Why FSD?
The Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) offers a global treasure trove of volunteer opportunities—especially for the Boomer volunteer. 

As their name suggests, all FSD projects focus on projects that can be sustainable within the communities in which they work. The needs for the projects come from the communities themselves, and the role of the volunteers is to assist local organizations to meet their goals and if possible, to help find ways to run these organizations more efficiently or to increase their capacity.

For this reason, volunteers often find themselves in “consulting” roles, adapting their expertise to the needs of a particular community. Examples might be a volunteer with a background in agriculture who supports negotiations on behalf of Bolivian farmers for the prices of animal feed, milk, oats, alfalfa, soy, and medicinal plants; or a volunteer with a background in finance who consults with a Kenyan dairy on business and bookkeeping in order to ensure its success.

The general issues that FSD addresses are: microfinance, health, environment/appropriate technology, youth and education, women’s empowerment, human rights, and community development. FSD works with more than 200 community-based organizations throughout Argentina, Bolivia, India, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Uganda.

It is also important to note that FSD’s volunteer preparation and on-site volunteer support are more comprehensive than most volunteer programs, and this is certainly something to consider when going abroad for an extended period of time (4 weeks or more is what FSD requires). Among their volunteer benefits are language training (for most sites), development training, partial health insurance, and medical evacuation.

Why Boomers?
The organization specifically seeks out volunteers who have the kind of work expertise that Boomers have to offer. They want volunteers who have substantial work experience in their field of interest, so that these years of expertise can be used toward the goals of the organizations and communities FSD serves.

For instance, if your background is in media or advertising, you might find yourself working on a Ugandan radio program about HIV/AIDS, creating a Web site for a small business, or writing articles about local issues for local publications. Medical professionals can provide direct care or can provide education on nutrition, prenatal care, sanitation. Legal professionals may offer counsel on issues as far-ranging as land-use policies to family abuse. For those in education or child care, there are opportunities to teach every subject under the sun, whether a formal curriculum, classes geared toward the hearing impaired or the developmentally disabled, teacher training, or an extra-curricular art, dance, theater, or athletics. Those with a background in construction or engineering may work on projects as far-reaching as road repair, building schools, or evaluating water systems, and sewage management.

The list of past FSD projects is as inspiring as it is astounding. For a more complete list, visit: please visit: www.fsdinternational.org/devsubject/intro [1].

Length of Volunteer Stay: FSD is looking for volunteers who can work in their Short-Term Program (4-8 weeks) or their Long-Term Program (9+ weeks). With this amount of time, volunteers are more likely to see some progress or to see their project through to completion. There are different start dates. For the specifics, please visit: www.fsdinternational.org/apply/startdates [2].

Costs and Accommodations: Program fees cover all program costs (excluding airfare). This fee is 100% tax deductible for US residents. The fee includes: a one-week orientation, family homestay with meals, language lessons (except in Latin America), development trainings and workshops, a mid-term retreat, ongoing country support from the FSD site team, medical evacuation and limited health insurance, and pick-up from the airport. The fee depends on the length of stay, ranging from $US1,600 (1 week) to $US6,925 (for 26 weeks). For the fee schedule, please visit: www.fsdinternational.org/apply/fees [3].