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In this inspiring episode of the Leaders of Transformation podcast, host Nicole Jansen welcomes Kimberly Haley-Coleman, founder and executive director of Globe Aware - an award-winning nonprofit that has mobilized volunteers across more than 25 countries through service adventures that create lasting social impact. Kimberly shares how voluntourism, when done responsibly, goes far beyond traditional travel. These immersive experiences cultivate cross-cultural leadership, deepen human connection, and shift how people see the world - and themselves. From her own journey, leaving the corporate world to building Globe Aware, Kimberly breaks down the power of meaningful service and the practical steps for participating in global volunteer projects. This conversation reveals why service travel isn’t just about helping others - it’s about developing resilience, gratitude, empathy, and a renewed appreciation for humanity. If you’ve ever wanted your vacation to mean more than photos and souvenirs - or you’re seeking a powerful way to grow as a leader, family, or team - this episode may spark your next bold step.

Nelly Chavez
March 9, 2023
CEO Weekly

Once upon a time, if you wanted to lend a hand abroad, options were limited. Lengthy commitments like the Peace Corps asked for more than a casual stint overseas, and shorter programs usually targeted the summer schedules of students or missions aligned with church activities. But what about the rest of us, the everyday folks itching to make a difference in a brief but substantial way? Enter Kimberly Haley-Coleman, the visionary behind Globe Aware, who has been transforming voluntourism with week-long service trips that beckon to those hungry for purposeful travel without the need for any special skills.

Now, what’s the secret sauce behind these expeditions that have expanded to 26 countries and feature in major media organizations? It’s about inclusivity and impact. Imagine being part of a group that installs concrete floors for single mothers in Guatemala or assembles wheelchairs for landmine victims in Cambodia. Corporations are catching on, recognizing not only the positive PR but also the boost in employee morale as they help build classrooms or homes—acts of service that double as a non-taxable benefit.

These journeys aren’t just about hammering nails or mixing cement; they’re gateways to a profound change in perspective. Kimberly Haley-Coleman sums it up best. “These experiences are absolutely transformative and make you see humanity in a new light.”

Picture yourself stepping into a new culture not just as a visitor, but as a participant. Globe Aware cradles this vision, offering organized yet flexible itineraries. A volunteer vacation here means about 35 hours of collaborative work, coupled with 3-4 optional cultural or leisure activities to deepen your connection to the locale you’re serving in. And they’ve thought of everything—safe drinking water, medical insurance, a bilingual coordinator, and all the necessary project materials and supervision. Hey presto, you’re ready to dive in without fret or fuss.

This isn’t your average travel gig. It’s an adventure with a soul, sanctioned by Globe Aware’s status as a nonprofit with no religious or political affiliations. It welcomes solo travelers, families, corporate groups—anyone with a pulse and a passion for global camaraderie.

Photo Courtesy: Monica Stevens
The transformative nature of these trips percolates through each participant. Busy professionals find a respite filled with gratitude, gaining a deeper reverence not only for what they have at home but also for the real wealth that pulsates within a foreign culture—the human connections formed and the shared smiles that need no translation.

Ready to be a globe trotter with a cause? You can connect with Kimberly and Globe Aware on platforms like LinkedIn or float in a sea of inspirations by tapping into their social media presences on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. For the auditory learner, Kimberly’s insights come alive on podcasts, readily streaming on Spotify.

Photo Courtesy: Monica Stevens
Voluntourism under Globe Aware’s wing is more than a mere feel-good phenomenon—it’s a tightly knit fabric of service and cultural exchange that tugs at the core of what it means to be human. It’s an opportunity to embrace a world where your vacation leaves a footprint, not of carbon, but of compassion and constructive change.

So, as the sun sets on the traditional ways of lending a hand abroad, and with Kimberly Haley-Coleman’s Globe Aware as your beacon, the door is wide open to redefine what it means to travel with intent. Your next holiday could be one where joy isn’t just discovered but delivered by your own hands. Isn’t it time to pack your bags with purpose?

For many people, family vacations create the longest lasting, happiest memories that are carried and shared for a lifetime. A family volunteer vacation has the added element of a new country, community and culture and changing personal outlooks as families give back while receiving a profound, eye-opening experience. Here is a fantastic article in a recent edition of Chesapeake Family Life

Volunteer Vacations that Give Back

November 1, 2019

Taking a family vacation can be a great way for families to relax and reconnect. But what if your family wants a more meaningful experience than the annual trip to the beach or a theme park? Enter volunteer vacations, a popular alternative to the traditional vacation that allows families to give back while also getting away.

Volunteer vacations have been on the rise for the past decade, and volunteer tourism or “voluntourism” is now an almost 200-billion dollar industry. It’s a trend that continues to grow as more families search for ways to make a concrete impact on the world around them.

“I think more people are seeking this kind of vacation because they have a personal desire to connect with a cause they support,” says Kimberly Haley-Coleman, Executive Director of Globe Aware, a nonprofit organization that pairs families with volunteer vacation experiences. “We are living in such a digital world that it can be hard for kids to gain perspective on the world around them, and parents want to give their children the experience of making a difference in a direct way.”

Many organizations, like Globe Aware, Discover Corps, and Together for Good, are helping plan vacations that directly impact a community in need. Globe Aware’s popular Cambodia trips have families build wheelchairs for land mine victims, while its Guatemala trips focus on a local mountain community where families help improve housing and plant vegetable gardens for single mothers.

Though many volunteer vacations focus on global experiences, travelers can also make a difference closer to home, like the trips offered by the American Hiking Society during which participants repair trails at national parks.

Volunteer vacations also take the hassle out of planning, as trips are completely planned by the organization and almost always include housing, food and real-time training. “A volunteer vacation takes the legwork out of planning and it’s a great way to vacation while doing good and working toward a common goal,” says Libby Wile, Senior Director of Programs at the American Hiking Society.

