Philippines

Welcome to the Philippines Volunteering Centre!

The Philippines welcomes a culture of volunteering that is embedded in its laws and practices.

Before the pandemic, EV Philippines was able to host up to 300 VIESs (Volontaires Internationaux d’Échanges et de Solidarité – International Exchange and Solidarity Volunteers) each year for missions ranging from a few weeks to several years.

Find out all the information for your volunteering in the Philippines!

Volunteering in the Philippines

Regional distribution

International volunteers can be found in every corner of the archipelago, but almost half of them carry out their work in the metropolitan region of Manila, the country’s capital, followed by the Visayas and the Calabarzon region.

Distribution by volunteering programs

The Philippines welcomes a variety of volunteers and programs. International Solidarity Volunteers (Volontaires de Solidarité Internationale or VSI) are by far the most numerous, accounting for nearly 75% of all profiles.

Translation

Programmes Jeunesse Solidarité Internationale (JSI) : International Solidarity Youth Programs
Programmes Ville Vie Vacances – Solidarité Internationale (VVV-SI) : Ville Vie Vacances Programs – International Solidarity
Chantiers Internationaux : International Work Camps
Service Civique International (SCI) : International Civic Service

Founded in 2013, the Philippines Volunteering Centre works with all the solidarity stakeholders: volunteers, dispatching and host organisations, volunteer candidates and Philippine institutions.

Our services

Advice/guidance in finding and accomplishing a volunteering mission.
Provide a secure framework via the national representative (in-country security advisor)
Putting volunteering stakeholders in contact
To answer all administrative, cultural and civic questions
Supporting volunteers in their volunteering missions through training and workshops
Expanding the France Volontaires network in the Philippines
Promoting reciprocal volunteering
Ensuring the development of quality missions.
Putting volunteering stakeholders in contact
Coordinating volunteers’ network
Tagalog lessons
Psychological counselling

Our partners

Volunteer host organisations in the Philippines

There are many volunteer host organisations in the Philippines. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of the host organisations:

Dispatching organisations that are members of France Volontaires

La Délégation Catholique pour la Coopération (DCC)
Eurasia Net
Fidesco
La Guilde
Intercodia
Mouvement ATD Quart Monde
Scouts et Guides de France (SGDF)
Service de Coopération au Développement (SCD)

Settling into the Philippines

Identity card

Official name: The Philippines
Type of regime: Multi-party presidential republic
Head of State: Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Capital city: Manila
Main cities: the ‘Metro Manila’ agglomeration (12.8 million inhabitants) includes 17 cities, including Manila Caloocan Makati, and Quezon City (3M), Cebu (2.8M) and Davao (2.5M)
Official language(s): Filipino (based on Tagalog), English
Spoken language (s): Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligainon
Currency: Philippine Peso (PHP) 1 euro = ± 55 PHP
Population: 108.1 million inhabitants
Literacy rate: 98%
Religion(s ): Catholics (84%), Muslims (7%), Evangelical Protestants (4%), Buddhists (1.5%), numerous Christian churches (Iglesia ni Christo, El Shaddai)

(Sources: demographic data: World Bank)

General presentation

The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,641 islands divided into three main island groups: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The Philippines counts Filipino (the national language) and English as its official languages. With a population estimated at 114 million (UN data 2022), the Philippines offers a diverse culture and breathtaking scenery.