Volunteering Organisations
Below is a list of organisations who provide volunteering opportunities. This is intended to provide a useful starting point as you begin to explore the different opportunities available to you.
This list is not exhaustive and the Scottish Global Health Co-ordination Unit is not specifically recommending any of these organisations.
Please also see our Health Partnership pages for further information on how to get involved.
| Organisation | Host Country | Description | Countries | Sectors | Eligibility | Further information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King’s Global Health Partnerships | UK | Volunteer to connect with health professionals to provide teaching and training, mentoring and hands-on support (including virtual opportunities ) | UK, Somaliland, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia | Health | NHS staff | www.kcl.ac.uk/kghp/volunteering |
| The Wood Foundation | Scotland | Supports young people from Scotland to make a difference by supporting communities while developing their own skillsets. | Scotland, Africa | Youth global citizenship | Groups and individuals local to the North-east of Scotland | https://www.thewoodfoundation.org.uk/developing-young-people-in-scotland/volunteering-overseas/ |
| Smileawi | Scotland | To provide basic and safe dentistry in Northern Malawi. | Malawi | Health | Qualified dentists and dental nurses. Volunteers trained in basic dental nursing skills | http://smileawi.com/ |
| Mercy Ships | Global | Faith based organisation which deploys hospital ships to some of the poorest countries in the world. | Global | Health | Doctors, nurses, cooks, teachers, receptionists, mechanics, IT specialists, engineers and cleaners. | https://www.mercyships.org.uk/serve-onboard/volunteer/ |
| The Vine Trust | Global | Enables volunteers to provide medical care and homes for communities living in severe poverty in Tanzania and Peru. | Tanzania, Peru | Health | Medical or dental skills on our remarkable floating healthcare projects | http://www.vinetrust.org |
| Crickett without boundaries | UK | A UK charity that uses cricket as a vehicle for delivering health and social messages. Our two-week long trips to Africa is made up of 8-10 volunteers. | Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda | Health | General sports enthusiasts, qualified or unqualified, for projects in Spring and Autumn. | http://www.cricketwithoutboundaries.com/ |
| Concern | NI | Concern works in over 50 countries, responding to major emergencies as well as implementing long term development programmes. | Global | Poverty | If you are passionate about tackling global hunger and enjoy motivating people to act locally in small and big ways, we want to hear from you. | https://www.concern.org.uk/become-concern-ambassador |
| EUAVI | The EUAVI provides opportunities for EU citizens and long-term residents living in the EU to volunteer in humanitarian projects worldwide | Global | Poverty | https://comhlamh.org/euvacancies/ | ||
| Habitat for Humanity | UK | We believe that by connecting communities from around the world, we move closer to a world where everyone, everywhere has a decent place to call home. | Global | Housing | Habitat for Humanity works with schools, universities, corporations and groups to deliver volunteer programs | https://www.habitat.org/emea/volunteer |
| UK-Med | UK | UK Med recruits a wide range of medical professionals from all specialties to form a register of qualified NHS staff able to deploy in an emergency | Global | Health | NHS professionals from all specialties to form a register to deploy in an emergency. | www.uk-med.org/join-us |
| Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF) | Global | Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict. | Global | Health | Proven professional experience after registration (ST2+ level equivalent), 3 months volunteering or travel experience | https://www.msf.org.uk/ |
| Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) | Global | Embeds UK health workers in partner organisations, providing comprehensive financial, personal and professional support. | Global | Poverty, health, education | There is no specific list of qualifications. Many of the royal colleges have specific links and opportunities with VSO, so it is worth looking at the college website of your chosen specialty. | https://www.vsointernational.org/ |
| Raleigh International | Global | Two volunteering programmes: Expedition and ICS (International Citizen Service). Whether at school, taking a gap year, finished university or taking a break from work. | Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Nepal, Tanzania, Malayisa | Water and sanitation, youth, natural resource management | Raleigh runs two impactful volunteering programmes: Expedition and ICS (International Citizen Service). | https://raleighinternational.org/volunteer/ways-to-volunteer/ |
| Africa Health Placements | Global | The mission is to support and enhance healthcare systems in Africa, by finding, placing and retaining healthcare workers in rural and underserved areas. | South Africa | Health | Doctors, all specialities. | https://ahp.org.za/ |
