Pamplona, Colombia. Small university town at the base of the Andes mountains, two hours from Cucuta, four hours from Bucaramanga.

OTGI is in Colombia in response to a crisis, and as the situation is often in flux, we have taken on a variety of projects as they have arisen. Currently, OTGI’s main focus is providing support and relief for “los caminantes”, or “the people who walk”, the Venezuelans who are walking across the country in search of jobs and a place to live. OTGI operates two shelters along the route, and provides assistance to two locally-run shelters. The shelters provide people who walk with food and a place to sleep for one night, sometimes even laundry services and showers. Local shelter volunteers work very long hours to keep up with the constant flow of refugees, and are exhausted. One of our goals with international volunteers is to relieve their burden by helping with the daily tasks of cooking, cleaning, delivering food, and managing individual needs as they arrive.

While fulfilling and rewarding, shelter work is often not glamorous, so please be prepared for some monotonous or unpleasant tasks. Plugged toilets, for example, are a daily reality.

We require a minimum of three weeks, many volunteers stay 1-2 months. We also have internship opportunities for those who would like to stay 3-6 months.

The most important attributes of an OTGI volunteer are a positive attitude and strong work ethic. Volunteers need to be able to be flexible and work hard in a rapidly changing and sometimes stressful environment, as well as be willing to step up when needs change. Often needs will arise that are not in your job description, but must be addressed.

Specific skills that we look for include medical training, construction/maintenance experience, food handling and cooking experience, and experience with children. Speaking Spanish is a huge advantage, but not required.

OTGI has a volunteer house with six bedrooms, two kitchens, and a rooftop terace where volunteers spend a lot of their free time. There is internet and laundry, and you can drink the tap water. In this house most of the rooms are equipped for four people. For volunteers wishing for more privacy, we have a guest house two blocks away with three bedrooms. Depending upon availability, volunteers can rent either a room or the full house during their stay.

Pamplona is a small town, and the conduct of our volunteers directly affects the reputation of OTGI, so yes, we have expectations and a code of conduct. While this will be gone over in greater detail in orientation, please come prepared with appropriate clothing for volunteering in a humanitarian aid situation - no tank tops, shorts, or revealing clothing. We also have a strict drug and alcohol policy, which is outlined in the volunteer documents, and a sexual ethics policy which does not permit any relationships with locals or beneficiaries. Please make sure you are ready to uphold these standards before coming to volunteer with us.

We often have university or graduate students do internships with us, and we are able to provide a proof of volunteering document. Each internship is slightly different depending on the skills of the individual, but they involve taking on some admin responsibilities in addition to normal volunteer projects.

There are plenty of cute cafes and restaurants in Pamplona, some shopping streets with a lot of clothing stores, but also many hiking trails in the mountains surrounding the town. There are a number of gyms in town with day passes of 5 mil (around 1USD) or monthly memberships for 40-60 mil (8-12 dollars). Some volunteers go to weekly yoga classes, take salsa lessons, or hire a local private Spanish tutor in their free time. Saturday is our day off, so volunteers often organize activities together, such as hiking, visiting local waterfalls and hot springs, and exploring the neighboring towns.

If flying in from another country, the cheapest option is usually to buy a flight to Bogota (or Medellin), and then buy a second hopper flight into Cucuta. (There are buses, but the bus ride from Bogota to Pamplona is about 16 hours, and costs about the same as a flight.) From Cucuta you can take the two-hour bus to Pamplona (about 12-14 USD including the cost of 2 taxis), or ask us to arrange a private car for you (about 26-28 USD).

Important: Volunteers are welcome to arrive at the OTGI volunteer house between 8am-8pm on Fridays and Sundays. Please plan your travel accordingly

Citizens of the US, Canada, and most European countries are granted a 90-day visa upon arrival.

As of January 2021, you need to fill out an online questionnaire regarding Covid - make sure to carefully research requirements. Also, some airlines are stricter than others, and require proof of a return ticket in order to board the plane. Colombia immigration does not require this proof, but be aware of your airline’s requirements.

If you are current on normal vaccinations, you will not need any additional. Some travel websites advise Yellow Fever vaccine, but the last case of Yellow Fever in Colombia was over 30 years ago. Malaria pills are also unnecessary. The COVID-19 vaccine is not required to travel to Colombia.

