IRISH AID hosted the countrys largest volunteering fair today at the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre in Dublin's city centre.
The event showcased the long-term and short-term opportunities available to perspective overseas volunteers.
Representatives from 29 organisations, offering a range of volunteering opportunities, gave presentations about their activities at information stalls with many promoting the need for sustainable development.
About 3,200 Irish people volunteered overseas last year and Irish Aid expects a similar number of applicants this year following the success of their first fair, which was held last April in Cork.
A spokesman for Irish Aid said there was an increase in the number of trained professionals applying for volunteering positions last year but stressed that volunteering is not a practical option if someone if seeking employment.
The majority of applicants last year were young people seeking short-term volunteering opportunities but there was a notable rise in the number of older people applying to volunteer, said the spokesman.
Maria Mollaghan (26) from Longford and Ciara Travers (33) from Dublin attended the fair together to get information about the range of opportunities available overseas and explore the possibilities of long-term volunteering.
Both prospective volunteers say they have thought about volunteering overseas for a number of years but said they now feel ready for the opportunity and would like to do something long-term, which would mean leaving their jobs in Ireland.
Another prospective volunteer, Toms Lynch (19) from south Dublin is currently studying at university but attended the fair to explore the possibility of short-term volunteering next summer.
Id like to get the experience of volunteering, maybe in Africa, but Id also like to do something more long-term for a few years overseas when Im finished in college.
One of the largest global volunteering organisations, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV), has around 5,000 volunteers annually and last year about 57 Irish people were assigned on long-term missions, usually lasting one or two years.
Maria Redmond from UNV said at present a lot of volunteers are being dispatched to Haiti and Pakistan following the recent devastation experienced in both countries this year.
Among those represented at the fair were Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Habitat for Humanity and Suas. The fair is the fourth ever event of its kind to be held by Irish Aid, which began running the event in 2009.
Irelands aid budget for 2010 currently totals 671 million.