Volunteer in the Dominican Republic

Volunteer in the Dominican Republic and discover this beautiful island with its white beaches, mangrove lagoons, underground caves and the highest mountains of the Caribbean...

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Volunteer work in the Dominican Republic

The first thing that comes to your mind when hearing ‘Dominican Republic’ is probably a white sanded beach with nothing but beautiful palm trees and crystal clear and turquoise water. As a volunteer in the Dominican Republic, these images will become reality. The best part is that you have the opportunity to combine your volunteer program with traveling. Now you do not simply travel, but you will travel meaningful by supporting local communities, the marine life or animals in need.

When choosing one of the volunteer opportunities in the Caribbean, you will discover a highly diverse country with stunning mountains and landscapes, beautiful beaches and a coastline with hundreds of kilometers. It is the second largest and most diverse Caribbean country and situated just two hours south of Miami and less than four hours from New York. While volunteering abroad, you will get to know the country with all its traditions and the cultural background. Before starting your journey, however, it is important to concern yourself with the country you will be volunteering in beforehand. The most important step will be to choose a volunteer program that suits you. For that, we compiled all necessary information and an overview of volunteer areas. Let’s get started.

Volunteer opportunities in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean. It is due to tourism that this country went through a rapid economic growth in the last decades. This fast-growing tourism, however, has also its downside. Unfortunately, tourism is a serious threat to the Dominican Republic’s flora and fauna.

The ongoing process of building large hotel constructions leads to a decrease of natural surroundings, including coastal areas and mangrove deforestation. These factors and lots of tourist activities, such as boat tours, are the cause of an alteration of the Dominican Republic’s nature and coral reef damage. This, in turn, decreases the resilience of the coastal marine ecosystems and increases their vulnerability to tropical storms. That is why volunteer work in the Dominican Republic is needed! Help locals to achieve a social, economic, and environmental change and development.

Marine Life & Environmental Protection

The Dominican Republic is the perfect destination for you if you want to volunteer abroad in marine life and in environmental protection. With a coastline of about 1,600 kilometers and offshore islands, marine animals have the ideal environment in the Dominican Republic. Underwater volunteers will find the famous humpback whale, the West Indian Manatee, different species of turtles and beautiful coral reefs.

These animals need protection and help from volunteers. As a marine conservation volunteer, you do not only have the opportunity to explore the ocean but you will also live in a fascinating city, such as Las Terrenas. As a volunteer in marine life, you can get involved with many issues, such as:

  • assisting with marine-based environmental restoration activities
  • animal protection
  • monitoring activities
  • invasive-species control programs
  • certified diving training
  • maintaining and preparing diving equipment
  • assisting with logistics and office work
  • installing a pirate museum
  • assisting actively with the protection and restoration of coral reefs and endemic fishes

Join an animal volunteer project

There are also many animals on land that are looking for a helping hand from a volunteer in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is home to plenty of animals that are in need of care and a home. A lot of dogs are homeless and sick and many cats and horses are often treated badly. Due to this mistreatment, locals established a farm for animals. Here you can become active. Volunteer in the Dominican Republic with animals and be the one that provides them with a happy animal life.

A typical day of volunteer work in the Dominican Republic can include but is not limited to:

  • caring for dogs, horses and mules and training them
  • maintaining meadow, stables, and kennels
  • maintaining the farm by helping with painting, building fences, planting grass, fixing doors
  • supporting veterinarians during medical treatments or operations to neuter or spay animals
  • developing and executing awareness
  • raising and educational activities for children or the general public to improve the situation of neglected animals

Take one of the volunteer opportunities in the Dominican Republic and work at an animal rescue project that is located in a beautiful setting in the Dominican Republic and benefit by learning the Spanish language and much more.

Volunteer for healthcare projects

If you’re a student of medicine or are thinking about a career in the field of medicine or healthcare, you should definitely consider a volunteer program abroad. Not only will you gain much experience, but you will also get to know a different working environment and you will contribute to a health improvement of local people. These volunteer opportunities in the Dominican Republic will give you an insight into the running and daily routine of a hospital or a neighborhood health clinic. As a volunteer in the Dominican Republic, you will experience the contrast between Western medical practice and the realities of medicine in developing countries.

