Given the social and financial disparities amongst the population groups and classes in Chile, this is one country very much in need of the contribution offered by foreign volunteers. The volunteering opportunities in this South American country are virtually endless: volunteering in orphanages, working with teenage mums, involving yourself in public health projects, or working with the mentally disabled. The neat thing is that some volunteering organisations even allow volunteer to customize their programme, according to the skills and abilities they possess.
The best option you have of finding an adequate volunteering programme is by contacting an organisation specialized in placing volunteers in various projects across Chile. The advantage of using such an organisation is that they will take care of every arrangement and your amount of legwork prior to departing for Chile is minimal. However, in exchange for all this, you will be charged a certain fee. Some organisations offer both standard and VIP packages, so look around for a while as you might find something you can afford. Also, if your budget is not particularly high, you should know that there are programmes which offer volunteers lodging and meals.
Chilean people are known to be hospitable and friendly towards foreigners, but if you want to volunteer here, you will be required to learn a little bit of Spanish. Some placement organisation can arrange Spanish classes for you, so look into this as well. A particularly fun volunteering project is the half-day volunteer programme which involves language classes in the morning, for which you can pay with volunteer work in the afternoon.
