Volunteer In The Caribbean

Snorkeling, Waterfalls, Jungles
Teach English
Live By The Beach
Island Life
Extra Time With The Kids

Trip Highlights

Volunteering

Help Children Learn English

In this Humanitarian Program, you’ll be making a difference by helping children who come from limited means learn English. You’ll spend about a half day on volunteering and no experience is needed — we provide training on our teaching method!

Particularly in such a tourism-heavy country, speaking English opens many doors for their future.

The humanitarian aspect of your semester is particularly felt when teaching. Being in the classroom is always one of the most rewarding (and difficult) aspects of an ILP semester, but there are some unique challenges for volunteers in the Dominican Republic. This is one of the most challenging teaching locations due to a few factors.

A lot of the kids you are teaching are on their own for most of the day. They aren’t used to the routine and discipline found in the classroom (get ready for some major sass and shenanigans).

It will be helpful to remember that the kids you are teaching come from difficult backgrounds, and act out for your love and attention. Semester after semester, volunteers say that teaching was definitely the hardest but most rewarding part of their entire semester.

Help Children Learn English

In this Humanitarian Program, you’ll be making a difference by helping children who come from limited means learn English. You’ll spend about a half day on volunteering and no experience is needed — we provide training on our teaching method!

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Other Ways To Do Good

For volunteers who are proactive, there are so many ways for you to help outside of the classroom. We don’t have extra service projects already set up for you (like we do in our Uganda program) but some volunteers have organized their own service projects during their semester — we love seeing that!

We are connected with an incredible organization that has a mission aligned with ours, to do more in the DR than simply vacationing there. In the past, groups have fundraised money and worked with them to improve neighborhood homes: some needed a new roof and others got a fresh coat of paint.

There are also little ways to help. Especially in an area so popular with tourists, supporting locally owned businesses is a huge (and simple) way for you to make an impact.

We share info about small shops that volunteers have found and loved so that you can continue working with them, like Martin who sells beautiful rings out of his family’s home, or “JD, the leather man” who takes custom orders for purses, plus so many more places where you can feel good about spending your pesos. We’ll give you more details about your area before you depart, but you can find lots of tips like that in our blog.

Volunteers have also collected trash on the beach and spent time with residents of a rest home. There are ways to help if you look for them! This program in particular is a great fit if you’re interested in helping outside of the classroom.

Other Ways To Do Good

For volunteers who are proactive, there are so many ways for you to help outside of the classroom. We don’t have extra service projects already set up for you (like we do in our Uganda program) but some volunteers have organized their own service projects during their semester — we love seeing that! Read More

“It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but by far the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced.”

When you think of moving to the Dominican Republic for a semester, most people will think about relaxing on beaches with Caribbean blue waters. And yep, that will be a big part of your semester (which is a major perk of this program!), but you’ll get the chance to go beyond the tourist destination.

Volunteers headed to the Dominican Republic get to experience the culture and lifestyle that aren’t part of the tourist experience — which is both a challenge and the highlight of a semester here. Though the vacation spots here are certainly something to be so excited about, the kids truly will be your favorite part. Many volunteers say that once they were able to connect with the kids and community, the major challenges of the program (the heat, living with a large group, the challenges of teaching, dealing with the bugs, etc.) were really put into perspective. It is incredibly humbling when you consider the living situations and circumstances of the children you teach.

Even though the kids you teach and interact with in the neighborhood will likely be the most difficult part of your semester, they wiggle their way into your heart. They adore you and will often be playing in the street outside your house, eager to spend time with you.

The neighborhood is highly impoverished which means there are not many resources for the kids. Being here to be a friend, support system, and role model adds to your role as an English teacher in this particular program. We hope you’ll be able to see the difference it makes to be here as a part of the community and also how this experience can challenge you in ways you didn’t anticipate.

“It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but by far the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced.”

When you think of moving to the Dominican Republic for a semester, most people will think about relaxing on beaches with Caribbean blue waters. And yep, that will be a big part of your semester (which is a major perk of this program!), but you’ll get the chance to go beyond the tourist destination. Read More

Experiences In + Around The DR

You don’t even have to travel to get to a vacation destination because you’re already living in one! The Dominican Republic is the most visited island in the Caribbean by far and for good reason. You can whale watch, play in waterfalls, ride horses through the mountainous countryside, snorkel, and so much more. Puerto Plata’s stretch of sandy beaches attracts tourists from around the globe.

While you’re already living in a beautiful area, volunteers do have vacation time and every weekend to explore surrounding areas as well. Most choose to stay in the DR for their vacations because there’s more than enough to see and do. However, you can also take a trip to other nearby Caribbean islands like Turks and Caicos and Puerto Rico if you want.

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The summer that changed my heart, the summer that all the little ninos became my best friends and the DR became my home. i have learned so much and felt so much joy, i love this place and the people here with my whole heart.

Tate

Living in the dominican republic these past 3 months i have felt so many different emotions happy, sad, exhausted, excited, homesick, content, all the emotions but the one that i have felt stronger then any of the others is love!

Anna

This summer I spent countless hours teaching my kids English, but the truth is they taught me more then I could ever teach them … Yeah, it was hard and kinda crazy. But if I could go back, I wouldn’t change a second.

Emery

My first week in the DR!!! It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but by far the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced. I love this place.

Makenley

Safe to say it was the best three months of my life

Londin