Volunteer Opportunities
Find out how you can help by exploring the possibilities below
(click each title for more information)
Share your love of reading with members of small Bolivian communities and work as a Literacy Ambassador leading a book club in one of our libraries.
Several libraries have already implemented these clubs and they are so effective! Want to work with kids, adults and teachers to promote a love for reading and literacy? Then apply today for this volunteer position!
This position is located in rural communities around Sucre.
Responsibilities
- Coordinating and implementing book clubs
- Working closely with librarians to promote reading through creative and sustainable activities
- Utilizing books to create challenging and dynamic literacy lessons
- Organizing materials
- Contributing, where required, to the BiblioWorks website with updates on your project and your experiences
Requirements
- Intermediate level of Spanish – you will be working in communities where no English is spoken, and Spanish will often be a second language to Quechua.
- A minimum time commitment of 20 hours per week in the library with a minimum five week commitment.
- Previous experience in education.
- Strong initiative, as the position will have minimal supervision.
- Monetary means to pay for transport, accommodations, and food.
BiblioWorks does not charge a fee to international volunteers; we offer free volunteering in Sucre, Bolivia. However, given that we rely entirely upon donations and fundraising to keep us running day-to-day, we ask that you fundraise, where possible, a donation for the organization. This will go a long way towards helping us to reach our mission of bringing reading to the children of Bolivia. Please check out the fundraising guide for more details and suggestions for how you could fundraise, even if you are not currently based in your home country. BiblioWorks also does not provide any stipend or housing, however we are able to help volunteers locate low-cost housing. Please send your CV and a completed application form to volunteer@biblioworks.org. Feel free to send us any questions that you may have as we are keen to make the process of volunteering as clear as possible! Volunteer Application Form
Teach English to children in rural Bolivia.
Encourage a love of languages, learning, and literacy by giving English classes in a rural library. If you speak English fluently and enjoy teaching, this is the project for you!
This position is located in rural communities around Sucre.
Responsibilities
- Creating effective and dynamic 1-hour lessons for each group of students
- Preparing lesson plans in the office
- Organizing materials for classes
- Contributing, where required, to the BiblioWorks website with updates on your project and your experiences working with us
Requirements
- Previous experience in education or with children
- Fluency in English
- Strong initiative, as the position will have minimal supervision
- Intermediate level of Spanish desirable
- 20 hours weekly time commitment to the project, with a minimum five week commitment
- Monetary means to pay for transport, accommodations, and food
BiblioWorks does not charge a fee to international volunteers. However, given that we rely entirely upon donations and fundraising to keep us running day-to-day, we ask that you fundraise, where possible, a donation for the organization. This will go a long way towards helping us to reach our mission of bringing reading to the children of Bolivia. Please check out the fundraising guide for more details and suggestions for how you could fundraise, even if you are not currently based in your home country. BiblioWorks also does not provide any stipend or housing, however we are able to help volunteers locate low-cost housing.
Please send your CV and a completed application form to volunteer@biblioworks.org. Feel free to send us any questions that you may have as we are keen to make the process of volunteering as clear as possible!
Help us empower women in the Bolivian countryside!
Fight illiteracy by helping women reach an age-appropriate level of writing and reading in Spanish. If you are excited to share your passion for teaching, this is the position for you!
This position is located in rural communities around Sucre.
Responsibilities
- Creating effective and dynamic 2-hour lessons for each group of students
- Preparing lesson plans in the office
- Organizing materials for classes
- Contributing, where required, to the BiblioWorks website with updates on your project and your experiences working with us
Requirements
- Previous teaching experience
- Advanced Spanish required
- Strong initiative, as the position will have minimal supervision.
- 20 hours weekly time commitment to the project, with a minimum five week commitment
- Monetary means to pay for transport, accommodations, and food
BiblioWorks does not charge a fee to international volunteers. However, given that we rely entirely upon donations and fundraising to keep us running day-to-day, we ask that you fundraise, where possible, a donation for the organization. This will go a long way towards helping us to reach our mission of bringing reading to the children of Bolivia. Please check out the fundraising guide for more details and suggestions for how you could fundraise, even if you are not currently based in your home country. BiblioWorks also does not provide any stipend or housing, however we are able to help volunteers locate low-cost housing.
Please send your CV and a completed application form to volunteer@biblioworks.org. Feel free to send us any questions that you may have as we are keen to make the process of volunteering as clear as possible!
Help us spread the word about BiblioWorks and share what we are doing to promote education and literacy!
We would like to document our work in our rural libraries and are looking for volunteers who can shoot and edit video to create clips to be shared on our website and on social media. We are flexible and can work with your travel schedule.
This position is located in rural communities around Sucre.
Responsibilities
- Coordinate with our office staff to determine which library to visit and when.
- Shoot and edit video.
Requirements
- Own equipment.
- Filming and editing experience.
- Solid experience with video editing software.
- Able to quickly process, interpret and communicate information through text, video and visuals.
