Volunteer Vacations: House Building in Tijuana - 2

Voluntourism Opportunities

Volunteer travel opportunities, also known as voluntourism, have grown in recent years as people have gained awareness of world problems and have wanted to couple that awareness with travel. Do an online search for “volunteer travel” to find pages of search results of numerous organizations dedicated to these kinds of opportunities. Such trips can be as short as one week or as long as several months.

The two organizations I worked with charge about $100 per day, per person, for the experience to cover food and shelter for volunteers and pay for building materials. This is not typical, however. Habitat for Humanity trips, excluding airfare, average $140 to $170 per day, per person depending on location, and some organizations cost even more.

Though the construction was difficult work, it was well worth it when the families we helped thanked us for what we had done as they prepared to move into their new shelter. I enjoyed getting to know the Mexican family members we worked with.

It seemed impossible that a family could live a hut made of cow dung until I saw it. Likewise, before I went to Tijuana for the first time, it seemed impossible that gut-wrenching poverty could exist just south of the U.S. border. For those we served in Tijuana, perhaps having a roof over their heads provides a little magic. Being a small part of making a difference in their lives was magical for me.