While volunteer vacations are aimed at making a difference for others, the experience is just as impactful for those doing the work. “When a family experiences this type of vacation, the effects can be felt long after the trip is over,” says Haley-Coleman. “It can give kids a sense of appreciation for what really matters, and it can be empowering for them to know that they’ve truly made a difference.“

Read on for five volunteer vacations that offer a variety of experiences from exotic travel to far-off locales, to one-day Caribbean opportunities, to nature-based trips closer to home.

Globe Aware
For almost twenty years, Globe Aware has been connecting families with volunteer opportunities around the world. With 20 international locations, Globe Aware offers a variety of experiences for families who want to make a difference. Travel to Thailand and work with endangered elephants or help rebuild in hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico. Globe Aware’s planned trips last one week and include food, accommodations, medical insurance and bilingual translators. Additionally, Globe Aware also offers customized experiences that can be added on to existing vacations.
globeaware.org

Family volunteering holidays

Is your family ready to really make a difference on your next overseas trip?

By Carolyne Allmark
April 2, 2017

Nobody wants to raise spoiled, entitled kids with no sense of empathy, or any idea of how lucky they are to live a life revolving around happy school days, a lovely home and – if you’re living here in the UAE – world travel at their finger tips. And it’s exactly this desire to travel and immerse in another culture that’s presenting families with the most exciting, and potentially life-changing, opportunity to do something really useful – and to give back – with their next holiday.

Globe Aware is a non-profit organisation that plans volunteer vacations for families around the world, helping to rebuild remote communities, install clean water sources, repair roads and teach languages in some of the poorest villages, towns and cities on earth. This means children experiencing these holidays are exposed to global issues they might only learn about in the classroom.

“Few opportunities in life offer the ability to experience another culture at the same time as serving in a meaningful way and we have definitely seen an increase in young families taking volunteer vacations,” says Globe Aware’s director of communications Shanti Shahani. “We are becoming more adventurous in our travel as parents, and many families are recognising how important it is for our children to be compassionate global citizens, to appreciate their surroundings and develop an interest in helping those around them. Words and values like tolerance, inclusivity, diversity and kindness are more important now than they have been before in our generation.”

Trips vary, depending on which provider you choose, but Globe Aware cites one week as the perfect length of time for families to volunteer. It also gives you the option to enjoy travelling and sightseeing at your chosen destination. Once you’ve decided where you’d like to go, they’ll put together an itinerary – including accommodation, guides and transfers – based around the ages of your children and the kinds of activities you’d like to get involved in, or the skills you think you can offer.

“Projects are adapted to volunteers and we always make a point of explaining to children why what they are doing is important,” Shahani explains. “We make sure the activities are safe and interesting, so a child may be able to help plant a tree, and they can also provide unparalleled help in teaching English as a Second Language through songs and games to kids their own age.

“This language instruction also provides future job opportunities for children in the communities Globe Aware serves,” says Shahani.

One Dubai-based family recently travelled to Siem Reap in Cambodia to visit friends who had moved there for a family gap year. Before they left, they launched a campaign at their school in Dubai Sports City, asking parents to donate toothbrushes and toothpaste for a local village school. Mum Louise Reynolds explains: “When we travel, we like to take the opportunity to teach Alula and Lana [her children] about other cultures and ways of living, hopefully instilling a bit of empathy and the desire to help others when possible.

“In Sri Lanka we took tuk-tuks into poor communities so that the girls could give pencils, notebooks and soft toys to children and were invited into a lovely family’s home as a thank you,” Reynolds recounts. “It was good for the girls to see that, although the family really had nothing, they were more than willing to share what they had with us.”The Reynolds family visited the Kompheim Community School, run by local non-governmental organisation Husk, which provides English language lessons to village children, who earn “Husk dollars” for attending the school. They can then spend those “dollars” at the school shop, where the toothbrushes and toothpaste were donated. Education is recognised as a major key in breaking the poverty cycle for future generations and, sadly, less than 30 percent of Cambodian children will complete primary school, meaning that encouraging this attendance is key.

“We saw a few schools while we were there and the girls seemed quite surprised that the government school didn’t have four walls and really was just a bit of a shack. They wondered what would happen to the kids and their work if it rained!”

Overall, however, the family really enjoyed their time in Cambodia. “But, probably the biggest thing they’ve come away with is the absolute shock that people over there fry and eat bugs. I tried bribery, but they were adamant they weren’t going to sample any!” laughs Reynolds, who also tells us she’s already looking into their next volunteer trip, helping to rebuild schools in Kathmandu, Nepal, which were destroyed after the 2015 earthquake.

 Aside from India and the Far East, other popular locations for volunteer travel are Costa Rica, Mexico and Guatemala. But researching before you book is crucial, as Shahani points out. “Make sure you go with a registered non-profit organisation so there’s transparency about exactly how your money will be spent. Ask if they are a member of the International Volunteer Programs Association and talk to past volunteers.”

It’s also important to remember that projects shouldn’t take work away from local people and should be fulfilling a genuine need in a community. And families with young children should think about the overall travel time to get to their chosen destination and ensure they have all the relevant vaccinations.

“I would say there is no better way to truly immerse yourself than to work alongside members of the community as equals, in projects that are important to them, to be able to truly appreciate the beauties and challenges of another culture,” Shahani adds.

“No other tourist experience can truly provide that and being able to experience that with your family is an opportunity comparable to none.”

What are you waiting for? It’s time to start collecting those dirhams (for others).

David Conrads, correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor, recently wrote an inspiring profile on Caroline Boudreaux who works with India's orphans and started The Miracle Foundation.

Caroline Boudreaux is a passionate, effective advocate for India's orphans

The Miracle Foundation dramatically improves standards in a growing network of orphanages.

By David Conrads, Correspondent

Austin, Texas — Caroline Boudreaux was not looking for her life’s work back in 1999 when she set out with a friend on a yearlong trip around the world. But she found it in a remote village of thatch-roofed mud huts in the Indian state of Odisha.

