Global Village is a meaningful short-term (7-9 days) international volunteer experience with opportunities around the world. By working closely with Habitat country programs, volunteer groups partner with local communities, building or improving homes as part of Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live.

Build solutions include constructing brand-new houses and renovating existing homes to enhance living conditions for families. No construction experience is required as you will learn local and culturally specific solutions that are inherent to the host community. Each build is led by a volunteer team leader trained by Habitat for Humanity Canada in logistics, volunteer management, risk and safety management and finances in order to support leading a group of volunteers in the field.

Global Village offers two ways for you to get involved, depending on whether you are part of a group or an independent volunteer.

Group volunteering (closed teams): If you have a group of 12-16 volunteers, all aged 18 or older, you can organize a closed team to participate in a Global Village build. Your group will need to select a team leader, submit a program donation and complete the required training. Closed teams are privately organized by an individual or organization and are by invitation only. If you have a build code from a team leader, you can register on our closed build opportunities page. If you are interested in organizing a team from your school, business, community group or network of friends, please contact us at globalvillage@habitat.ca for more information.

Individual volunteering (open teams): If you are not part of a group, you can still volunteer! Open teams are listed on our build opportunities page and are open to the public. If you are an individual looking to join a team, you can sign up for one that is actively recruiting members. Keep an eye on our build opportunities page for these opportunities.

Global Village volunteers contribute through peer-to-peer fundraising, which includes a program and build donation that supports Habitat’s work in communities with the greatest housing needs. The fundraising target will vary by trip but generally ranges from $3,000 to $4,000. Please visit our build opportunities page for details on specific builds, including donation costs and what is covered for each build.

This donation is crucial in supporting Habitat’s vision in countries where resources are limited, enabling us to serve more households. The Global Village team will create an online fundraising page for you and support you through your fundraising journey.

Important Details:

An initial donation fee of $500 is due within 15 days of your application being accepted.
The balance of the donation is due 30 days prior to departure

The program donation for participating on a Global Village build covers in-country meals, water and snacks on the build site, lodging and local transportation in the host country, as well as out-of-country health insurance. The donation also includes a donation to the host country’s Habitat program and Habitat for Humanity Canada’s Global Village program and may include a certain percentage of the costs for the team leader who will be leading your team in the field. It does not include any expenses associated with non-build day activities, visas, airfare or travel insurance.

You will experience delicious local foods on a Global Village build. Typically, breakfast is provided at the hotel before volunteers depart for the build site. Lunch is provided on site, usually by local community members or small businesses. Dinner may be at the hotel or in nearby restaurants.

Volunteers will stay in double-occupancy accommodation with the option to request a single-occupancy room for an additional charge. During your program:

You will experience shared meals with the community and Habitat homeowners.
Dietary restrictions will be accommodated as best as possible.
Meal times may differ with each location.
Safe drinking water will be provided throughout the program.

The program donation for every Global Village build includes coverage for travel accidents and sickness insurance. Habitat for Humanity enrolls each volunteer in this policy, which is effective during the dates of the Global Village build and while participating in volunteer activities supervised by Habitat. This coverage is mandatory and cannot be declined.

Please note that this insurance only covers you during the official dates of the build and while engaged in Habitat-supervised activities. If you plan to extend your travel before or after the build, or participate in activities outside the scope of the policy, you will not be covered by Habitat’s insurance. In such cases, Global Village strongly advises you to independently purchase medical insurance for any additional travel.

You can fundraise to cover the program donation required for a Global Village build. Habitat for Humanity Canada encourages volunteers to use peer-to-peer fundraising to meet donation goals. All donations made towards your participation in a Global Village build are eligible for a tax receipt, as they support the charitable work of Habitat Canada.

Your personal fundraising page on Habitat Canada’s Global Village Volunteer Centre will allow you to set or update fundraising goals, send emails to potential donors, and track donations. Donors will receive an electronic tax receipt once donations are confirmed.

All program donations are nonrefundable and nontransferable, and they support the costs associated with hosting the volunteer team in-country, including meals, accommodation, and local transportation, among other expenses.

All donations, whether from Global Village build participants or their donors, are eligible for tax receipts, as they are made voluntarily in support of Habitat Canada’s charitable work. Program donations are non-refundable and non-transferable. Donors will receive a thank-you email and a tax receipt from Habitat Canada.

You cannot be reimbursed or transfer funds to a future build should you raise money above and beyond your program donation. As donations made towards your Global Village participation are eligible for tax receipts, the funds must be used for legitimate Global Village purposes as outlined in the donation policy. Any excess money raised beyond these costs will be treated as a donation to support Habitat for Humanity Canada’s Global Village program.

Donations made towards your participation in a Global Village build are non-refundable. This includes the initial deposit, the balance of the donation and any additional funds raised. If you are unable to participate on a scheduled build, Habitat for Humanity Canada will work with you to find another suitable build. However, the donations cannot be refunded or transferred to another individual or future build.

If the build is canceled due to a covered reason, you may be eligible to submit an insurance claim for compensation, with a maximum amount of up to $2,500 USD, which could include non-refundable flight costs.

We make every effort to conduct builds as scheduled. However, if Habitat for Humanity must cancel a build, we will attempt to place you on another team or re-route the team to a different location. We strongly recommend that you purchase flight travel cancellation insurance. Habitat for Humanity Canada will not be responsible for any expenses incurred due to changes initiated by the participant or costs for unusable airfare or any other expenses resulting from the cancellation.

Connect with your local Habitat for opportunities to support global housing such as advocacy, volunteering for building and renovation projects in your community, or volunteering with a local Habitat ReStore.

If you have any additional questions, please contact globalvillage@habitat.ca

Global Village Frequently Asked Questions