Volunteer with Children
Knowledge is power
Whether it’s helping a child solve a maths problem, score a goal or finish reading their first book, when you volunteer with children you have a direct impact on their education, well-being and future employability.
Your volunteer work with children can make a real, measurable difference in the development, empowerment and education of children and young people, while giving you the opportunity to develop and hone your professional skills.
What to expect from volunteering with children
GVI has partnered with schools and community organisations across various locations, where you can volunteer with children in a way that is ethical, safe and responsible. All our projects are run in partnership with local educational and child-focused organisations and are guided by the development objectives of the community and robust ethical standards.
When you volunteer with children – also sometimes called childcare volunteering – you provide care and support to children in various stages of their childhood development. You might volunteer with children in schools, daycare centres or community centres. Volunteers working with children engage in a variety of activities that promote children’s physical, emotional and cognitive development, while also ensuring their safety and well-being. This includes:
- general teaching and tutoring
- creating curriculums
- assisting with homework
- facilitating reading classes
- providing English language skills
- organising recreational activities
- running physical exercise lessons
- coaching sport teams
- raising awareness about sustainability topics
- facilitating health and wellness workshops
GVI operates childhood volunteer programs on four continents:
When you join one of GVI’s volunteer programs, you will work alongside local teachers, carers and childhood development experts from within the community you are serving. Our programs and projects are community-led and community-owned initiatives, developed around local objectives and contexts. Projects are operated, on-the-ground and year round, permanently staffed to ensure continuity and minimal disruption to children’s learning experiences.
Why does volunteer work with children matter?
It is still an unfortunate reality that children in communities across the world do not always have the full-time access to resources, education or care that they need. Children face challenges such as poverty, social isolation, access to healthcare, and educational inequality. Volunteers working as teachers, tutors, coaches, or development assistants, help provide the additional access and resources children might need, ultimately promoting greater equity and social justice, and helping to build stronger, healthier communities.
GVI’s volunteering with children programs also directly contributes towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, situating our volunteer work with children within a broader global network of experts that help guide and frame our project work.
Will I receive training to volunteer with children?
Yes! As a volunteer working with children, you don’t need to have a specific qualification or have previous experience working with children. Every project provides orientation and comprehensive training that’s led by experts, and will get you up to speed on everything you need to know before you start volunteering with children.
As you will be interacting with children daily and be partly responsible for their emotional and physical wellbeing, it is vital that all our volunteers and staff understand how to keep children safe. All our volunteers and staff receive comprehensive and continuous on-site child protection training.
Depending on the type of volunteer work you do, you will also receive specialised practical training in teaching, tutoring or early childhood development.
You will also get first-hand project implementation experience working in the sustainable development sector.
Volunteering with children also offers numerous opportunities for personal and professional growth. Here are some employability skills volunteering with children will teach you:
- communication
- active listening
- problem-solving
- leadership
- teamwork and collaboration
- empathy and compassion
- social consciousness
Responsible volunteering to safeguard children
Child safety is our top priority:
- All our staff and volunteers are required to complete a police background check before arrival on their chosen program.
- GVI does not support orphanage volunteering in any of our locations. For more information please read our stance on orphanage volunteering.
We regularly review and update our comprehensive Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy based on international best practices.
Our programs
