So what are the areas you can support as a volunteer in Peru? Although the country's economy is growing, poverty is still a big issue, especially in rural areas of Peru. One way to help is to become a community volunteer and work directly with the people, supporting sustainable tourism and local workers. Another great way is to support a local NGO with your skills: Help them to help the people by becoming a business volunteer. Volunteers that contribute their work in South America to teaching can really make a long lasting difference in the improvement of the country's education by creating secure and productive learning environments for the rural areas of Peru.

Fighting poverty is one of the main areas where support is needed and a good opportunity for volunteers to help and come up with sustainable solutions, raise awareness and support the local social workers with their projects. In addition to that, volunteering in a local community is really diverse, so you'll be able to use your talents and skills in those areas where they can have the most impact. If you like working with animals and protecting them is important to you, volunteering in wildlife conservation might be a great way for you to discover Chile and your opportunity to do something meaningful at the same time. Among others, you'd be rehabilitating rescued animals and trying to reintroduce them to their natural habitat. Raising awareness and educating people plays a big role in all areas of animal care. The work of an environmental volunteer in Chile is really diverse, which makes it not only exciting but also means that you will be able to learn a lot. One of the areas you might be involved in is raising awareness for environmental issues by educating tourists and local people.

You'll find a number of reserves and protected areas in Ecuador. But sadly, there are still many species that are endangered. The Mountain Tapir, the Pacarana, different Whale species, the Giant Otter, the Amazonian Manatee, the Bush Dog, the Amazon River Dolphin and the Galapagos Fur Seal are only some species that urgently need protection. So how can you help? As a volunteer in South America you can, for example, support these reserves in Ecuador and work with local NGOs in the field of animal care. But also their habitat needs protection. Volunteers interested in environmental conservation can leave a lasting impact on the protection and research of the greatest rainforest habitat in the world - the Amazon rainforest. If you are more interested in working with people, there are several issues that Ecuador is facing as well. Volunteers coming from a medical background are desperately needed in the fight against infant mortality as well as infant malnutrition. Furthermore, there is the problem of understaffed schools and children living in remote areas won't usually attend to class. They need to work to sustain their families or aren't given access to education. As an education volunteer in Ecuador, you will give these children better opportunities to improve their quality of life.

Brazil is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and interesting countries regarding its nature and wildlife. However, it also has to face a set of environmental issues. The country's deforestation rate is the second highest worldwide, erasing huge parts of the ecosystem essential for removing carbon dioxide from the air every day. This also impacts the animals living in the Amazon, some of them rare or even threatened with extinction, because they're losing their habitat. As a volunteer in Brazil, you can support a social project dedicated to environmental conservation. Of course, you can also do your part to protect the wildlife of Brazil. Approximately 700 new animal species are discovered each year! When volunteering in wildlife conservation, you have the opportunity to help the researchers in taking care of these exciting new discoveries as well as of the animals that are endangered. However, not only the flora and fauna are in need of your support. As a community volunteer, you can help with the integration of people who have recently moved from poor areas into cities, build up communal vegetable gardens and parks, host fundraising events and lead English lectures.

Although the living standards in Argentina are generally good, they can vary outside of the big cities. This applies for example to healthcare. The access to good quality medical treatment is not guaranteed everywhere. The more remote the area is, the harder it gets to receive healthcare. This is why Argentina is a great destination for medical students who'd like to gain experience in a different work environment and help in the country's remote areas as a volunteer in healthcare. This work gives you the opportunity to gather data and study community and clinical health challenges, including both large-scale pandemics and rare illnesses. You may have the chance to observe surgeries and attend rounds with staff, as well as assisting with public health outreach and education. Volunteers who are interested in supporting local communities as a whole can find many opportunities in the areas of construction, gardening and after school child and youth care.