Invited to dine at the home of a local family, Ms. Boudreaux was completely unprepared for what she encountered: more than 100 filthy, emaciated orphans, wide-eyed with longing, and so starved for affection that they clamored simply to touch the two American visitors. While the adults ate chicken, the children were given rice and sugar.

The children slept in crowded dormitories on beds made of wooden planks – no mattresses, pillows, or blankets. When Boudreaux put one little girl to bed, who had fallen asleep in her lap, she could hear the child’s bones hit the boards.

“It was like putting her down on a picnic table,” she says. “The whole experience was overwhelming. They were the sweetest, saddest children I had ever seen in my life. I knew I had to do something.”

For several years prior, Boudreaux had been actively seeking a new direction in her life. Though not yet 30 years old, she seemed to have it all. The sixth of seven children from a middle-class family in Lake Charles, La., she was selling advertising for a network television station in Austin, Texas, and making more money than she ever imagined possible.

She drove a nice car, lived in a beautiful condominium in one of the city’s best neighborhoods, and led an active social life. By any measure of material success, Boudreaux had made it.

Except for one nagging problem: She found her job unfulfilling and its material benefits less and less satisfying.

“I felt empty inside,” she recalls. “I felt like I was being wasted. I knew in my heart that I had a higher purpose that I wasn’t fulfilling.”

Her yearlong sabbatical was not intended as a way to find that higher purpose, but find it she did. She knew when she returned to Austin in the fall of 2000 that she would devote her time and energy to relieving the plight of orphans.

Boudreaux started The Miracle Foundation that year as a typical international adoption agency, matching available children in India with Americans desiring to adopt. She changed her approach when she discovered that the process of international adoptions in India can be highly corrupt, involving a never-ending string of fees and bribes. She also realized that she could only facilitate about 20 adoptions a year. At that time, there were some 25 million orphans in India, with about 1 million new ones being added each year.

She also realized that it was the orphans who were not being offered for international adoption, who had no realistic alternative to growing up in an orphanage, who needed help the most.

Boudreaux entered into a partnership with an organization in India and began building orphanages from the ground up, training house mothers and setting high standards for nutrition, hygiene, emotional and physical care, and education.

The Miracle Foundation was very successful at building high-quality orphanages. Boudreaux knew she was onto something good, but didn’t know how to make it grow.

In 2009 she hired Elizabeth Davis, a veteran entrepreneur in Austin’s bustling high-tech world, to be the organization’s chief operating officer. In bringing her business savvy to bear on The Miracle Foundation, Ms. Davis immediately questioned why it was building new orphanages when there were already thousands operating in India.

So Boudreaux changed her approach again. She and Davis built a system for finding existing orphanages that were willing to partner with The Miracle Foundation.

Inspired by the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, they created the Miracle Foundation’s Rights of the Child, which includes the right to basics such as health care, nutrition, clean water, a stable environment, and a good education.

With these codified rights as benchmarks, they set up measurable standards and assessment tools, both to gauge an orphanage’s progress and to demonstrate the success of the foundation to prospective donors.

Orphanages that partner with The Miracle Foundation are provided with various kinds of assistance to help them bring their operations up to a high standard – from trained house mothers to a computer loaded with accounting software. While the foundation supplies support, employees of the orphanages are all Indian, as are the social workers who make periodic checks, and the country head, who oversees the operation.

Most important, during the first phase of partnership, the orphanage is given the resources to bring the ratio of children to house mothers to 20:1. (The norm in Indian orphanages is about 80:1.) When the orphanage becomes a full partner with The Miracle Foundation, the ratio is reduced even further, to 10 children for every house mother.

The homes also group both boys and girls of different ages together with one house mother, like a family, rather than grouping children of the same age together, like a school.

Several of the orphanages have shown dramatic improvement, scoring just 30 percent in their first assessment of meeting the standards, to scoring in the high 90s on the same assessment 15 months later.

“It’s remarkable,” Boudreaux says. “The directors and the house mothers are doing the work. The heavy lifting is on them.”

The Miracle Foundation now works with 11 orphanages, home to more than 800 children. Thanks to Boudreaux’s efforts, these children grow up in a happy, healthy, loving environment and can look forward to a future that includes vocational training or even a college education.

“The results of all her work are really apparent, the way the orphanages have turned into homes,” says Nivedita DasGupta, the Miracle Foundation’s India country head, in an interview via Skype from her office in New Delhi. “The children now have loving mothers to take care of them, which they did not have before. They thrive with proper meals, education, and depth of care.”

Before joining The Miracle Foundation in 2011, Ms. DasGupta worked for several nonprofit organizations in India, primarily with children. She has nothing but praise for Boudreaux. “I have never come across anybody as passionate and as competent as she is,” DasGupta says.

“Caroline is one of the smartest nonprofit leaders in the US today,” says Alan Graham, founder and president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, an Austin-based organization that delivers meals to the homeless in several cities. Boudreaux once served as a volunteer for Mr. Graham and considers him a mentor. He advised her when she badly needed encouragement and direction.

“She’s got everything going for her. She’s got great communication skills. The work she does is compelling and meaningful,” he says.

Chief operating officer Davis concurs. She particularly praises Boudreaux’s ability to adapt and grow as her vision for The Miracle Foundation broadens. Davis also notes Boudreaux’s ability to attract people to her cause, both in the United States and India, as employees, board members, and donors. “She does what she does for all the right reasons, and that’s what resonates,” Davis says. “She has a magnetic quality about her.”

Boudreaux’s immediate goal is to partner with more orphanages and serve more children. She is also hoping to expand beyond India. Her larger goal is to bring the plight of orphans to the world’s attention.

To that end, she is hoping to have the care of orphans included in the UN’s next set of sustainable development goals. Thus far, the plight of the world’s 153 million orphans is not on the UN goals list – or much on the radar of global concern, she says.

“These are the world’s children, and they belong to nobody,” Boudreaux says. “What if they belonged to everybody? How cool would that be?”

• For more information, visit www.miraclefoundation.org.

