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Volunteering From Africa to Latin America: MilONGa Opens Applications for 2026
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Kenya are the five countries where MilONGa has launched its volunteering programs. With diverse approaches and realities, the doors are open to all those who wish to take part in a transformative experience.
We had already spoken about the MilONGa Project and how a valuable opportunity it represents for the youth, through the experience of Lorenza Mancini in Colombia in 2025. We return to the topic now to highlight how MilONGa – an initiative promoted by New Humanity NGO dedicated to youth volunteering programs – embraces the world and, in 2026, builds a bridge between Africa and South America.
More specifically, between Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Kenya. In these countries, projects full of humanity and hope have been created, in which MilONGa volunteers will be able to participate, offering passion and skills to contribute to local development inspired by the values of fraternity and peace, dialogue and encounter.
Applications are now open for these five projects, which will take place in mid-2026. At the end of the article you will find MilONGa’s contact details.
From Argentina: The Dragones Project – July and August 2026
Fortín Dragones is located in Argentina, in the Chaco Salteño region. It is an area rich in culture but socially and economically vulnerable, and environmentally fragile. Many Wichí families live there, poor, with many children, facing various hardships, yet welcoming and capable of living outside the logic of a consumer society.
Here, from the collaboration between the local diocese and the Focolare Movement, the Dragones Project was born. It is dedicated to the local population through rural and social economy initiatives aimed at developing the area.
The project takes place at the ISI Community Center, which supports children and the poor. It includes a canteen that prepares meals and helps people between the ages of 24 and 38 find employment. A community vegetable garden has been established using new cultivation techniques, and there are plans to create a poultry farm, as well as a social assistance unit for families.
The Community Center adopts an intercultural perspective, focusing on the role of women in Wichí and Creole culture as organizers of social structures, and on creating spaces where children and adolescents can engage in recreational and educational activities. The center aims to reach 60–70% self-sustainability within four years and promotes dialogue among Christian Churches in the region. It fosters cultural exchange between Wichí and Creole communities and pays special attention to women from the five local communities.
MilONGa volunteers are advised to have knowledge of Spanish. Between July and August, they will be involved in activities with children, at the kitchen, in the vegetable garden, and in the development of the various communities surrounding the Center.
Volunteers — who are asked to have an open spirit toward an intercultural experience — will be accommodated in the facilities of the Focolare Movement in a camping-style arrangement.
Kalimoni Project, Kenya – July 2026
In Kenya, mainly at Mariapolis Piero (40 km from Nairobi), at Familia Ya Ufariji Children’s Home, and at Fazenda da Esperança St. John Baptist in Embu, MilONGa volunteers will offer support in educational and social settings within a poor yet culturally vibrant community context.
Volunteers may engage in educational, recreational and social activities related to basic education, workshops, schools, as well as agricultural or maintenance work. Based on reciprocity, by offering their time and skills, they will grow personally and culturally. They will care for vulnerable minors in the orphanage and for the youth struggling with addiction at Fazenda, helping them with social reintegration.
MilONGa volunteers — aged 18 to 35 — may contribute during July 2026, for a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of three weeks. Knowledge of English is recommended; Kiswahili is helpful but not mandatory. Volunteers will stay at Mariapolis Piero and project facilities and are expected to demonstrate adaptability, willingness to engage in manual and community work, intercultural sensitivity, and teamwork skills.
From Mexico: The Diamante Project – July and August 2026
In Acatzingo de Hidalgo, in the state of Puebla, Mexico, is Mariapolis El Diamante, in an area with strong rural and religious identity. Here, MilONGa’s young volunteers will work with the local community, especially children and adolescents, through educational, ecological and recreational activities inspired by the life of the Focolare Movement.
The experience seeks to strengthen participant’s social and spiritual commitment, foster mutual learning, and contribute to community life, environmental care, and the building of fraternal relationships.
The local economy revolves around agriculture and family-based trade. The population preserves indigenous and mestizo traditions, hospitality, and faith, demonstrating resilience and solidarity despite challenges related to migration and limited access to opportunities.
The volunteering project, that will take place between July and August 2026, will focus on informal education and community sustainability. Unity, dialogue, and a culture of peace will be promoted through responsible engagement with the natural and social environment in the municipality of Acatzingo and nearby communities.
MilONGa volunteers, aged 18 to 30, will stay at the El Diamante facilities. Knowledge of Spanish is recommended. Social sensitivity, intercultural openness, and motivation for community service are required.
Hogar Chiara Lubich Làmud, Peru – July and August 2026
In Lamùd, in northwestern Peru, at 2,300 meters above sea level and near the Amazon region, stands the Hogar Chiara Lubich residential home. The facility provides care and support for the elderly and prepares daily meals for 50 adults, not only residents, as meals are also delivered to homes thanks to an ambulance provided by the Municipality.
Beside the elderly, the home welcomes vulnerable, poor, marginalized, or disabled individuals, and functions as a daytime center for dialogue and recreation. Recently, it has also welcomed children from the community seeking recreational spaces.
The MilONGa volunteering project — in July and August 2026 — consists of caring for and accompanying vulnerable individuals at Hogar Chiara Lubich.
Volunteers, aged 18 to 35 (knowledge of Spanish or Italian is recommended), will be involved in recreational and animation activities, organizing playful and educational workshops, offering emotional support (listening and dialogue), assisting in productive activities, helping in the kitchen, distributing meals, and cleaning facilities. Volunteers will stay at the home of the center’s director.
Putirum Amazon Project, Brazil – July 2026
The town of Abaetetuba is located in northern Brazil, in the heart of the Amazon, in the state of Pará. It is an insular region with about 70 islands along the Maratauíra River — an area rich in nature, culture, and spirituality, inhabited by traditional communities and Ribeirinhos, joyful indigenous population deeply connected to their land.
The Putirum Project was created to unite and strengthen Ribeirinho communities and their representative organizations, building synergies between environmental preservation, territorial protection, and the production of eco-sustainable goods.
The volunteering experience offers meaningful immersion in local reality and extensive exchange of knowledge within the cultural and social life of the communities. Volunteers will share daily life with families, create eco-jewelry, promote cultural events, and learn about local traditions.
Volunteering activities will support the development of Ribeirinho families, including home renovations. The initiative aims to encourage exchange of experiences, promote local traditions, and foster unity among different peoples and cultures.
The volunteering project — from July 4 to 18, 2026 — will take place on nearby islands, involving rural workers, fishermen, native Ribeirinhos, and quilombola communities, who are committed to protecting their territory and securing their rights, and who welcome initiatives that sincerely and spontaneously support their goals.
MilONGa volunteers may assist in home construction, local handicraft production, and activities for children and youth.
How to Contact MilONGa
For those who have read this article and would like to learn more about these projects, you can contact Milonga at: milonga@new-humanity.org and info@livingpeaceinternational.org