WHAT WE DO
An overview of what we do as volunteers
AN EXPERIENCE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Global Brigades is committed to enacting holistic, lasting change in the communities we work with, primarily through student-led brigades. Each year 1-2 groups of enthusiastic, dedicated students are chosen for an upcoming brigade to Honduras, Greece, Panama, or Ghana. The year is spent preparing for the brigade: practicing relevant skills like taking blood pressure, individual and group fundraising, basic vocabulary, and learning about the culture of the community we will work in. Finally, after months of preparation, students embark on 7-day or 10-day brigades. Though the project that each brigade focuses on depends on the program (be it Medical, Business, or one of the other 8 programs Global Brigades facilitates), each brigade has the same unifying objective: to move a community one step closer to sustainability through empowerment.
Throughout the year, we also work to make a positive impact in the Austin community through group volunteering. Some of our past and present partnerships include the UT Microfarm, Casa Marianella, Habitat for Humanity, Mother’s Milk Bank Austin, and Micah 6 Food Pantry. The University of Texas currently has active Medical and Business chapters, but we are working toward developing all eight Global Brigades programs to better embody the holistic model on campus.
VOLUNTEERING IN-COUNTRY
In-country, brigades come in all shapes and sizes. Volunteers generally stay for a 7-10 day brigade in which days are spent in a few different communities. For example, a medical brigade would have 3-4 days dedicated to clinic in one community and an additional 2-3 days dedicated to a public health or water project in another community. Business brigades will complete community check-ins, in which volunteers will assess the status of current businesses. Public health and water brigades consist of health assessments and building projects including sanitary stations, cement floors, and digging trenches for water pipes. Throughout all programs however, the most important aspect of a brigade is educating community members. Through education, community members are empowered to start their own businesses, create savings and take out loans, maintain their health, and more.
