70 countries in asia, the pacific, africa and
the middle east. aVI is mindful of sustainable
development and works with a range of
partner organisations overseas to guarantee
that the work of volunteers is responding to
the needs of those organisations and the
communities they represent. aVI volunteers
are recruited based on their technical skills
and experience to assist in reducing poverty,
promoting human rights and gender equality,
protecting the environment, promoting better
health and education, and fighting hIV/aIds.
aVI has just the right mix of organisation and
benefits for volunteers, while leaving room for
volunteers to plot their own course through
the volunteer journey. many australians
now working in development started off as
international volunteers with aVI.
status: a company limited by guarantee,
registered as a charity and a not-for-profit
organisation.
timing & length of assignments:Volunteers
work on long-term placements that are 18 to
24 months, departing year round. there are
some opportunities to participate in shorter
term assignments.
destinations: up to 40 countries in asia,
the pacific, africa, the middle east and latin
america.
Costs/pay: all volunteers receive travel, living
and accommodation allowances, visas and
medical insurance.
eligibility: Volunteers can be aged from
18 to 80 but are required to have at least
two years’ work experience in their field or
profession. Volunteers need to be australian
or new Zealand citizens or hold permanent
residency status. people with disabilities are
encouraged to apply.
groups or Individuals: most aVI assignments
are for individuals.
annual no. of Volunteers: up to 400.
annual projects: up to 400.
partner programmes: aVI has a range of
partner programmes including the ausaId-
funded Volunteer program, the Cambodia
midwives project and hamlin fistula hospital
project, the aVI/Vso partnership, and the
global futures program, which is run in
partnership with macquarie university. we
also have partner programmes with the
planning Institute of australia, the planet
wheeler foundation, Intrepid travel, faChsIa
and lawyers beyond borders.
selection & Interview process: positions are
advertised on http://www.australianvolunteers.com
in february, may, august and november for
three weeks. prospective volunteers can apply
for specific positions or send in a general
application. aVI’s recruitment process involves
making sure applicants meet the selection
criteria, doing a skills assessment and
expertise evaluation, and checking personal
and professional references. If selected,
a candidate must attend a three-day pre-
departure briefing in melbourne.
In-country support:aVI has support staff
for each country they work in, as well as
in-country offices in east timor, Cambodia,
Vietnam, fiji, johannesburg, the solomon
Islands, papua new guinea and Indonesia.Volunteer service abroad (Vsa),
te tuao tawahi
po box 12-246, wellington,
aotearoa, new Zealand
%+64 (0)4 472 5759
fax +64 (0)4 472 5052
[email protected]
http://www.vsa.org.nz
Volunteer service abroad (Vsa) is new
Zealand’s main volunteer agency working
in the field of international development
and is always on the look-out for people
with the diverse skills needed by its partner
organisations overseas (from beekeeping to
nursing).
status: registered charity.
timing & length of assignments: most
Vsa assignments are for two years, with
volunteers departing throughout the year.
destinations: Vsa operates in 12 countries
in africa, asia and the pacific. It works in
Zambia, south africa, tanzania, Cambodia,
lao pdr, timor-leste and Vietnam. over half
of the assignments take place in the pacific,
in the autonomous region of bougainville,
papua new guinea, the solomon Islands,
tokelau and Vanuatu.
Costs/pay: Vsa volunteers are paid a monthly
living allowance during their assignment.
an establishment grant is offered and at
completion a resettlement grant is provided
for each month the volunteer was away
on assignment. accommodation, flights,
insurance cover, medicals, visas and permits
are also paid for.05: Organised Volunteer Programmes:Conservation & Wildlife Placementseligibility: Vsa volunteer applicants have to be
new Zealand citizens, permanent residents,
or have right of re-entry to new Zealand.
they need experience in a specialist field, or a
recognised professional, trade or commercial
qualification.
groups or Individuals: Vsa volunteers
are individually assigned to partner
organisations.
annual no. of Volunteers: Vsa places 150 new
volunteers in assignments annually.
annual projects: 150 plus assignments.
partner programmes: 200
selection & Interview process: generally,
potential volunteers apply for advertised
assignments on http://www.vsa.org.nz. successful
applicants are invited to an interview that
runs over two days, and includes group
exercises, one-on-one interviews, and
panel interviews. once selected, they must
undertake a three-day-long briefing before
departing. Couples may apply, and where
there’s a skills-fit, a volunteer’s partner can
be placed on the same assignment. Vsa
volunteers range from 20 to 75 years
of age.
In-country support: Vsa has field officers
in 10 of its 12 countries. the remaining
two countries are visited regularly by Vsa
programme staff.Volunteering for International
development from australia
lvl 1, 41 dequetteville tce,
Kent town, sa 5067, australia
%+61 (0)8 8364 8500, 1800 995 536
fax +61 (0)8 8364 8585
[email protected]
http://www.vidavolunteers.com.au
established in 2005, VIda places skilled
australians in developing countries in the
asia-pacific region. VIda volunteers work
with local counterparts to reduce poverty
and achieve sustainable development in
the communities in which they work. this
programme attracts people with a bit of life
experience and professional clout.
status: VIda is an ausaId project managed
by austraining International pty ltd (an
ngo).
timing & length of assignments: Volunteer
assignments are one month to three years
in length. the average volunteer assignmentduration is 18 months. VIda volunteers are
mobilised throughout the year.
destinations: bangladesh, Cambodia,
east timor, fiji, Indonesia, laos, nepal, the
philippines, papua new guinea, samoa,
the solomon Islands, thailand (regional
assignments), tonga, tuvalu, Vanuatu and
Vietnam.
Costs/pay: VIda supports volunteers
with airfares, a living allowance, an
accommodation allowance, medical costs
and vaccinations, comprehensive insurance
cover, pre-departure training, in-country
support and a debrief on return.
eligibility: VIda volunteers must be over
18 years at the time of application and
australian citizens or permanent residents.
groups or Individuals: Volunteers are placed
individually; VIda will place couples and
there is also some support available for
dependants of volunteers.
annual no. of Volunteers: approximately 110.
annual projects: each volunteer works on a
separate project, so up to 200 projects each
year.
partner programmes: VIda partners with
organisations in-country and in australia
to develop volunteer assignments across a
range of sectors.
selection & Interview process: VIda
advertises new assignments every month.
applications are processed for compliance
and assessed against the selection criteria
for the position. selected applicants are
interviewed and required to comply with
all stages of the recruitment and selection
procedure.
In-country support: VIda has in-country
managers in all countries who are the first
point of contact and support for volunteers in
the field.Conservation &
wildlife placements
To be honest, it’s rare to find large
organisations that don’t have conserva-
tion or wildlife management programmes
in their portfolio of opportunities. But
the following organisations all have a
conservation-centric bent. Burgeoning
Dr Doolittles will delight in the plethora