How to take action

Universal Giving helps people give to and volunteer for top-performing charitable organizations around the world. All the projects are vetted by Universal Giving; 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the listed cause. Below are links to three organizations helping children in India:

• • Greenheart Travel is a nonprofit international exchange organization that provides cultural immersion programs to change lives, advance careers, and create leaders. Take action: Volunteer to teach children in India.
  • Embrace advances maternal and child health by delivering innovative solutions to the world’s most vulnerable populations. Take action: Provide infant warmers for newborn babies in India.
  • Globe Awarepromotes cultural awareness and sustainability. Take action: Volunteer to fight poverty in India by working with children in slums.

Voyage Dallas October 4, 2017

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Haley-Coleman.

Kimberly, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.

I was raised with a deep love for different cultures. Before I got an MBA in international business, I got my masters in Art History (here at SMU). After working for a few nonprofits, I ended up in the for profit world doing business for multinational corporations. I found myself often traveling to developing countries where I sought to volunteer. I found that organizations just didn’t want short term volunteers, as the time and energy to train someone wasn’t worth it if the volunteer couldn’t commit a significant chunk of time, usually a minimum of a few weeks.

Since 1990 Ms. Haley-Coleman has been establishing long-term strategic partnerships and projects in non-profit and for-profit international arenas. Prior to founding Globe Aware, she was Vice President of Business Development for an aerospace company, Space Services International. Previously she led Business Development for Infotriever, which facilitated global contacts. As the Director of International Business Development at Investools, she created strategic international relationships and developed a globalization strategy to give free financial education tools to millions. During launch of CNBC.com, was Product Manager, managed and supervised product development efforts and trained on-air staff in using online stock evaluation tools. She developed and patented Dcipher, an artificial intelligence engine for free, real-time analysis of stocks and portfolios which helped provide investment analysis for those who could not afford financial advisors. At FCA, she created international joint ventures for small companies to develop sustainability of West African markets. Certified with Series 7, 65 and 63 licenses, she spent 2 years as Associate Portfolio Manager of the closed-end Capstone Japan Fund, she researched international stocks, made investment picks and placed trades. At Documentary Arts and Contemporary Culture, two Dallas-based non-profit organizations, she served as Associate Director of Programs, where she organized programs, wrote grants; prior nonprofit work includes internships at Dallas Museum of Art and High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. She squeezed in volunteering while traveling internationally on business and consulted with various international NGOs on achieving their goals.

Frustrated by the difficulty to give time effectively in needy communities within confines of busy life, she began Globe Aware to give Westerners a forum to serve in a meaningful and fun way for both the recipient communities and the volunteer. She wants Globe Aware to serve as a lamp to light that flame of inspiration in people who might otherwise have very little time to give abroad. She has an MBA in International Business from UD, grad with Highest Honors, received Texas Business Hall of Fame Scholarship Award, has an MA from Southern Methodist University and a BA from Emory University.

She is currently serving as Chair on the Executive Board of IVPA (International Volunteer Programs Association), on Dallas Opera Board of Trustees, on Board of Groundwork Dallas, is President of Dallas’ Shore Acres Beautification and is Leadership Member for Service Nation.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?

The problem is that most Americans with jobs simply don’t have that kind of time (weeks or months) to give. And yet they are frequently in a position where not only can they give more financially, but their souls actually need that meaningful interaction, perhaps even more than those who have flexible schedules. It can be such a grey, dog-eat-dog world. To get out of it, to stand side by side as equals helping people one projects that are important to them, that’s something that can bring new meaning and color and even appreciation to life.

Also 2008 was a bumpy year for sure. Expenditures on travel and donations are often the first areas cut so we, like most nonprofits, took a huge hit 2008 to 2009.

“I think it’s critical that in order to be a really involved, successful person, I feel it almost requires that one be a globally aware citizen. It helps find resolutions, on a global scale, to conflicts that are important, whether it’s political peace or bringing groups and different nationalities together to find a solution to problems that we all face,” Haley-Coleman said, “But it’s also a huge source of joy for someone for their whole life, to have those wonderful moments of cultural understanding.”

Please tell us about Globe Aware.

Short term, one week volunteer vacations in 20 countries around the world. Volunteers typically work about 35 hours a week, but they also have cultural activities scheduled and free time. The cost of the program and the airfare is 100% tax deductible against the participant’s income.

Specializing in well organized, short-term abroad volunteer opportunities. We usually focus on concrete projects. As examples, we assemble wheelchairs for landmine victims in Cambodia, install concrete floors in the homes of single moms in Guatemala, build adobe stoves in Peru, etc.

What sets us apart? That our volunteers typically feel they have received much more than they have given, because this generally inspires them to do even more and to stay engaged. When we know we are making a difference, it not only helps others but clearly improves our own sense of well-being. What better win-win is there than that?

How are we different? People calling us will not confront a voice mail tree or unanswered emails. We are committed to human interaction. We let locals decide which projects they need. We allow families of all ages to participate. Also, this isn’t just fulfilling. It is outright fun. If it isn’t fun, we aren’t doing our job. Our motto is, “Have Fun, Help People”

Also, most of our peers don’t believe in contributing financially to project work, seeing that as a way to increase reliance on outsiders. We take a different approach. If you spend money on wheelchairs and give them to people who need them, this increases their self-independence. We engage in projects that the locals have asked for, do them in a way they decide upon, we don’t choose projects involving heavy equipment or machinery or high on ladders, don’t handle bodily fluids or require certain skills.

Doctors Without Borders is a great organization, for example, if you’re wanting to do surgery. That’s not our forte!

Every organization is different. Ours are specifically geared toward those without specific work or language skills who have *very little free time*. Our most often call is someone who knows they want to volunteer but have no idea where. We spend a fair amount of time assessing how much travel they’ve done before. For example, if they’ve never left the country, we generally think its huge amount of culture shock to go straight to India or Cambodia, for example, and we might recommend Costa Rica, as its culture isn’t quite as drastically different from North America. If they have traveled and they speak another language, such as Spanish, we might steer them to a country like Peru. See its very much based on the specific volunteers past service, travel, and languages. Oddly not many people decide where to go based on what TYPE of service is offered. For example, we assemble wheelchairs for landmine victims in Cambodia. I really don’t think that the service itself is ever a deciding factor, and really that’s ok. There is REAL NEED everywhere. Start with your interest, inclination, and perhaps any culture you have personal connection to.