Activities as a volunteer in the Dominican Republic can include but are not limited to:

  • observing, shadowing and assisting doctors and nurses during their work
  • participating in patient care: comfort patients and assist in examining patients
  • providing ambulance support when needed
  • assisting, teaching and encouraging prevention, hygiene, and checkups
  • assisting in developing educational materials and engagement strategies for various prevention programs using multimedia means
  • helping regularly with hospital administration tasks and help improve procedures and workflow
  • assisting occasionally with domiciliary health services, assistance, hygiene and information
  • teaching English to doctors

Another area is dental healthcare. Oral health is an extremely important aspect and it is essential to provide appropriate dental care so that even disadvantages communities have the opportunity to check their teeth regularly. If you want to volunteer in dental healthcare, you will be working at a neighborhood dental health clinic or in a local hospital-based dental clinic.

Since you will be volunteering in the Dominican Republic, it is necessary to have basic Spanish skills, but an advanced level of Spanish will open up more volunteer opportunities in the Dominican Republic. Hence, if your Spanish is pretty good, your involvement will be even higher.

The tasks of volunteer work in the Dominican Republic in dental healthcare can include but are not limited to:

  • observing, shadowing and assisting the dentist
  • encouraging and teaching prevention of oral diseases through proper hygiene and regular check-ups for professional cleaning and evaluation (special prevention program for pregnant women)
  • providing oral health services support when needed, which includes dental assistance, dental hygiene and dental therapy
  • assisting the dentist according to your skills and experience with dental treatments: dental restorations, crowns, bridges, dentures, root canal therapy, periodontal therapy and extraction of teeth as well as dental examinations and diagnosis
  • also, you are welcome to work in other projects such as English and computer classes for locals

If you want to contribute your share and are passionate about healthcare, you should consider becoming a volunteer in the Dominican Republic. This is your chance to use your skills to have a positive impact and simultaneously, you will experience challenges and an amazing working environment.

Support community services

Even though the Dominican Republic is mostly known for its breathtaking white-sand beaches, a beautiful ocean and a diverse natural scenery, there are also local communities that do need support of volunteers.

As a volunteer in the Dominican Republic, you can get involved in many issues. Amongst others, you can help as a volunteer at a school with:

  • teaching and assisting in a school with children and young adults with special needs
  • playing and taking care of underprivileged children and young adults
  • having weekly meetings with other volunteers and staff to create weekly schooling plans and educational projects
  • organizing and leading intercultural events and regular meetings for local community members and international volunteers, expats and travelers with cross-cultural activities fostering exchange and integration
  • helping with special events like fundraising parties, cooperating with other organizations and supporting community activities when help is needed
  • assisting teaching English classes (or other languages) as well as computer literacy classes to local youth and adults and prepare them for jobs in the tourist industry
  • assisting with maintenance and restoration activities on the school building
  • assist a social worker with youth, family and community development in direct contact with community members (requires advanced Spanish skills)
  • creating your own project or activity

By helping out a community project, you will get close contact with people living in the Dominican Republic. This interaction and cooperation with the community will provide a volunteer in the Dominican Republic with unique cultural experiences.

Cost of living abroad

The suggested daily budget for living as a volunteer in the Dominican Republic is between US$60 and US$80. This is an estimate made considering the average price of some of the services you might need and things you might want to buy. It gives you a general overview of how much things cost in this country, so you can be prepared and save the money you will need.

Additional costs you should consider as a volunteer in the Dominican Republic:

An exemplary overview of living costs in the Dominican Republic (in US$, for one person) is:

Hotel
$70.00
Big Mac
$7.05
Coca-Cola
$0.91
Eating out
$7.06
Rental Car
$175
Hostel
$35.00
Marlboro
$4.05
Beer
$2.02
Fuel
$4.50
Public Transport
$1.00

Things to know before you volunteer in the Dominican Republic

Before starting your volunteer job in the Dominican Republic it’s important to think about the cultural norms you’ll need to adjust to. In addition, learn about the precautions you might need to take. The following list might help you with that:

Safety & precautions

The Dominican Republic is, generally speaking, a friendly and welcoming country. But the country also struggles with high rates of crime. We recommend you:

