International Volunteer Program

Our subject in class today was people that had a gap year and during it went traveling abroad for a volunteer work that envolves helping environment, kids, elderly people, constructing houses. I plan on doing a program like that in the future and would like it to envolve repressed woman, children in need or people with aids. Africa is the main place where people are going to volunteer because there is the place with a lot of these issues.
Searching more about the programs I've seen that they begin since one week until 1 year of duration, and the most popular are the summer program, when people give up on going to the beach to have fun or just relaxing in home to help people that are really in need. These programs are not cheap, they are usually expensive, so why volunteering? If you have at least a little experience with making others feel good, you should know that it is good for both, sometimes even more to you. Besides that, seeing how people in need live and how they behave makes that one who helps give more value to his own things and life.