Globe Aware has just launched a 3-part initiative in an effort to aid the post-earthquake Mexico reconstruction effort in the villages of Hueyapan, Zaucalpan, Tetela del Norte, Jojutla and Yautepec, as well as their main program location, Tepoztlan.

The organization has a deep connection with Mexico, and recognizes that these smaller communities are not receiving the help they need. The organization immediately connected with program coordinators and began relief aid by coordinating the delivery of supplies for assistance in these areas.Globe Aware has now begun work directly with families in those locations in rebuilding their homes, prioritizing building homes for those with single mothers and young children, as well as the elderly. Volunteers who register for the Globe Aware Mexico volunteer vacation program will have the opportunity to be a part of these critical reconstruction efforts. Haley-Coleman, stated that “In a world where many of us may feel helpless in the face of seemingly constant manmade and natural disasters, this kind of effort means not only getting much needed supplies and housing directly to those who most need it, but also allows our hearts to heal as we participate in the mending.”

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?

Yes, luck played a part. We were fortunate to come up at a time when there is a generally growing sense of social consciousness that has allowed us to succeed. Also, our volunteer demographic happens to coincide with an attractive ad demographic for a lot of mainstream media, so we have been the fortunate beneficiary of being the subject of their stories and segments. If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?

It certainly would have been easier if I started earlier before having children, but I think things work out the way they do for a reason.

Janet Robinson, a recently returned mother who volunteered in Cuba says “I think my children learned what you really need to be happy. I think we learned about material possessions and what people, in general, need to be happy, because we saw people who didn’t have anything who were having happy and wonderful lives.”

Pricing:

Programs cost about $1000 to $1500 a week and include food, accommodations, bottled water, project materials, medical insurance, bilingual coorindator, in-country transportation, etc and are fully tax deductible against your income.

Contact Info:

• Address: 6500 East Mockingbird Lane Suite 104 Dallas, Texas 75214
• Website: www.globeaware.org
• Phone: 877-588-4562
• Email: office@globeaware.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globeaware/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globeaware/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlobeAware
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/GlobeAware/

Happy Birthday to the Peace Corps, Student Volunteers from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) in Ghana, A profile of Globe Aware, and a short doc on New Orleans.

Happy Birthday to the Peace Corps, Student Volunteers from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) in Ghana, A profile of Globe Aware, and a short doc on New Orleans.

Once again we fed our orientation preparation materials into an AI podcast generator so that if its easier for you to experience that way, while you're driving or exercising, you can do it! This time, this is a podcast giving you information about the community where we work, suggestions on what to pack, wear, cuisine, etc. We still want to hear from you if you have any questions. Have fun, help people!

QandA with Volunteer Vacation provider Globe Aware

Kimberly Haley-Coleman takes time out of her busy schedule to tell Voluntales about Globe Aware.

Can you tell us a little about your organization? What does Globe Aware aim to achieve? Why is volunteering important?

We seek to promote cultural awareness and sustainability by mobilizing small teams of volunteers to carry out humanitarian assistance projects the communities have requested in 17 countries around the world. First, it just makes the world a better place and it makes one happy to give of oneself. It also affords the local communities a way to learn about the world outside their own borders, an opportunity for cultural exchange for all involved. It’s a chance to connect, participate and participate in meaningful projects.

In what ways does Globe Aware differ from other organizations offering volunteering vacations?

We have small teams going for only one week, Saturday to Saturday. We usually work on short term *concrete* projects that you can finish in a week, like assembling wheelchairs, building adobe lorena stoves, schools, houses, installing water filtration systems, etc. Many of our peer organizations won’t put money toward such projects as they believe it only builds dependency. Our aim is to build capacity.

What have been some of your biggest challenges and successes? Or the greatest challenges for your volunteers?

One of our greatest is a doctor in Florida who came on a program and was so inspired that she led a mass fundraising campaign to install water filtrations for a huge number of villages. There are so many examples, really a Globe Aware experience is a way to light that lamp for passion for what happens when you give of yourself in this unique way.

What are the most popular destinations for your volunteers?

Peru, Costa Rica

What type of professional background are you looking for? Can anyone participate? Can non-US citizens/residents travel with you?

Anyone, no skills required at all. Yes we have had many non-US citizens, and in fact are also a registered Canadian charity. We’ve had volunteers as young as 2 who came with their parents and helped with forming mud for the stoves, for example

Do volunteers have to pay to participate, and if so, what does this payment support?

Yes, the pay goes toward project materials, coordinator salary, accommodations, food, in country transportation, medical insurance, any local expertise contracted, etc. A more full list of what’s included is on our site in the FAQs section.

In general, what do people gain from volunteering with your organization?

I’d say we must be close to 100% feeling that they got more than they give. Its true because you learn from the locals. Its an exchange, not a situation where volunteers are flying in as superman to save the day. They already know how to address many of their challenges. We are working side by side with different communities as equals on projects that are important to them. Not much greater satisfaction in this world!

In general, what are the key questions potential volunteers should ask about a host organization?

Where is your money going, will I have a bilingual staff member with me the whole time; who will take care of me in the event of an emergency. Just as important is what NOT to ask – if you ask for an exact schedule, you’re off track. Most cultures that support volunteer programs like this are not bound by clocks and calendars the way many Westerners are.

Thank you to Kimberly and to Globe Aware!

Kimberly Haley-Coleman, founder and Executive Director of Globe Aware, recently sat down with Jessica Wynne Lockhart, contributing editor at Travel with Purpose's Verge Magazine to discuss how to make the most of a volunteer vacation. The Q & A is below.

How to be an effective global citizen during the holiday season.