- Basic to intermediate level of Spanish (or better).
- Strong initiative, as the position will have minimal supervision.
- Monetary means to pay for transport, accommodations, and food.
BiblioWorks does not charge a fee to international volunteers. However, given that we rely entirely upon donations and fundraising to keep us running day-to-day, we ask that you fundraise a donation for the organization. This will go a long way towards helping us to reach our mission of bringing reading to the children of Bolivia. Please check out the fundraising guidefor more details and suggestions for how you could fundraise, even if you are not currently based in your home country. BiblioWorks also does not provide any stipend or housing, however we are able to help volunteers locate low-cost housing.
Please send your CV and a completed application form to volunteer@biblioworks.org. Feel free to send us any questions that you may have as we are keen to make the process of volunteering as clear as possible!
Direct BiblioWorks’ communications and volunteers and gain valuable nonprofit experience!
Position available in 2017. Apply now!
Looking for a meaningful opportunity to gain nonprofit experience and make an impact? Join BiblioWorks’ outstanding team to manage communications and the volunteer program. Help us attract funds and volunteers to bring libraries and a love of reading to even more Bolivian children. You’ll improve your social media, leadership and people skills!
This position requires at least a three month time commitment. You will be based in Sucre but will travel to all of the libraries as often as possible.
Responsibilities
- Manage BiblioWorks’ communications
- Work with Director to maintain website and blog, manage Facebook and Twitter strategy.
- Help BiblioWorks Director with communication in English translation
- Grant writing and fundraising
- Writing content for grant proposals.
- Run online funding campaigns for specific funding goals.
- Direct volunteer program
- Recruit, orient, and place new volunteers
- Supervise volunteers in the office and in the field
- Ensure completion of all requirements in Volunteer Contract (blog posts, record keeping, etc).
- Participate actively in BiblioWorks office activities
Requirements
- A minimum time commitment of 25 hours per week in the office and field with a minimum three month commitment (6 month-1 year highly preferred)
- Intermediate level of Spanish and English
- Experience with coordination and leadership
- Strong initiative, as the position will have minimal supervision
- Previous experience in grant writing, fundraising, or social media is highly desirable
- Photography/videography experience a huge plus
- Monetary means to pay for transport, accommodations, and food
BiblioWorks does not charge a fee to international volunteers. However, given that we rely entirely upon donations and fundraising to keep us running day-to-day, we ask that you fundraise a donation for the organization. This will go a long way towards helping us to reach our mission of bringing reading to the children of Bolivia. Please check out the fundraising guide for more details and suggestions for how you could fundraise, even if you are not currently based in your home country. BiblioWorks also does not provide any stipend or housing, however we are able to help volunteers locate low-cost housing.
Please send your CV and a completed application form to volunteer@biblioworks.org. Feel free to send us any questions that you may have as we are keen to make the process of volunteering as clear as possible!
Execute your own project to improve literacy in Bolivia
BiblioWorks has an amazing track record of creative and talented volunteers. We encourage self-driven projects and are always surprised and excited about our volunteers’ ideas. If you’re up to the challenge of executing your own project, you’re more than welcome to! We only ask that you commit to five weeks of work with us, and that you are dedicated to making your project sustainable. Your project is only as good as it can sustain itself.
We strongly believe that a new project is most effective if the creator lives at the project site.
Here are some ideas – get creative!
- Organizing events to sell books or promote reading habits
- Looking for more local funding
- Helping to strengthen library committees; planning and organizing community events
- Working one-on-one with teachers to help them make greater use of the libraries
- Making contacts in municipal governments and district educational offices with a view to opening new libraries
- Creating new games, activities to promote reading, and materials
- Organizing a cultural activity among all of the libraries to be held in the city of Sucre or in one of the libraries
- Painting murals in the libraries
- Creating reading clubs, eco clubs, music clubs, English clubs, etc., both in the city of Sucre and in the libraries
Responsibilities & Requirements
- Creating a dynamic and sustainable project that benefits BiblioWorks
- Weekly written reviews of project
- Organizing materials
- Previous experience with the subject of the project
- Strong initiative, as the position will have minimal supervision.
- Intermediate level of Spanish desirable
- 20 hours weekly time commitment to the project, with a minimum five week commitment
- Monetary means to pay for transport, accommodations, and food
BiblioWorks does not charge a fee to international volunteers. However, given that we rely entirely upon donations and fundraising to keep us running day-to-day, we ask that you fundraise a donation for the organization. This will go a long way towards helping us to reach our mission of bringing reading to the children of Bolivia. Please check out the fundraising guide for more details and suggestions for how you could fundraise, even if you are not currently based in your home country. BiblioWorks also does not provide any stipend or housing, however we are able to help volunteers locate low-cost housing.
Please send your CV and a completed application form to volunteer@biblioworks.org. Feel free to send us any questions that you may have as we are keen to make the process of volunteering as clear as possible!