Volunteer in Asia

Programmes across the region cover childcare, teaching, wildlife & animal care, environment conservation, women's empowerment and community development. Exact roles vary by country — Malaysia and Thailand lean toward wildlife and animal welfare, Sri Lanka and Bali add marine and turtle conservation, while India, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines focus on childcare, teaching and community projects. You always work alongside local staff, supporting existing programmes rather than running them alone. Browse all volunteer abroad programmes to compare types across countries.

It depends on what you want to do. Choose India, Nepal, Cambodia or Vietnam for childcare and teaching in a city or town setting; Sri Lanka or Bali for turtle and marine conservation alongside community work; Malaysia for rainforest wildlife projects in Borneo; Thailand for teaching, elephant welfare or special needs care in Chiang Mai; and the Philippines for childcare, community development or medical-support placements in Tacloban.

Fees start from £454 for the shortest placements, with a £179 deposit due at booking and the balance due later. The fee covers accommodation, meals, airport pickup and in-country support for the whole placement; flights, visas and personal spending are separate. Costs rise with programme length and with destinations that involve more remote logistics, such as Malaysia's Borneo projects. See where the fee goes for a full breakdown.

Placements across Asia run from 1 to 24 weeks, and most countries open new starts every week or twice a month. The next opening is 30 Sep 2026, but exact dates vary by country and project — some, like the short special programmes in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, run on fixed one- or two-week schedules. Check the start dates explorer for exact dates by country.

Each destination has a local team providing 24/7 in-country support, airport pickup and orientation on arrival, and every volunteer goes through a background check before joining. Programmes follow VS's safeguarding policy, and placements involving children or vulnerable people are set up so volunteers support local staff rather than take sole charge. Day-to-day safety still depends on the destination and your own choices while travelling.

The youngest volunteers accepted are 16, though some countries — including Malaysia's wildlife projects and parts of Thailand and Cambodia — require volunteers to be 18+ on some programmes. Requirements are set per project depending on the setting and the independence it demands. Anyone under 18 typically needs parental consent; see the parents' guide for details on booking for a minor.

Yes — Malaysia's Borneo projects support sun bear and river-wildlife conservation, Thailand's Chiang Mai programme works alongside elephants and their mahouts, and Sri Lanka and Bali run turtle and marine conservation. All of these are welfare-focused: volunteers help with habitat work, monitoring, feeding preparation and education support under local guidance. There is no riding, bathing or posing for photos with the animals on any VS programme.

No. On childcare, teaching and special needs projects across India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bali, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines, volunteers assist local teachers, caregivers or care-centre staff. They do not take sole charge of a classroom or group of children, and they never administer medication or clinical care. This follows VS's child & vulnerable adult protection policy.

Many volunteers do — a common route pairs a placement in one country with a short special programme elsewhere, such as combining India or Nepal with a few weeks in Sri Lanka or Bali. You book each country separately, since local teams run them independently, but timing can be arranged so trips connect. Get in touch to plan a combined itinerary.

Choose a country and project, then submit the online application for your preferred start date. You'll get a welcome email and a booking confirmation, after which you pay the £179 deposit and can log in to see trip details. Changes are free up to 45 days before departure under the flexible booking policy, so you can adjust dates or destination if plans shift.

It depends on the country: India and Nepal are most comfortable October–March, Sri Lanka's south-west coast is driest December–March, Bali is dry May–October, and Thailand is coolest November–February. Cambodia is driest November–April and the Philippines is driest December–May, with typhoon risk August–October. Programmes run year-round in every country, so timing is mostly about weather and local festivals, such as Thailand's Songkran in mid-April, rather than availability.