As the holidays approach and the fiscal year draws to an end, it’s a natural time to think about how we can support our global community. But with thousands of charities to choose from, how do you select a reputable organization to donate your time or money to?

It’s not an easy question, which is why we called in the experts: Nick Beardsley is the Project Advisor for Gapforce, a provider of structured gap years and summer abroad programs; Justine Abigail Yu is the Communications and Marketing Director for Operation Groundswell, a non-profit that facilitates service-learning experiences; and Kimberly Haley-Coleman is Founder and Executive Director of Globe Aware, a charitable organization that mobilizes small groups of volunteers to promote cultural awareness around the world.

Nick, Justine and Kimberly shared with us how they believe we can be effective global citizens this holiday season:

Why do think it’s important to reflect on global citizenship during the holiday season?

Nick Beardsley, Project Advisor for Gapforce: It should be important at all times to both pursue and reflect on global citizenship in one way or another. What the holiday season does is offer us the opportunity to think about others at a time that is infamous for being selfless. It is a time to remember those less fortunate than ourselves. It is the perfect time to transcend geographic, political, and cultural boundaries and recognize oneself as a citizen of the global community.

Each year, the popularity of “charitable giving” instead of “gift giving” increases. What are your recommendations for choosing a charitable organization to support?

Nick: You should choose an organization that means something to you. It may be that you have a personal connection to the cause or it may be that the organization has simply touched you in some way. Choose with your heart.

Kimberly Haley-Coleman, Founder and Executive Director of Globe Aware: Start with what you know. If you belong to a trusted community centre, school, animal shelter or faith-based organization, this is a wonderful place to start.

If you are just now setting out to find an organization, know that this takes time. Ask friends and family whom they support and why. Make a list of what world issues most concern you and which entities seem to do a good job of addressing those issues. Look at the publically listed financials to get a better understanding of how the organizations spend their revenues. Don’t hesitate to call the organizations to find out more about them. If you aren’t ready to make a financial contribution, see if you can volunteer with the organization to get a better feel for how they operate.

Justine Abigail Yu, Communications and Marketing Director for Operation Groundswell: Really do your research here and look at the actual impacts of the organization. First of all, does this organization’s values align with your own? Are they addressing the problem they set out to solve? Do they show evidence that demonstrates that their approach is effective? How do they measure their progress? Does the charity receive feedback from the people it intends to serve and are they using that feedback to improve their programs?

I know that it’s fashionable to assess an organization by looking at how much of donors’ dollars are being put towards overhead as an indicator of efficiency and legitimacy. The thinking here is that the lower the percentage that’s going to things like administrative costs, the more effective an organization is. But that’s not necessarily the case. I would challenge people to look deeper than that and ask harder questions. Although keeping a low overhead may be important, the bottom line is that we all want to support organizations are actually solving the social problems that will change our world.

For those who are going away for the holidays, how can they turn their vacation into travel "with purpose"?

Nick: My suggestion is to learn about local traditions and join in. It could become a new tradition that you practice even when you return home.

Kimberly: Picking an eco-conscious hotel, bringing needed donations to a community that has requested them, steering clear of handing out candy and money (which only builds dependency), reaching out to connect with locals in a non-consumer fashion (attend a local faith service or eat a meal with a family) and, of course, volunteering.

Justine: Wherever you’re going this holiday season, take the time to find opportunities that get you off the beaten path to really connect with the local culture and people. Try local delicacies that you’ve never heard of and learn the local language—that genuine attempt at connection builds cultural competency and empathy. And if you want to get your hands a little dirtier, look for opportunities that combine responsible volunteering with cross-cultural dialogue and critical learning.

What are your favourite gift ideas for travellers and global citizens?

Kimberly: Take the time to experience a new culture with a friend or family member while volunteering abroad—this is a bucket list item I hope everyone gets the chance to experience in his or her lifetime. Or, for an easy and incredibly practical gift, I love the luggage scales you can get for less than $10. Highly compressible extra bags, gift cards for phone apps (with suggested list of latest travel apps), and travel guidebooks are awfully nice too.

Justine: Find something handmade and artisanal from a place that means something special to you or to the person you’re giving the gift to. There are a lot of really great cooperatives and organizations that sell their goods through direct trade and this is a really great way to support the local economy of another country.

For example, we all love coffee here at Operation Groundswell. One of our partners, De la Gente, is this awesome agricultural cooperative in Guatemala that creates direct connections with buyers and consumers to improve the livelihoods of the small-holder coffee farmers they work with. All profits generated from the sales of coffee go directly to these farmers. It takes a little bit more research and thought to find these gifts, but it’s so worth it.

"Journeys of the Heart" is an inspirational television series that documents the challenges, successes and failures of adventuresome volunteers, who travel to Cusco, Peru to care for deaf orphans. - Concrete Pictures

Click on each name to read reflections from our volunteers during this documentary.

• Jimbo Culter
• Bob Link
• Jo Link
• Robyn Liston
• Sarah Oakes
• Ana Quintanilla
• Sofia Ratcovich
• Cliff Schumacher
• Elaine Sombrutski
• James Walker
• Patsy Walker

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
VoyageDallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Haley-Coleman.

Hi Kimberly, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

My career has been circuitous, to say the least! From training on-air CNBC staff in financial tools, putting dead people into space with Space Services, working at museums and start-ups! But I found my true calling when I founded Globe Aware a couple of decades ago, organizing experiences that allowed people to have fun helping people. These short-term experiences in 26 countries are designed to give back, show participants a side of the culture they are visiting in a way they never would, but also to make a huge social impact in a short amount of time. Prior to Globe Aware, such experiences were primarily the domain of high school and college students or of churches or meant a 2.5 years Peace Corps commitment. Since then, the organization has grown in ways we could never have anticipated. For example, now corporations send their staff through us, using contribution matching, paid Volunteer Days Off, allowing tax deductions for portions the staff member pays for, etc. BUT THEN the pandemic. Borders closed, travel safety called into question, the world stopped, and I decided to temporarily pivot. And THAT is what led to my creating The Tickle Bar, America’s newest and most unique affordable luxury.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