| International Medical Corps | Global | To relieve the suffering of those suffering as a result of war, natural disaster and disease | Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Chad,DRC, Ethiopia, Guinea, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Gaza, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Afghanistan, Japan, Pakistan | Health, emergencies and post emergencies | Healthcare professionals. | https://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org.uk/ |
| Medicine du Monde | Global | MdM strives to help all men, women and children who have no access to healthcare because they cannot afford it or are denied their right to it. | Global | Health | 5 years of postgraduate experience. | https://www.medecinsdumonde.org/en |
| Christian Medical Foundation | Global | We connect with national Christian medical movements across the world. | Global | Nurses and doctors | https://www.cmf.org.uk/international/ | |
| The HOPE Foundation | UK | The Hope Foundation (HOPE) is a registered charity working with street-connected children in Kolkata, India | India | Child welfare | HOPE welcomes a large number of volunteers and visitors to our projects every year. | https://www.thehopefoundation.org.uk |
| Lamha Suas | Ireland | Supports girls in Uganda access education | Uganda | Education | All | http://lamhasuas.ie/ |
| Nuture Africa | Ireland | To nurture the mental, physical and emotional growth and well being of Ugandan HIV/AIDS infected and affected orphans and vulnerable children, and their HIV+ parents/guardians. | Uganda | Healthcare (Primary healthcare and specialist HIV | https://www.nurtureafrica.ie/our-projects | |
| Tearfund | Global | To help communities overcome the worst effects of poverty and disasters – we believe that the same people who face these issues, also have the best idea as to how they can overcome them. | Global | All | All, costs £1000- £3000, two weeks to three months | https://www.tearfund.org/en-SC/about_you/go_overseas/ |
| Umbrella Foundation | Ireland, Holland, Hong Kong, UK, USA, Australia | The Umbrella Foundation works to alleviate the impact of trafficking, poverty and war on children and their families in Nepal. | Nepal | Child welfare | Volunteer with the team in our NGO office in Kathmandu, Nepal. | http://umbrellanepal.org/volunteer/ |
| Viatores Christi | Ireland | We specialise in the recruitment, training and placement of skilled volunteers | Africa, Asia, South America | All | http://vcvolunteers.ie/ | |
| Voluntary Service International | Ireland | Irish branch of a worldwide peace movement to promote peace, social justice, sustainable development and intercultural understanding. | Global | All | All | https://www.vsi.ie/ |
| Directory of Irish volunteering organisations | Global | Directory of Irish agencies and NGOS which offer volunteering opportunities | Global | All | All | https://comhlamh.org/volops-directory/pg/2/ |
| Accounting for International Development | Global | AfID offers every type of accountant, from anywhere in the world the opportunity to use their skills to support a broad range of non-profit organisations globally. | Global | Voluntary organisation in all sectors. | Accountants | https://www.afid.org.uk/ |
| Friends of African Nursing | UK | Training, oriented to nursing staff, one week long and are delivered in a central venue, usually the capital city, recommended by the Ministry of Health. | Malawi, Seychelles, Lesotho, Ghana | Health | Nursing | http://www.foan.org.uk/ |
| H.E.L.P. | USA | H.E.L.P.’s mission is to develop the pathway for children living in rural regions of Africa to become integral members and leaders in society through quality education. H.E.L.P. is committed to cultivating the academic potential of each child through a comprehensive range of opportunities in primary school to prepare students for the next level of education and to support those efforts through secondary and tertiary school scholarships. | Rural regions in Africa | Education | All | www.helpchildren.org |
| On Call Africa | UK and Zambia | We recruit healthcare professionals to improve health outcomes for marginalised rural communities in Zambia by improving access to quality healthcare. | Zambia | Health, Health inequalities, Quality Improvement | Minimum requirement for doctors is completion of Foundation Year 2. We also look for public health professional with an interest in quality improvement. | www.oncallafrica.org |
| Defence Medical Services Reserves | UK | Reservists are dedicated individuals who volunteer their time to serve as members of the Armed Forces and take part in military and civil relief operations. Reservists can be involved in humanitarian health work around the world.
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Dependent on deployment | Military, humanitarian | Many NHS professions welcome, including clinical and non-clinical. More details available from Defence Medical Services Reserves. | DMSR website Defence Medical Services (Reserves) DMSR website Defence Medical Services (Reserves) Each NHS board has its own individual policy as regards reserves. Please check local practice. National policy document here: |