volunteers

Critics say volunteering abroad does not always benefit local communities. The coronavirus travel bans have led to a different approach for volunteers who want to donate their services.

One Pakistani entrepreneur is making protective gear. A Pakistani lawyer raised thousands of dollars and converted his office into a food storehouse for people in need.

There's a growing global outcry over what critics call ''orphanage tourism." But some charities are proponents of volunteering in orphanages.

The topics range from a ticking time bomb in the Arctic to the art of taking selfies in an ethical way. Here are the stories selected by our contributors.

As security has tightened along the U.S.-Mexico border, migrants are forced into more hostile desert areas. Volunteers who put out water and food say they're trying to prevent deaths.

Volunteers and a skeletal staff have maintained sites in some parks. In others, the amount of damage and trash triggered an unprecedented move from the National Park Service to return more workers.

President Trump praised the Cajun Navy during a visit to North Carolina. But federal emergency managers say volunteers can put themselves and others in danger if they don't go through proper channels.

The kitchen serves 5,000 iftar meals daily to displaced families living in camps in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon during Ramadan. For many, it offers a sense of community, family and tradition.

A volunteer network not only gathers wasted, oft-ignored foods and turns them into healthy meals, but also provides community and opportunities for those whose lives have been radically disrupted.

Volunteers are the unsung heroes in slowing the spread of the disease in the world's worst cholera epidemic.

Volunteers have transformed two county fair pavilions the size of baseball diamonds into a livestock yard and animal shelter. There are horses, geese, cats, pigs — and a lot of Chihuahuas.

If you're thinking now's the time to hop on a plane and get involved in disaster relief, groups on the ground have some advice.