and project partners present during the
volunteering stages. all groups have an
emergency satellite telephone and a major
incident plan involving in-country staff and the
offices in warwick.
North American
Organisations
the pepY ride
105 schrade rd, briarcliff manor nY 10510, usa
%+1 914 762 2705
fax +1 646 514 0853
[email protected]
http://www.pepyride.org
pepY ( protect the earth, protect Yourself) offers
fundraising cycling and volunteer tours in
Cambodia that combine teaching opportunities
and building projects with visits to local
organisations and sites of interest. travellers
interact directly with the areas and people who
benefit from their financial support.
status: non-profit organisation.
timing & length of projects: Volunteer and
cycling trips last one to three weeks; projects
are conducted year-round. Custom group
tours and internships are also available.
destinations: Cambodia.
Costs: Varying trip fees cover housing, meals,
local transportation, administrative costs,
and entry charges; volunteers must also
make a minimum donation to their project
organisation. participants cover their own
airfares and insurance.
eligibility: minimum age is 17, or seven if
accompanied by a parent or guardian; no
nationality restrictions apply. for cycling tours,
riders must be in good physical shape and able
to ride a bike for up to five hours per day in
high temperatures. most noncycling volunteer
tours can be adapted to suit a wide range of
travellers, including those with disabilities.
groups or Individuals: Cycling trips
accommodate six to 15 participants; volunteer
tours are for six to 35 people. Volunteers work
in pairs or groups on various projects at the
volunteer site.
annual no. of Volunteers: 150
annual projects: 11
partner programmes: pepY partners with
educational, environmental and health
organisations in Cambodia, and works in rural
siem reap province supporting schools and
child clubs through educational programs.
selection & Interview process: Interested
parties can apply on the pepY website.
Interviews will be conducted for longer term
internship placements.
In-country support: all trips begin with an
orientation meeting. staff guides and local
partners accompany volunteers during rides
and tours.Australasian Organisations
afs Intercultural programmes –
Community service programme
po box 5, strawberry hills, nsw 2012 , australia
%+61 (0)2 9215 0077, 1300 131 736
fax +61 (0)2 9215 0088
[email protected]
http://www.afs.org.au
afs offers international community service
volunteering opportunities, with a focus
on gaining work experience, learning
another language and fostering intercultural
understanding. there’s a range of
experiences on offer, from the challenging (eg
working in a women’s shelter in honduras),
to the purely cultural, such as assisting in a
danish folk high school. Volunteers are either
housed with a local host family or with other
international volunteers on a project site.
status: not-for-profit organisation.
timing & length of assignments: Various
departure dates, with assignments spanning
four weeks to 12 months.
destinations: belgium, bolivia, brazil, China,
Costa rica, denmark, dominican republic,
ecuador, egypt, ghana, guatemala,
honduras, hong Kong, malaysia, mexico,
panama, paraguay, peru, south africa,
thailand and Venezuela.
Costs: starting from a$7000, including
all flights, visas, medical insurance, food
and accommodation with a local family,
orientation in australia and overseas, and
airport pick-up.
eligibility: applicants must be 18 years or
over; some projects have specific age and
language requirements.
groups or Individuals: Volunteers travel
individually and then join groups in-country.
people with a disability can apply.
annual no. of Volunteers: 23 in 2005.
annual projects: over 30.
partner programmes: afs has offices in 53
countries and each country runs various
community-service programmes.selection & Interview process: applications
close four months before departure dates
and the selection process includes a face-to-
face interview.
In-country support: 24-hour emergency
phone assistance and offices in 53
countries.Overseas Organisations
Centro de estudios de español pop wuj
primera Calle, 17-72, Zona 1,
Quetzaltenango, guatemala
%/fax +502 7761 8286
[email protected]
http://www.pop-wuj.org
owned and operated by a cooperative
of teachers, the pop wuj school offers
immersive spanish classes with the option
of volunteering on development or medical
programmes in the city and surrounding
countryside of Quetzaltenango, guatemala.
the classes last 4½ hours a day, five days a
week. during the rest of the time, participants
are encouraged to practice their spanish
while working alongside local people. the five
programmes offered include a basic spanish-
language immersion course, a spanish
for teachers programme, an excursion
programme that includes language study
and cultural field trips, and two specialised
programmes geared towards students and
professionals in the healthcare or community-
development fields. all programmes feature
volunteer work projects. nick Van buskirk
spent a month in the programme and says,
‘I was a complete beginner at the start of
my travels, but the small class sizes and
great instruction really helped me get a
strong foundation. more useful even than
the spanish classes, though, were the field
projects. I spent much of my time outside
class working on a construction site building
an agricultural storage structure outside the
city limits.’
status: non-profit organisation.
timing & length of placements: participants
are encouraged to stay for at least three
weeks.
destinations: guatemala.
Costs: the tuition for the immersion
programme is approximately us$175 per
week, covering classes, room and board with
a host family, and school activities. studentswho elect to find accommodation themselves
have a slightly reduced fee. the excursion
programme is us$1000, which doesn’t
include food or hotel tariffs.
eligibility: minors need to be accompanied
by a guardian. most students are college
age.
groups or Individuals: both individuals and
groups are encouraged to apply.
annual projects: approximately 50.
selection & Interview process: applications
begin online. the school only has space for 32
students at a time, so early applications are
encouraged, especially for the popular summer
months. medical and social work programmes
require extra supporting materials.
In-country support: In-country support is
provided by school staff and the host family.Institute for Central american
development studies
apartado 300-2050, san pedro de montes de
oca, Costa rica
%+ 506 225 0508
fax + 506 234 1337
[email protected]
http://www.icads.org
IC ads is a Central american research
and learning centre, dedicated to social
and environmental issues. Its main areas
of focus are women’s issues, economic
development, environmental studies, public
health, education, human rights and wildlife
conservation. with the four programme
areas in ICads you may study Costa rica’s
rich flora and fauna, spanish conversation
with an ecological bent, or work to protect
threatened rainforests, all while earning
academic credit. spanish classes have a
four-person size limit; field courses have
a 12-person limit. people enrolled in the
spanish immersion programme are only
allowed to volunteer if they have sufficient
language skills and spend a month or more
with the programme.
timing & length of placements: placements
start at two weeks, though most are a month
long. there are programmes year-round.
apply at least two months in advance for the
popular summer months.
destinations: Costa rica and nicaragua.
Costs: tuition for the four-week programme
includes room and board and is
approximately us$1800. there are additional05: Organised Volunteer Programmes:Volunteering Plus