As conditions around covid 19 have rolled up and down, so too have both my businesses. We have instituted new protocols and have had to keep up with changing requirements. We are doing things we never anticipated. The border situation and pandemic safety conditions change frequently, and we have been lucky to flourish in an uncertain market. Having rapid covid tests administered at our program locations prior to participants returning to the US or transferring program locations from one country to the next, it has NOT been a smooth road, but it has been enormously interesting and gratifying. It is such a privilege that I get to run businesses that provide joy to people at a time when people especially need it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

As the mother of two teenagers going to the same high school, I did back when I lived in Lakewood, I feel lucky that my daughters get to bear witness to a business person learning how to adapt quickly to changing conditions. This generation, despite the setbacks and struggles, will be stronger than previous generations because of this. When the President declared the Travel Emergency in March of 2020, we did not wait to react. We had closed our Asia programs in January, then immediately started finding creative ways to cut costs. I went unpaid for quite a while, we applied for and received PPP rounds of funding, we created virtual programing to bring services to folks the world over as an alternative to our core businesses, and then we figured out how to fill a niche that people suddenly urgently needed. After months of severely limited human interaction, we created an affordable business to get safe, human, healing, nurturing touch. As a parent, as strange as it sounds, I am glad this all happened while they were still under my wing.

What makes you happy?

Like most people, my greatest source of joy is service. That can be providing the specialty homemade vegan dinners my eldest likes or planning and building a school in Laos. How could anything else compare to that? I think it’s a given, universal thing for which we all yearn.

Pricing:

• Globe Aware programs run from $1000 t0 $1600 per week
• Tickle Bar sessions (think of light back tracing your mom did on your back when you were growing up) from $25 and up

Contact Info:

• Email: info@globeaware.com kimberly@ticklebar.com
• Website: www.globeaware.org and www.ticklebar.com
• Instagram: @globeaware and @tickle.bar
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globeaware and https://www.facebook.com/Tickle.bar
• Twitter: @GlobeAware and @TheTickleBar
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lylejenish and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwgF2Oy0Nf94OayQJeHj8RA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-tickle-bar-dallas

Recent events in the Middle East have put travelers on edge. Here are some tips on staying safe if you plan on travelling to the region in the near future.

‘Maintain a high level of vigilance’ — travel security experts advise caution when traveling to the Middle East

Jan 8, 2020 

By MEERA JAGANNATHAN and ANDREW KESHNER

The State Department says Americans should maintain ‘situational awareness’ in the region following the Baghdad airstrike

Tourists at the Khazneh, or Treasury, in Petra, Jordan. The popular destination is in a region of the world where tensions can be expected to rise after an U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq, killed a top Iranian military official.

Iran and Iraq are obviously not destinations for most U.S. tourists, but experts say U.S. citizens should exercise caution when traveling to other countries in the Middle East following the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad’s international airport last Friday.

Iran, which has several armed allies in the region, retaliated Wednesday by firing a volley of ballistic missiles at two American military bases in Iraq. The Federal Aviation Administration banned U.S. airlines from flying over Iran, Iraq and waters of the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf, and Reuters reported that a number of non-U.S. airlines, including Emirates and Lufthansa, had canceled flights around Iraq and Iran.

Meanwhile, a Ukraine-bound Boeing 737 BA, -0.77% operated by Ukraine International Airlines crashed Wednesday after taking off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. Ukraine’s embassy in Tehran said the crash was under investigation by a commission, and that any statements about its causes before the commission’s decision were “not official,” the Washington Post reported.

Iran and Iraq are listed as Level 4, meaning do not travel to them, by the State Department, while Israel and Jordan are deemed Level 2, calling for increased caution.

Travel experts advise caution when visiting the Middle East. “Any of those places in the Middle East, I would have a heightened level of concern,” Tim Bradley, managing partner of IMG GlobalSecur, a Tavares, Fla., a firm advising companies, nongovernmental organizations and mission groups on safe travel across the globe, said last week after Soleimani’s killing.

The State Department did not respond immediately to a request for comment Wednesday, but it urged all U.S. citizens last week to leave Iraq “due to heightened tensions” in the country and surrounding region.

The department sent out a string of notices on Twitter TWTR, +1.25% cautioning American citizens in countries including Morocco, Lebanon, Kuwait to maintain “a high level of vigilance” and “good situational awareness” in light of the tensions in the region. American citizens in Bahrain should also be on the lookout for demonstrations or unrest, the State Department said.

“While we have no information indicating a threat to American citizens, we encourage you to continually exercise the appropriate level of security awareness,” a department tweet stated.

The State Department regularly issues travel advisories on a 1-to-4 scale; countries rated at Level 1 are places where travelers should “exercise normal precautions,” while Level 4 is a warning not to travel to a country so designated.

For context, Iran and Iraq are listed as Level 4 countries, while places like Israel and Jordan are deemed Level 2. These are countries where the State Department says travelers should use “increased caution.”

Travelers should be especially aware in public squares, and should also recognize that U.S. embassies and Western-branded hotels can face increased risks of attack, Bradley added.

The State Department’s ‘Smart Traveler Enrollment Program’ is a free service under which travelers send their itineraries to the department.

What about Americans planning travel to lower-risk Middle Eastern destinations like Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar?

“Don’t cancel your plans,” said Matthew Bradley, the regional security director for International SOS, a medical and travel security services firm (and no relation to Tim Bradley of IMG GlobalSecur).

That said, travelers to those traditionally lower-risk regions might still minimize their movements to reduce the risk of being a victim of circumstance, he said, and maintain a heightened sense of awareness.

Trust your gut, said GlobalSecur’s Bradley, a former FBI special agent. “If you don’t feel comfortable somewhere, it’s time to leave.”