Traveling with or without insurance is a personal decision, OTGI can not make a recommendation on this choice, nor can we recommend insurance agencies. We encourage you to do your own research if insurance is something you are trying to decide on.

Donations received by OTGI are directed 100% to refugee needs. As such, volunteers need to cover all of their own expenses. Good news, though - by North American or European standards, life in Colombia is very inexpensive. Volunteer payments are collected at the end of each month, and at time of departure from OTGI. Payment in Colombian pesos is preferred, but there is also an option to pay by credit card through PayPal, Venmo or CashApp. If paying by card, we ask volunteers to add 5% to help cover our transaction costs.

Transportation: OTGI volunteers are responsible for their own transportation expenses, including airfare and transportation from the airport to the service location. Once in town, volunteers cover their own taxi or bus expenses. The local bus costs 1.4 mil (40 cents) and a taxi to anywhere in town costs 5 mil (a little over a dollar) .

Lodging: OTGI has rented a volunteer house in Pamplona, and can offer shared accommodation to our volunteers for 37 mil per night - approximately 8 USD, including basic food. This helps us cover the cost of rent, internet, utilities, and house necessities such as soap and toilet paper.

There are two fully furnished kitchens, including a stove, oven, refrigerator and freezer. It is important to note that this house is shared accommodation, with the possibility of up to four people per bedroom. OTGI also has rented a second house in town, which has three bedrooms and bedding for up to 8 people. Priority for this house is given to families or groups traveling together, but if it is available, you may also reserve this house or a room in this house.

Food: Volunteers in the volunteer house share basic food items - things like fruit, beans, rice, milk, etc. This is included in the 37 mil per night. This does not cover all food expenses though, volunteers purchase personal food at the local markets, or there are many restaurants in town that charge $3-5 USD for a meal.

Cell Phone: Some US cell phone carriers offer data plans that are free in Colombia, for example,

T-Mobile. Others charge a daily international fee, or charge per data usage. If your mobile carrier does not offer data or you choose not to pay the international fees, OTGI requires that you buy a SIM card for your phone when you arrive in the country - this costs around $1 USD - and load it with a basic data plan, around $8 USD for two weeks. Being able to communicate with volunteers when they are out on a project or at a different shelter is very important not only for completion of tasks, but for the safety of the volunteers.

While OTGI is a faith-based organization, we welcome volunteers of all backgrounds and beliefs, and our priority within our projects is an excellent standard of humanitarian care. As an organization we do not specifically seek evangelism opportunities, but if an individual volunteer wishes to pray with a refugee or offer similar spiritual support, they are welcome to do so.

Venezuela and Colombia are both strongly Catholic/Christian countries, and most of the locals and walkers are religious. We ask that our volunteers be sensitive and respectful to the religious beliefs of the locals and refugees, regardless of personal religious beliefs.

Fluency in Spanish is not a prerequisite, however some language ability is a great advantage. We recommend that volunteers take advantage of any learning opportunity offered online or in-person before arriving in the country - even knowing the basics will help you feel more comfortable in navigating simple tasks and conversations. We recommend Duolingo, a free app or website, as a great place to practice Spanish before and during your time in Colombia.

Weather in Pamplona can be chilly. Bring warmer layers, including a rain jacket. Please also remember to bring appropriate clothing for volunteering, no sleeveless shirts, shorts, or revealing clothing. Bedding is provided in the volunteer house - sheets, blankets, pillow and towel. Outlets in Colombia are two-pronged. If you have three-pronged electronics, you will need to bring an adaptor, or buy one once you’ve arrived. Adaptors are cheap and easy to find in Pamplona.

As far as bringing items to donate, OTGI tries to buy as many things in-country as possible, both to support the local economy and because often things are cheaper here than abroad. There are a few items, however, that are either not available in Colombia, or very expensive. Check in with an OTGI coordinator on possible items that might be useful to bring or fundraise for.

The volunteer house in Pamplona does have wifi, but as it is shared among many volunteers, we ask that you not use it for streaming. There are a number of cafes and restaurants in Pamplona that offer a decent wifi connection.