I am posting this for my son who is planning a 3-5 month volunteer situation in India or another Asian country. He has completed two years of University and is taking a year off. Does anyone know of any good groups which offer safe experiences for young people looking to learn more about different cultures.

irecommend, I recommend you try asking this question on College Confidential. There are several parent-posters whose kids have volunteered during summers or gap years. Habitat for Humanity seems popular, but there are many others as well.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/...splay.php?f=15

Thanks, will do. we have since been told to NEVER go to India alone (by a native) so are re thinking this.

"we have since been told to NEVER go to India alone (by a native)" What rubbish. I'm an older female, and I spent two and a half months there, traveling around, on my own, with no problems whatever. Did your Indian acquaintance explain why?

If Siem Reap Cambodia is on his short list, please have him contact me. We have a need for someone to teach English to primary school students.

Lori
[email protected]

Now I've recovered from the suggestion that India is unsafe for a solo traveler (backpackers do it all the time, and a volunteer is hardly "alone&quot..... offwego's suggestion is great - Cambodia needs all the help it can get, but some other sites you could check:

http://www.gapyear.com/
http://www.gapyeardirectory.co.uk/
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/ca...s.cfm?catid=58