Tim Bradley said there are other ways to plan ahead:

• Enroll in the State Department’s “Smart Traveler Enrollment Program,” a free service under which travelers send their itineraries to the department. The program gives updates on a country’s safety conditions and enables government officials to get in touch in case of emergencies.
• Brush up on current events before traveling, even if it’s just to know when holidays are approaching, he said.
• Travelers should be in touch with family and friends back home as their trip proceeds. It’s also smart to leave a hard copy of the trip itinerary at home with someone.
• Arrange transportation from the airport to the hotel ahead of time. Hotels typically can provide a car service, he said.

December 10, 2025

Openings Pathways – Spreading Joy Through Globe Aware – Kimberly Haley-Coleman

In this engaging conversation, Kimberly Haley-Coleman, CEO and founder of Globe Aware, shares her journey of creating a nonprofit focused on short-term service projects that promote cultural awareness and sustainability. She discusses the influences that shaped her values, the challenges faced in leadership, and the importance of personal growth and community engagement. Kimberly emphasizes the need for empathy and connection in today's world, while also providing insights for aspiring nonprofit leaders.

Click here to download this article.

Travel writer Peter S. Greenbergoffers some warm praise for Globe Aware in his latest book, The Best Places for Everything: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to the Greatest Experiences Around the World.

On the Chapter titled "Voluntourism", Greenberg lists some of the great organizations that offer amazing volunteer vacation experiences. “Globe Aware offers 1-week volunteer vacations that combine hands-on experiences with cultural activities. To get the most for your travel dollar, look for destinations like Mexico, Laos and Cambodia where you can get accommodations, meals, excursions and volunteer activities for about $1200 a week. Projects vary, but in Cambodia you might teach English at a Buddhist school or get involved with a children’s center in Luang Prabang. www.globeaware.org”

Greenberg, CBS News Travel Editor reporting regularly on The Early Show, its replacement CBS This Morning, and the CBS Evening News, is best known as the Travel Editor for NBC's Today, CNBC and MSNBC from 1995 until 2009, says he wrote The Best Places for Everythingbecause he is “constantly being asked by just about everyone to name my choices for best, and the travel categories are almost endless. After resisting for many years (partly because I didn’t think I could give it the completeness it needed,) I’ve now been able to compile the Best Places for Everything. Its based on my personal travel history of comparison and constant points of reference, relevance, and long-term value. In this book, I answer the question of “best” with a caveat: It’s not done in an arbitrary way, but by personal experience, measured by relative terms, not absolute or impossible ones.

“I was at an editor’s conference, and an Indiana newspaper’s travel editor said: ‘We feel that if we don’t have something nice to say about a place, we just won’t say it.’ I couldn’t believe a professional journalist would make such a statement! I immediately stood up and challenged him. ‘If that’s your philosophy, you should resign,’ I said. ‘You’re being irresponsible to your readers. What you are describing is a newspaper that is an advertising vehicle for the travel industry, and as such it has no credibility.’ There is no room in travel journalism for quid pro quo approaching to reporting. From that moment, I’ve kept a running file of my own bad travel experiences (compiled in his book titled Don’t Go Thereabout all sorts of places and companies he does NOT recommend).

Greenberg has visited every U.S. state multiple times and 151 of 196 countries around the world. “With each trip, my list of where not to go grows. I know I will be accused of being unfairly subjective and that I have somehow violated the spirit of travel journalism by not being a promoter of travel. Well guess what? I have never worked for the travel industry. I report on it - - good(and sometimes very good), bad, and yes, quote often ugly. Travel writing is not being part of a popularity contest. Like all other reporting, it’s about presenting—not promoting—facts that allow people to make reasonably intelligent, independent decisions about choices available to them.”

 

25 years ago, Kimberly Haley Coleman was stuck abroad on business weekends, wanting to volunteer but finding nothing meaningful to do. So she created her own opportunities—and Globe Aware was born.

Today, Globe Aware connects volunteers with communities in 21 countries through week-long service projects. We're talking about real work: installing concrete floors in Guatemala, assembling wheelchairs in Cambodia, building stoves that actually vent smoke out of homes. In our conversation, Kimberly shared something that didn't surprise me. Volunteers consistently tell her they received more from the experience than they gave. There's something about showing up, working alongside families, and seeing their daily reality that writing a check simply can't replicate. These aren't luxury trips. You're staying in modest accommodations, eating local food, and getting your hands dirty. But families come home fundamentally changed in how they see the world.

As Kimberly puts it, "There's no check you can write that can do that to a kid's brain."

If you've been thinking about meaningful travel or want to show your family a bigger world, this episode offers a completely different way to think about vacation time. You could even revisit a few places through new eyes and opportunities.  Think Machu Picchu, Transylvania, Thailand, Cuba, Mexico, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the Galapagos Islands.

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-82v9z-193ca37

The Latin American and Caribbean Student Health Organization (LAC Health) and the greater Harvard School of Public Health community, generously donated funds to Globe Aware to buy medical supplies for the medical clinic in San Pedro de Casta, Peru. To raise these funds, LAC Health engaged in a week long sale of handmade Peruvian jewelry to the students and faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health.

LAC Health is a student organization aimed at promoting, analyzing, and resolving health problems affecting Latin America and the Caribbean.

Our objectives are:

• To increase awareness throughout the Harvard community of health problems effecting the countries of Latin America And the Caribbean;
• To promote healthy practices and give exposure to successful health programs unique to LAC;
• To create an arena for raising concerns and discussing issues about public health problems and policies with experts from LAC;
• To create an informal setting/environment for all students interested in making LAC a healthier place to share experiences, ideas and concerns with fellow students and faculty.

Sharlene Bagga, who collaborated with Globe Aware, Harvard's attention the need for medical supplies at the clinic in San Pedro de Casta and they were happy to work with her on this fund raising event.

Their hopes are that their contribution will benefit the workers and clients at the medical clinic in San Pedro de Casta. They reiterated how much they enjoyed working on this venture to help Globe Aware's Latin American activities.

Special thanks to the Organizers:

• Leah-Mari Richards, Founder and Co-President LAC Health - Harvard School of Public Health
• Moira Breslin, Founder and Co-President LAC Health - Harvard School of Public Health