partner programmes: 100
selection & Interview process: all participants
must complete an application form.
north–south programme and longer-term
participants should participate in a training
weekend or an interview.
In-country support: the in-country host
organisation takes responsibility for
volunteers. for north–south workcamps, the
infrastructure is usually basic but safe.Building & Construction
aidCamps International
483 green lanes, london, n13 4bs, uK
%+44 (0)84 5651 5412
[email protected]
http://www.aidCamps.org
aidCamps works in developing countries,
assisting local communities in finding
solutions to problems they’ve identified.
Volunteers work alongside locals. In short-
term group aidCamps, volunteers help
erect community buildings. with longer-
term Independent aidCamps, volunteers
are matched to suitable placements within
partner organisations.
status: registered charity.
timing & length of projects: group aidCamps
run for three weeks on set dates; Independent
aidCamps can be organised for one week to
three or more months at any time.
destinations: Cameroon, India, nepal and
sri lanka.
Costs: group aidCamps have a £225
registration fee plus a £575 minimum donation
which covers accommodation, food, ground
transport and excursions. group aidCamps
in africa have a £300 registration fee plus
a £700 minimum donation which covers
accommodation, food, ground transport and
excursions. Independent aidCamps have a
£95 registration fee plus a £500 minimum
donation for placements up to five weeks. £50
for each additional week after five weeks.
eligibility: the minimum age is 18, although
those aged 16 to 18 can apply for group
aidCamps if accompanied by an adult.
Children can accompany adults on
Independent aidCamps. no specific skills are
required.
groups or Individuals: for group aidCamps,
volunteers travel and work as a group of 15 to
20, and you can apply to volunteer with yourpartner or friend. for Independent aidCamps,
volunteers travel and work individually,
although you can also do them with friends,
partners or families.
annual no. of Volunteers: 65
annual projects: 3-5
partner programmes: 5
selection & Interview process: acceptance
for group aidCamps is on a first-come, first-
served basis. for Independent aidCamps,
interviews are in person in london where
possible or by phone or email if not.
In-country support: group aidCamps are
led by a uK member of the organisation
who remains with the group at all times.
Volunteers on Independent aidCamps are
overseen by a member of the local partner
organisation who provides logistical and
personal support.Community Development
development in action
78 York st, london w1h 1 dp, uK
%+44 (0)7813 395957
[email protected]
http://www.developmentinaction.org
since the 1990s, dia has been supporting
locally based ngos in India by providing
them with volunteers. placements are very
hands-on and can include informal teaching,
research, fundraising, environmental
conservation and working with deaf and
blind children. the aim is for volunteers to
learn from and with the local community, and
while in India, participants are encouraged
to produce resources (such as articles,
photographs or worksheets) for development
education in the uK.
status: registered charity.
timing & length of projects: placements are
for two months in july and august, or for five
months from september to february.
destinations: India.
Costs: the fee for a two-month placement is
£660; for five months it’s £1210. this includes
a pre-departure training weekend, in-country
orientation and accommodation.
eligibility: the minimum age is 18. there are
no specific skills or experience required for
most placements, but applicants must show
an interest in learning about global issues.
groups or Individuals: all volunteers live in
groups of two to four. they also usually work06: Structured & Self-Funding Volunteer Programmes:Development PlacementsEileen Bennicke didn’t have the type of skills
required by VSO or similar organisations, but
wanted to volunteer overseas and have a gap-
year experience nonetheless. So, armed with
ambition and curiosity, she travelled alone to
Ecuador. She had signed up for a three-month
volunteering stint through the Experiment in
International Living (EIL, p166), but had little idea
what the actual work would be like once she got
there. While this is a risky way of embarking on
a volunteering placement, this element of the
unknown challenged Eileen and spurred her on.
In many respects, Eileen was probably like
most of the other volunteers working on EIL
projects. It was her first time living away from
home, she was filling a gap year, and was
keen to do something meaningful with her
time. But she was different in one respect: while
the vast majority of her co-volunteers were
around 20, Eileen had just turned 60. This trip
was a retirement present to herself.
Eileen started her adventure by spending a
month in Quito, having one-on-one Spanish
classes and living with a family who included
her in all of their activities, which gave her a
window into day-to-day Ecuadorian life. Next,
she volunteered with CENIT, an organisation that
helps poverty-stricken children in Quito. For five
mornings a week, Eileen would go out onto the
streets or into the markets and engage children
in games. She also helped out with elementary
maths in a classroom and painted school fur-
niture. The experience was not very fulfilling for
Eileen, who felt that her interaction with locals
was limited, and that she didn’t really have a
role that she could sink her teeth into.
Eileen then set out for the Ecuadorian cloud
forest, where she lived and volunteered on a
plantation named Santa Lucia. Eileen felt the
organisation was a little dubious about her
participating in a conservation project because
of her age, but this didn’t stop her. Initially, she
tended an organic garden in the valley, then
another one high in the hills. To finish, she
assisted an American student with a research
project. She found this part of her trip ‘a truly
wonderful and all-consuming four weeks in a
magical environment with lovely people and
some proper work to do’.
Upon her return to the UK, Eileen’s friends
commented that she must have missed her
family. Eileen replied honestly that she hadn’t
‘because life was so full of new experiences’.
Nevertheless, speaking very little Spanish and
being a naturally chatty individual, Eileen found
the language barrier difficult. She became very
adept at getting her point across with a lot of
energetic arm waving.
Another challenging, but rewarding, task
was getting on with the younger people on the
projects, particularly the other volunteers, who
were from different countries and all about 35
years her junior. In the end, these interactions
were a highlight of her placement: one of her
most memorable moments was returning from
a fiesta in a neighbouring village at 4am in the
back of an open truck, with loads of locals and
a few young volunteers.
Looking back on her volunteering place-
ments, Eileen is adamant that her experience
far exceeded her expectations: ‘I really would
encourage other people to have a gap experi-
ence like this between work and retirement. It
really took me outside my comfort zone and I
gained a lot of confidence knowing I could cope
away from family and friends in a continent
I had never visited, in a language I could not
speak. Since returning, I have sent money back
to the community and I stay in touch regularly
with my family in Quito. I feel that my life has
been greatly enriched by the experience. Go on- give yourself the pressie of a lifetime!’
Volunteering Unwrapped
Photo: Eileen Bennicke