Volunteer Work with Children

Go abroad, teach early childhood skills, and gain real work experience

With Projects Abroad, you can do voluntary work with children, and help give them the skills they need to thrive during their early childhood. You’ll work directly with local teachers and caregivers, encouraging young children to learn through educational activities and games, and build your own skills along the way.

This is what you can expect when you volunteer with children abroad:

Work within a community-based care system
Get to know more about Early Childhood Development, and how to implement it
Plan and run activities and games to teach things like motor skills and teamwork
Learn directly from the professional teachers and caregivers you work with
Get a deeper understanding of the global challenges children face
Develop real skills and grow your confidence, independence, and adaptability

We also have placements where you can volunteer with children who have special needs, and help their caregivers by providing extra support.

By working with children, you’ll become part of a team striving to give disadvantaged children more opportunities in life. You can also rest assured that you’ll be part of an ethical programme where you can make a real impact. Each of our Childcare Projects is guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Our childcare volunteer opportunities are flexible and can be adjusted to your level of experience. It’s a safe and sociable way to give back to vulnerable communities, or gain work experience with children.

Choose a childcare volunteer project

Frequently Asked Questions

Is volunteer work with children right for me?

Our childcare projects are ideal for volunteers like you who care deeply about helping children in developing communities, want a social and enjoyable travel experience, and are looking to step out of their comfort zone.

You don’t need previous childcare experience, just the drive to help every child access the care that many of us take for granted. Our staff will be there to make sure you have everything you need to succeed at your placement.

Volunteering with children can also give you the childcare work experience you need to push your studies or career forward. Having international experience will strengthen your CV and will give you great discussion points in interviews and essays. It will also help you to decide if you want to pursue working with children professionally.

If you want to work with children, but feel a childcare project isn’t right for you, you may be interested in:

See a full list of our volunteer abroad projects.

What will I gain from working with children?

As a volunteer working with children, you’ll contribute to global educational initiatives while developing your own skills.

Here are just some of the benefits that our previous volunteers talk about:

Soft skills like teamwork, leadership, resilience, organisation, planning, and time management
Experience in childcare and Early Childhood Development (ECD)
The ability to work and empathise with people of different cultures and backgrounds, helping to develop a global mindset
Confidence from pushing past your comfort zone

All of the above will enhance your CV, university applications, and your personal development.

Why does volunteering with children matter?

Early childhood development, educational support, and specialised therapy can be areas of real need in developing countries. In many communities around the world, children and those with special needs – some of the most vulnerable groups in society – lack access to these services. By working with children abroad, you’ll work on educational initiatives led by local experts and improve the education of children around the world.

How are our childcare projects different?

At Projects Abroad, our priorities are your safety and the benefit to the communities we work with. You are fully supported on a project that is ethical and guided by local needs. Here’s just a few elements of our work that set it apart from other volunteer projects:

Be fully supported by staff

We don’t expect our volunteers to be education or childcare experts. On our childcare projects, you’ll work alongside members of the local community and Projects Abroad staff. They will help you plan your work and be on hand to advise you as and when you need help. They’ll also pick you up from the airport and be there to support you 24/7 on the ground.

Projects that have an impact

All of our projects where we work with children are well researched, targeted, and sustainable. We are guided by local stakeholders so that our resources can be allocated where they are most needed.

This local guidance helps us stand apart from other volunteer projects. Bringing this level of local, professional strategic thinking to each project is a crucial part of making sure that our volunteers and the communities we serve both get the outcomes they need.

Ever year, we publish an impact report that details the numbers behind our volunteering projects, and the real effect we’ve had on communities.

Where can I volunteer abroad to work at an orphanage?

With Projects Abroad, you won’t be able to volunteer at an orphanage. In the past, our volunteers have worked with children at orphanages and residential care homes. They’ve done incredible work at these placements and helped improve living conditions there. They worked hard to create opportunities for children by supporting their education and care.

However, we’ve decided to move our focus away from orphanages and homes toward community and family-based care. This is because we believe stable family environments are best for the children we work with.

This means that instead of volunteering in orphanages, our volunteers work in placements like:

Daycare centres
Kindergartens
Schools
Support groups for the elderly and mothers and babies

This helps Projects Abroad build stronger relationships with local communities and – most importantly – help families stay together and flourish.

Our Child Protection Policy

We take the safety of the children and young people we work with very seriously. That’s why we’ve put together a comprehensive Child Protection Policy.