Twirl into tango, breathe in beauty at Iguazu Falls, and partake in palate-pleasing paradillas. Like a sultry siren, it’s no wonder that Argentina draws in visitors from around the world. So, if you’re looking to lend a hand and have fun, then “X” marks the spot in this South American country. With so many types of volunteer work in Argentina available from teaching to tree planting, you’re in the right place to discover the best cause that suits your interests.
Find your path to a meaningful adventure when you volunteer in Argentina.
Featuring mountains, deserts, jungles, glaciers, and much more, a kaleidoscope of backdrops awaits you in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. (Psst, keep in mind the seasons are flip-flopped since Argentina is in the southern hemisphere.) With an array of cities and rural areas, the needs vary widely all over the country, but we’ll give away the best places for each type of volunteering.
However you choose to volunteer in Argentina, you’re sure to have an adventure to remember! Without further ado…
11 popular types of volunteer work in Argentina
Ready to dive into the possibilities of where and how you can make a difference? ¡Vamos!
1. Education
Great if you…
- …want to have a positive impact on underprivileged youth.
- …can exude enthusiasm and patience.
- …dream of becoming a teacher one day.
Become a beacon of knowledge to light the way for future opportunities for low-income and disadvantaged youth. You’ll find many opportunities to teach English, French, math, science, and many other subjects, usually anywhere from a week to 12 weeks.
No experience? No problem! Many programs offer training ahead of time. Just a heads up that an intermediate level of Spanish may be a requirement, but some programs provide lessons in tandem with your volunteering.
You may also find paid volunteer work in Argentina available in the field of education to pocket some extra money or break even! You’ll also have extra time for excursions like walking tours, horseback riding, and boat rides.
- Best places for education volunteering: Buenos Aires, Cordoba
- Recommended program: IVHQ: Volunteer and Teach in Cordoba
2. Medicine
Great if you…
- …want to gain firsthand experience in health care.
- …can handle high-pressure environments and take direction well.
- …are interested in expanding your medical vocab in Spanish.
Shadow and support doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to get your finger on the pulse for patient care in Argentina. Whether you’re more of a city slicker or a country lover, medical volunteering programs are available in both areas in clinics and hospitals. You’ll have opportunities to assist with public health outreach and gain essential medical skills.
Your career in health care gets a head start when you gain on-the-ground experience.
Plus, you’ll find no shortage of medical or nursing internships available—they’re not a type of paid volunteer work in Argentina, but you may be able to earn college credit. And why not live with a host family to play some fútbol, enhance your español, and possibly enjoy home-cooked asado while you’re there? It’s just what the doctor ordered!
- Best places for medicine volunteering: Buenos Aires, rural areas
- Recommended program: Mente Argentina: Medical/Public Health Volunteer Program
3. Childcare & Children
Great if you…
- …have lots of energy and compassion for little ones.
- …love to play fútbol and hide and go seek!
- …want to serve as a positive influence for underprivileged children.
Be like Mary Poppins and swoop in to help put a smile on the faces of disadvantaged children enduring many challenges, such as homelessness, poverty, or troubled homes. Volunteering duties could involve preparing meals, playing games, visiting homes, and more. Just being there for them as a positive role model goes a long way in contributing to their development.
Some programs even encourage volunteers to arrange day trips for children—a great way to experience community events and gain leadership experience. Y más, you can also practice your Spanish-speaking skills with kiddos! You’ll find opportunities available from a week to six months, with some programs offering internship placements as well.
- Best places for childcare and children volunteering: Buenos Aires
- Recommended program: ELI Abroad: Volunteer at Centers for At-Risk Children in Buenos Aires
4. Animal Welfare
Great if you…
- …believe that animals > people.
- …don’t mind getting your “paws dirty.”
- …want to become a future vet yourself.
Are you ready to answer the call of your inner animal whisperer? Join a program to assist dogtors and meow-dical professionals at vets and sanctuaries as an animal welfare volunteer in Argentina. You could help rescue a wide range of both wild and domesticated animals from neglect or abuse. Or maybe helping conserve whales, pumas, or monkeys strikes your fancy?!
Gaucho is a pillar of Argentina’s culture, so horses are in great need too! Programs for horses abound for these trusty steeds involving rescue, refuges, and equine therapy. While animals have their own language, you’ll pick up Spanish with locals while you learn more about wildlife issues.
- Best places for animal welfare volunteering: Buenos Aires, Cordoba
- Recommended program: ELI Abroad: Horse Rescue in Argentina
5. Building & Construction Projects
Ready to pitch in? Volunteer in building and make a huge difference for a community.
Great if you…
- …don’t mind working up a sweat!
- …want to help bring communities together.
- …are interested in learning the nuts and bolts of construction.
If you enjoy seeing how your labors directly benefit others, then dig into building and construction volunteer work in Argentina. From building emergency shelters to renovating schools, your support will help create safer facilities for impoverished communities. These programs don’t require volunteers to have previous experience—so you’ll gain foundational skills in construction.
Other tasks may include painting, flooring, gardening, landscaping, and more. Plus, you could learn more about project and resource management. Many of the programs offer intensive Spanish classes, either as part of the program fee or as an add-on, so you could take your language skills to new heights too!
- Best places for building and construction projects volunteering: Buenos Aires, Cordoba
- Recommended program: IVHQ: Construction & Renovation Volunteering in Buenos Aires
6. Social Work
Great if you…
- …want to pursue a career in social work.
