Where and How to Volunteer Abroad with Refugees in 2025

In today’s world of constant connectivity, it can be hard to avoid seeing heartbreaking stories in the news and social media. The ongoing refugee crisis is a frequent topic with especially distressing images. If you’re someone with a strong desire to help, there are fortunately many ways to volunteer abroad and support refugees, asylees, and migrants.

Keep in mind, that traveling abroad to volunteer with vulnerable people may not always be the most impactful way to help. If there aren’t projects available that utilize your particular skills, there are still opportunities (at home!) to help through educational campaigns, activism, and fundraising. Read on to learn how you can find refugee volunteer opportunities around the world (and in your own community, too!).

Unlike immigrants who choose to relocate to another country, refugees are individuals who are forced to flee their country for fear of persecution, violence, or war. Ethnic, tribal, or religious violence and war are among the most common reasons people are forced to leave their homes.

Refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, and Sudan make up 73% of the world’s refugee population. The majority of refugees want to return to their homes when it’s safe.

Here are some other terms you may come across when looking for volunteer opportunities in refugee camps:

• Internally displaced person (IDP): IDPs are forced to leave their homes but never leave their country. They often are displaced due to natural disasters or internal strife. Volunteer organizations like All Hands and Hearts assist people displaced due to hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, and more.
• Asylum seeker: Asylum seekers are people who have fled to another country and applied for refugee protection once abroad. Many asylum seekers are seeking protection for political reasons. Persecution in their home country must be well-founded to receive asylum.
• Migrant: Economic migrants leave their countries seeking work opportunities. Often they face poverty and a lack of resources in their home country. The journeys migrants face are dangerous and sometimes deadly. In 2023, over 8,500 migrants died en route to a better opportunity.

There are many ways to help refugees abroad. Whether you volunteer in a refugee camp or with refugees, asylees, and migrants in the community, a range of skills are in demand.

• Specialized skills: If you speak the population’s language fluently, there are often volunteer opportunities for translation and interpreting.
• Licensed professionals: Doctors, nurses, psychologists, dentists, and medics are often needed to volunteer in refugee camps where there are large groups of people requiring care.
• General duties: Non-medical volunteers can help by making and serving meals, providing childcare, leading games and activities, teaching English, and sorting and distributing donations.
• Fundraising and advocacy: If going abroad isn’t possible but you still want to help, you can participate in raising funds and advocating for refugees. More on this below!

When choosing a project, carefully consider your skills while keeping in mind that refugees are an extremely vulnerable group. Your focus should always be on how they will benefit from the experience rather than your own gains.

There are several ways to volunteer abroad with refugees and in refugee camps. Here are two of the most common:

International aid organizations not only raise money for refugees but they also recruit skilled volunteers. These positions often require a long-term commitment (1 month or more) and several years of experience and/or education in the volunteer area. Opportunities with international organizations abroad are usually competitive.

If you want to volunteer at a refugee camp or with refugees in the community, international organizations and non-profits to check out include:

Volunteer program providers work with local organizations abroad to create projects aimed at helping local refugee and migrant populations. To participate, you will usually pay a program fee. This fee generally covers housing, some or all meals, support before and during the project, and more depending on the organization.

GO has several volunteer program providers that have been rated and reviewed by real participants. Here are some of the opportunities to explore for volunteering abroad with refugees.

Since 2011, war, political violence, and natural disasters have forced 14 million Syrians to leave their homes. Around 7 million people are internally displaced within the country while the other half fled to the neighboring countries of Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan. Outside of the Middle East, Germany hosts the largest community of Syrian refugees comprised of over 800,000 people.

A small percentage of Syrian refugees live in refugee camps. The majority are living in poverty in rural and urban areas, lacking access to healthcare, education, and jobs. Check out these opportunities to volunteer with Syrian refugees living in the community in Germany and Turkey.

The Excellence Center in Halle (Saale), Germany provides English and German lessons and integration support to Syrian refugees living in the area. Volunteers can help Syrians learn language skills to increase their job prospects and can offer a hand of friendship to newcomers trying to recover from the trauma they’ve faced.

Happiness Volunteers runs volunteer programs teaching English or computer skills or sports coaching in Istanbul or Bursa. You’ll work with children who have lost one or both of their parents due to the war. Language lessons focus on conversational skills to help kids build English fluency that will position them for better opportunities in the future. Kindness, sensitivity, and a sense of humor are a must!

The situation in Palestine is highly emotive and complex. The scale of suffering and destruction ongoing in Gaza is massive and the death toll continues to rise. Around 1.5 million people have been displaced to refugee camps in neighboring countries but also to the West Bank, a Palestinian territory bordering Jordan, east of Gaza.

Currently, volunteer work in Palestine is underway and conditions in the West Bank where most programs are based are considered safe. The following two providers take the safety of their volunteers very seriously and offer 24/7 support before and during the program.

The Excellence Center not only serves refugees in Germany, but they also support Palestinian refugees in the West Bank. Their program is well-established and highly rated on GO for the organization, support, and overall experience. Cultural exchange and understanding is a core objective of the organization and volunteers feel embraced by the Palestinian people.

