ever do...

I propose that you could probably deliver more aid to these people by getting a very well paying job and turning all your money over to a reputable aid charity/organization (haven't made up my mind which ones I trust)

thats very very true... also with the charity organisations and which ones to trust.
the likelihood of me landing a high paid job is highly unlikely. i figure the only thing i have to offer them is myself and the life skills im so lucky to have.
i want to teach a child to smile

my sister has been trying to get into aid work overseas and found it really hard. I don't know if it was just specific to what she wants to do but they told her she needs a phd to be allowed over there. Which she proceeded to do and is just finishing now so hopefully then she'll get to go.

But perhaps teaching? might be worth looking at it from that angle? Ring some of the organisations and find out. It's a very noble thing to do.

Hi Sarah,

What you want to do is very important, and I hope that you get to achieve this.

I understand what you and Astar mean about trust worthy charities but IMO you can be assured that the majority of them are registered and are trying to make a difference. However, many of them do spend a lot of the money raised to cover the administration costs, and these are the ones I tend to have most trouble with.

Nevertheless, the big charities like Action Aid are very good, but smaller ones also play a vital role so check out all the options. Also, have a good look around on the net, there is a host of info available on this. There are plenty of opportunities to do conservation work in the Phillipines and Indonesia, but I get the impression you really want to be involved in human relief. Maybe you should look into what's involved in joining 'Medecins Sans Frontiers', who really are the front line in relief for the hungry and ill.

Good luck

Get a group of like minded friends together make some money in a fun way, through some dance parties or some-thing. Then do a circus tour in a refugee camp. You'll make people smile who haven't had the chance to in a long while. Don't think of giving aid but think what you can give to people who are in need. Laughter and joy are great gifts that should be given freely and are not outside any-ones capasity. Leave the NGO's to they're own misgivings and sponser your self and what you can give. You'll only get smiles in return but that's enough for every-one.

http://www.ivsgbn.demon.co.uk/

this is a great place to find out about unpaid workcamps abroad - they do all sorts of work in all sorts of countries. I taught city kids from the Bronx about river ecology in a tall ship on the Hudson River in New York in 2001. My sister taught English to Turkish kids but they have some more adventurous things in more obscure places too. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

NB This isn't paid work; you pay your flight and an admin fee but you get food and board and meet loads of interesting people.