- …have a big heart.
- …are always ready to pitch in where you can.
Like many big cities, Buenos Aires struggles with societal challenges such as homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and chronic illnesses. In many ways, social workers are emotional lifelines for impoverished communities, and the need for them continues to grow. As a volunteer, you can help bridge that gap as you help improve living conditions for others.
Some tasks of a social worker include promoting awareness about health-related issues, leading recreational activities, and assisting families in need. And sí, social work internships are also available if you’re interested in growing your professional skills. In your free time, enjoy wandering the colorful neighborhoods and chowing down delicious empanadas!
- Best places for social work volunteering: Buenos Aires
- Recommended program: Connect-123: Global Internship & Volunteer Programs
7. Community Development
Great if you…
- …want to help develop impoverished communities.
- …are flexible with doing different tasks.
- …can give more with less.
Are you interested in building connections? As a community development volunteer in Argentina, your work may include increasing access to basic resources, improving children’s self-worth, empowering marginalized groups, and providing educational classes, to name a few possible areas of focus. You’re also bound to gain cultural knowledge as you work alongside the locals!
The tasks may also vary with some of the programs—one day you may be hosting a job skills workshop and the next you could be delivering vital supplies. The main goal is to help improve quality of life. Many community development providers will integrate Spanish lessons into the program and place you with a host family too!
- Best places for community development volunteering: Outskirts of Buenos Aires, Cordoba
- Recommended program: Love Volunteers: Community Development Project in Argentina
8. Environment
If you’re looking to get in touch with nature, you can’t beat doing volunteer work in Argentina.
Great if you…
- …love nature so much you’d live outside if you could.
- …have a passion for sustainability.
- …don’t mind rolling up your sleeves for hard work.
Why not answer the call from Mother Nature to plant some change? You could volunteer to help with farming, assist recycling endeavors, or promote sustainable tourism. Environmental volunteering programs branch into many areas! If you have a green thumb, you could also opt to help plant some seeds and teach kids more about gardening and conservation.
And yes, enjoying the environment in Argentina will likely be in the picture too! You may have the chance to zipline in a rainforest, ice-hike in Los Glaciares Park, or paraglide off cliffs.
Did we mention that some programs offer homemade farm-to-table meals? Yum! Almost all programs require volunteers to speak Spanish, but level requirements may vary.
- Best places for environment volunteering: Patagonia, rural areas
- Recommended program: Arcos Journeys Abroad: Urban Recycling, Rural School Volunteer, & Iguazu Falls
9. Human Rights
Great if you…
- …want to pursue a career in activism.
- …are interested in getting on-the-ground training.
- …believe in empowering others.
As a human rights volunteer in Argentina, you can help disadvantaged communities learn more about their basic rights. Other duties may include campaigning for gender rights and marginalized communities, freedom of expression, and democratic processes. In many cases, you’ll be collaborating with governmental organizations in some form.
You’ll also find internships available to attend judicial proceedings, conduct research, develop educational workshops and programs, plan events, and much more. An as intern/volunteer for human rights, you’ll gain project development and coordination skills—great for your resume!
Minimum durations could be anywhere from one week to eight weeks and may require an intermediate level of Spanish.
- Best places for human rights volunteering: Buenos Aires, Cordoba
- Recommended program: Projects Abroad: Global Leader in Meaningful Travel
10. Sports
Kick off a life-changing time abroad by finding the perfect volunteer placement.
Great if you…
- …are game for anything!
- …want to promote a sense of belonging among kids.
- …love to shout “¡goooooooool!”
With many sports volunteering programs, you’ll assist coaches with teaching kids from disadvantaged communities how to play sports like fútbol, hockey, or basketball—helping keep them off the streets. Team sports help kids learn important communication and collaboration skills and the importance of working together to achieve a goal.
Plus, the kids benefit physically from the exercise and mentally thanks to the social inclusion. Most of all, your mentorship will have a positive influence on helping kids learn new skills, building their confidence and promoting self-esteem. All while you’re strengthening their communities, you’ll get to practice your Spanish too!
- Best places for sports volunteering: Buenos Aires, Cordoba
- Recommended program: IVHQ: Affordable Sports Education Volunteering in Buenos Aires
11. Dental
Great if you…
- …love helping others smile!
- …are a creative problem-solver.
- …want to become a dentist one day.
Whether you’d like to explore the field of dentistry or sink your teeth into it, you can make a real difference in disadvantaged communities in Argentina. Experienced professionals can teach you how to diagnose and treat a range of conditions for patients of all ages. One of the main goals will be to help teach communities how to practice good oral hygiene.
Working without high-tech equipment or instruments may challenge you in new ways, but you’ll learn how to approach dental issues from new angles. Keep in mind that most dentistry programs expect volunteers to have an intermediate level of Spanish.
- Best places for dental volunteering: Buenos Aires, Cordoba
- Recommended program: Projects Abroad: Dentistry Placements in Argentina
Our Online Advisor can match you with 5 volunteer programs in Argentina—it’s free!
Volunteer work in Argentina will be life changing—which type is right for you?
Whether you’re looking to delve into nature or volunteer in the heart of the city, Argentina has you covered.
No matter which type of volunteer work in Argentina you choose, you’re bound to have one of the most rewarding and enriching experiences of your life. Plus, you’ll broaden your horizons in ways that you never expected were possible. Volunteers like you championing a cause, any cause, will help make the world a better place. ¡Viva la Argentina!
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