Volunteers can work with refugees from the 19 camps alone in Hebron, West Bank through The Excellence Center’s Palestinian Refugees Volunteer Program. Depending on your skills and qualifications, you can help by providing medical care, teaching math or English, running skills workshops, organizing activities for children, and more. All classes, language tutoring, and events are free for refugees so the center depends on volunteers to bring their talent and knowledge.

Through Go Palestine, volunteers can help support Palestinian women and children in refugee camps in the West Bank. Volunteers working with adults will primarily teach English or other academic skills. If you choose to work with kids, you’ll be doing anything from teaching English, planning fun events, playing sports and games, doing art projects, and above all, spreading joy in any way you can. Smiles and laughter are a universal language and are especially important for kids whose childhoods have been splintered by war.

If you have specialized skills or knowledge to share, Go Palestine welcomes volunteers to plan their own workshops. For example, a past volunteer organized an academic writing workshop for Palestinian students at the university in Hebron.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2021, over 6.7 million people have fled to countries across Europe. Poland currently hosts nearly a million refugees followed by the Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia who all provide refuge for over 100,000 people.

In Poland, Global Volunteers organizes English camps for Ukrainian and Polish children from June to August. Volunteers make learning English fun through drama, art, games, and conversation practice. The summer program allows Ukrainian children to make Polish friends, improve their spoken English and Polish, and best of all, be kids.

From September to May, Global Volunteers hosts women and children at their respite manor house. Volunteers will help organize games, events, and meals while providing comfort, relaxation, and friendship to Ukrainian refugees. Volunteers can also help sort and distribute supplies and donations.

Due to its location on the Mediterranean, Greece has been a major first port of call for individuals fleeing war, conflict, and economic uncertainty on boats. A large portion of these individuals come from Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Eritrea. In 2024, over 58,000 people arrived in Greece, 25% of whom were children.

IVHQ, a trusted volunteer provider, runs a Community Support project that seeks to provide services, employment assistance, and education, and to create a safe space for refugees in Athens. Volunteers can help by teaching English or academic subjects, conducting skills training, maintaining a community vegetable garden, coaching sports, raising awareness in the city, and more.

Uganda hosts more refugees than any other African nation. It’s estimated that they currently host over 1.7 million refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. As a country with 41% of its population living in poverty, the refugee crisis has stretched resources in Uganda considerably.

Go Volunteer Africa runs numerous programs to support both Ugandans and refugees. Aside from community and health projects, they emphasize helping refugees and local people learn agriculture and farming as a way to create a sustainable lifestyle. Even with no background in agriculture, you can work side-by-side with residents preparing the land, planting, and harvesting.

Going abroad to volunteer with refugees isn’t always the best or most practical option. There are plenty of ways to help at home though, either remotely or in your own community!

If you don’t have the time or money to travel abroad, you can contribute to the cause from home. To help refugees abroad, you can:

• Donate: If you have the financial ability, recurring or even one-time donations make a difference for refugees. Donate to trusted international organizations or research trustworthy NGOs through Charity Navigator.
• Fundraise: Fundraising is a great way to get the word out while supporting refugee organizations abroad financially. A few fundraising ideas include hosting a bake sale, doing a sponsored run or swim, or creating a social media campaign.
• Educate and advocate: Join forces with existing advocacy campaigns or start your own! Education can not only raise awareness of the scale of the refugee crisis but it can also encourage others to get involved.
• Write to elected officials: Unfortunately, refugee resettlement in the US is highly politicized. Write to your elected officials and/or the president to let them know you stand with refugees and that our country should, too!
• Content creation: Whether you’re writing articles, creating social media content, or designing digital fliers, your creative skills can help organizations raise awareness to causes.

These are just a few of the many opportunities out there. If you don’t see any remote volunteer positions with a particular charity, don’t hesitate to email them and ask.

Refugees are resettled all over the US and need support transitioning to life in a new country and culture. National and local programs provide education, training, help accessing services, housing set-up, transportation, meals, and more. Research what’s available in your community or check out some of these trusted organizations.

• International Rescue Committee (US): The IRC has offices in states across the US including Maryland, California, Kentucky, Texas, Iowa, Arizona, Montana, Florida, Kansas, New York, New Jersey, Idaho, Utah, Washington, Georgia, Colorado, and Virginia. Volunteers can participate in activities like youth mentoring, meal distribution, medical transport, English tutoring, and more.
• Red Cross (US): The Red Cross helps refugees, migrants, and asylees across the US through family reunification, disaster relief, and providing aid at the US-Mexico border. Contact your local chapter to find out how to help!
• Refugee Council (UK): Based in the UK, the Refugee Council has positions for skilled professionals as well as people with an interest in helping refugees and asylees.
• Americorps: If you want to engage in long-term service, earn a monthly stipend, and a completion award for student loans or further education, Americorps has projects across the US, some of which work with resettled refugee communities in the US. Their program Refugee & Immigrant Voices in Action (RIVA) in Iowa provides direct support, education, and training to new arrivals.

The refugee crisis is overwhelming but we can all work together to make a difference. Even small contributions add up! If you are sure to keep refugees’ best interests at heart while volunteering abroad or at home, your impact has the potential to support some of the world’s most vulnerable people.