  • Take care in remote areas (probably not a good idea to be at remote areas at all)
  • Don't carry too much money with you, as you can lose it, if you happen to get mugged
  • Don't wear expensive jewelry or carry large amounts of cash or expensive items (ie.: cameras, watches, bags, etc.)
  • Take precaution, if you visit Dominican beaches. Lifeguards may not be present if you are in trouble
  • Make sure that you take verified taxis since muggings and robberies in taxis is a common occurrence
  • Crimes like human trafficking, armed robberies and corruption tend to rise during the holidays; especially during carnival and Christmas
  • Use common sense and it’s best to take precautions just as you would when visiting any new country or large city in the world

Culture and religion

  • The majority of people in the Dominican Republic is Roman Catholic (65%), 18% is Protestant, and the rest is other
  • Music is a very important part of life to Dominicans and is usually played extremely loud
  • The Family is of the utmost importance, to be cared for and cherished. Head to the beach or to the river on the weekends, and you will see how Dominicans love to spend their free time with their loved ones, cooking outdoors and sharing jokes. Affectionate in words and action, romance runs in the Dominican blood. Life is to be shared and lived fully

Health advice

You can check health advices for the Dominican Republic here: The US based health protection agency CDC

  • Make sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip (measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot)

Packing essentials

  • Don't forget the basic items like backpacks and carry on sized suitcase
  • The Dominican Republic has great weather all year long, so make sure you pack your clothes accordingly. It might be wise to check out the weather forecast before you travel to the country
  • Carry toiletries and medical supplies, especially if you are under special medication
  • Do not forget your travel documents. It is the first thing you should be packing
  • If you are in need of special medical assistance/medicines do not forget your health insurance documents, as well as the copies of all your prescriptions
  • Always pack sunscreen, sunglasses and insect repellent with you

What do I need for volunteering in the Dominican Republic?

As you will have noticed by now, there are different volunteer opportunities in the Dominican Republic that expect different skills and abilities from their volunteers abroad. While you can find out the specific requirements for each project on their program page, here are some general requirements that apply to most projects in the Dominican Republic:

  • You need to be at least 18 years old for most of the volunteer projects. When in doubt, we advise you to get in contact with the local project manager, as in some projects you can also volunteer when you're 16 years old.
  • You need to have basic English and Spanish skills to join a volunteer project in the Dominican Republic. Please note that some teaching projects might ask for more advanced skills though.
  • Depending on the project you're interested in, you might need to provide a criminal background check and a health declaration before volunteering.

What visa do I need to volunteer in the Dominican Republic?

You have made it to the last section of this guide, which is another really important aspect while planning your trip: getting your volunteer visa for the Dominican Republic.

Please consider that the following information is based on a best practice approach, which has been made according to the best of our knowledge and in cooperation with several volunteer organisations. That’s why you should please make sure to discuss your visa requirements with your contact person on Volunteer World. If in doubt, we also recommend getting in touch with the Dominican Republic embassy or consulate in your country.

General entry information

There are some general requirements you should comply upon your arrival as a volunteer in the Dominican Republic:

  • Please check the current validity of your passport. Your passport should have at least 6-month validity from the date of arrival in the Dominican Republic
  • Make sure to be in possession of a valid return ticket
  • Nationals of the following countries do not need either a tourist card or a tourist visa to enter the Dominican Republic: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Israel, Japan, Peru, South Korea and Uruguay
  • If you are a resident of the United Kingdom or if you currently hold a valid visa to enter the United States, Canada or any European Union country, you DO NOT require a Tourist Visa to enter the Dominican Republic, only a Tourist Card
  • From April 2018, the tourist card will no longer be collected upon arrival and should be included in your airfare
  • Nationals of all other countries not listed in the Tourist Card section and not in possession of a valid visa for the United States, Canada or any European country, must obtain a tourist visa, for which they need to attend in person to a Dominican consulate nearest to their place of residence
  • On arrival, you will normally be granted a 30-day stay
  • If you’re staying more than 30 days, you need to apply for extension (up to 90 days) at the responsible office for foreigners (Departamento de Extranjería, Dirección General de Migración)
  • If you do not apply for an extension and stay longer than 30 days, you will have to pay a fine
  • The departure tax is US$20. In most cases, however, it is already included in your airline ticket fare