eligibility: Volunteers need to be at least 18
to go abroad. there are some places on
british projects for those aged under 18 and
residents of great britain.
groups or Individuals: Volunteers travel alone
to their placements, but work in groups. In
some cases it’s possible for volunteers to
work with requested partners.
annual no. of Volunteers: 200
annual projects: 1000
partner programmes: approximately 90.
selection & Interview process: selection is by
application form. Volunteers must attend a
preparation day and an evaluation day. extra
information is needed when the project is in
the north/south programme.
In-country support: all projects are sourced
locally by the local branch. the local branch
and local host work closely together to
provide in-country support.
Village education project (Kilimanjaro)
mint Cottage, prospect rd,
sevenoaks, Kent tn13 3ua, uK
%+44 (0)1732 743000
[email protected]
http://www.kiliproject.org
Village education project is a registered
charity dedicated to improving education
in the Kilimanjaro region of tanzania.
each year a handful of volunteers teach
in village primary schools 1500m up the
slopes of mt Kilimanjaro. Volunteers also
accompany pupils on school outings to
national parks and the Indian ocean. rented
accommodation is provided in one village.
sue davies chose this programme because
she saw the larger sending agencies as
‘money-grabbing organisations, who use the
fact that volunteers are willing to work (albeit
often illegally) for the duration of their holiday
permit, and charge obscene sums of money.’
placed with the programme for nine months,
davies says, ‘I lived in mshiri village which
is approximately 5000 feet above sea level.
the village is in the most beautiful setting and
wherever you walked there was always the
summit of the mountain as a backdrop. the
village itself consisted of a church, a school
and a couple of bars, which sold the very
bare essentials and some local produce,
which varied according to the seasons.
the nearest marketplace and town was
marangu mtoni, which was reached by foot
through some of the most beautiful scenery
imaginable. from marangu mtoni you could
catch dala dalas (local buses) to the nearest
major town, moshi, for the luxuries of pasta
and wine!’
status: Charity.
timing & length of placements: placements
run from january to august/september. theset departure date is therefore early january
each year.
destination: mshiri village on the slopes of
mt Kilimanjaro, tanzania.
Costs: a placement costs £3250, which
includes airfares, a two-week training
course in the uK in the november before
departure, accommodation in mshiri village,
administration costs and two school outings.
not included is accommodation on the
training course held in sevenoaks, Kent, and
spending money in tanzania.
eligibility: the minimum age 18 and volunteers
must be native speakers of english, preferably
with a uK passport. the programme cannot
accommodate people with disabilities.
groups or Individuals: Volunteers work
individually but live in the same village as
other volunteers. friends can apply together.
annual no. of Volunteers: an average of six.
partner programmes: the tanzanian ministry
of education and the district education office
for moshi rural – the work in the primary
schools is fully authorised.
selection & Interview process: all applicants
are interviewed in person in sevenoaks, Kent.
In-country support: the project director is on
site in mshiri village about half of the time
(january to april, then july to september)
and project staff are available 24 hours to
provide assistance. phone and email contact,
and 4wds, are available for emergencies.
Volunteers provide a lot of mutual support,
as they all live within five minutes’ walk of
each other.winant Clayton Volunteer association
st margaret’s house, 21 old ford rd,
bethnal green, london e2 9pl , uK
%+44 (0)20 8983 3834
[email protected]
http://www.winantclayton.org.uk
for more than 50 years this charity has
placed british volunteers in social projects,
working with the homeless, inner-city
children, hIV sufferers or the elderly. there
are about 12 to 15 places available each year.
there are two weeks of independent travel at
the end of each placement.
status: Charity.
timing & length of placements: placements
are for two months from late june to august,
with two further weeks at the end of the
placement allocated for travel around theus. the programme runs once a year, with
volunteers departing their home country in
late june and returning in early september.
destination: uK volunteers work mostly in new
York City; us volunteers work mostly in london.
Costs/pay: though participants pay for
airfares, wCVa arranges discounted group
flights. accommodation is provided and there
is a stipend for food, essential transport and
pocket money.
eligibility: british and Irish passport-holders
aged 18 and over.
groups or Individuals: Volunteers travel as
a group, but work individually or in pairs on
different placements. up to 20 volunteers
are sent each year, depending on placement
availability and funding. Volunteers are
welcome to apply with friends, partners and
family members but each will be interviewed
separately and the success of one does not
guarantee the acceptance of others.
annual no. of Volunteers: up to 20.
annual projects: 1
partner programmes: In 2006, uK volunteers
were placed with 10 different organisations in
new York City.
selection & Interview process: Candidates
must complete and return a written
application form by the end of january.
If short-listed, candidates are called for
interview in february.
In-country support: a us coordinator and
members of the us management Committee
support volunteers in new York. there is
always someone available in the event of
an emergency. Volunteers have their own
supervisor on each placement responsible for
inducting them and supporting them during
their stay.Australasian Organisations
australian Volunteers International
71 argyle st ( po box 350), fitzroy,
Vic. 3065, australia
%+61 (0)3 9279 1788, 1800 331 292
fax +61 (0)3 9419 4280
[email protected]
http://www.australianvolunteers.com
the best known of australia’s volunteer
programmes, australian Volunteers
International (aVI) has been operating since
1951 and has recruited more than 7000
australians for volunteer placements in over05: Organised Volunteer Programmes:Development PlacementsPhoto: AzafadyIt’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it - building wells in Madagascar with Azafady