QVa provides practical opportunities to put
the Quaker faith into action. Volunteers are
placed on working retreats at Cumbria’s
swarthmoor hall, once the home of
george fox and arguably the birthplace
of Quakerism. Volunteers divide their time
between practical work maintaining the
grounds and a guided spiritual retreat.
status: registered charity and limited
company.
timing & length of projects: five days in may
and october.
destinations: uK.
Costs: £50 including accommodation and
food. travel is not included.
eligibility: It is essential that volunteers are
sympathetic to Quaker values and interested
in exploring the faith. overseas applicants are
welcome.
groups or Individuals: placements are in
groups of up to 10, although many practical
aspects of the project are carried out in
smaller groups. during the placement,
volunteers shop, cook and eat together.
annual no. of Volunteers: 20
annual projects: 2-3
partner programmes: QVa has links
with many national and international
organisations.
selection & Interview process: following
receipt of an application form, interviews are
conducted by telephone.
In-country support: a member of QVa’s staff
or a committee member is part of the group.
staff at swarthmoor hall have health and
safety and emergency training.Community Development
assumption Volunteer programme
23 Kensington sq, london w8 5hn, uK
%+44 (0)20 7361 4752
fax +44 (0)20 7361 4757
[email protected]
http://www.alvp.org.uk
an initiative of the sisters of the assumption,
this Catholic organisation aims to give
volunteers the opportunity to share their skills
with people in need, in a cross-cultural context.
Volunteers work alongside the sisters and must
have a ‘willingness to do anything’, including
working in schools, orphanages, dispensaries
or health centres, teaching nutrition and health
or assisting with social outreach.
status: registered charity.
timing & length of projects: placements are
for one year. departures are in august/
september or january, depending on the
destination.
destinations: the philippines, thailand,
rwanda, tanzania, mexico, the us and the
uK.
Costs: Volunteers raise £750 and pay for any
vaccinations.eligibility: the minimum age is 20. some
projects require a Catholic or other Christian
commitment. while volunteers of Christian
faith may feel more comfortable, volunteers
with no faith are also accepted. all volunteers
must be open to, and respectful of, the
religious dimension and happy to work with
Catholic sisters. some placements require a
degree or teaching qualifications. whether
or not applicants with disabilities can be
placed depends on the ability of the overseas
projects to accommodate them.
groups or Individuals: Volunteers may be
sent individually or in pairs. applications
are welcome from single people or married
couples.
annual no. of Volunteers: 5-10
annual projects: 2-4
partner programmes: 6
selection & Interview process: Interviews are
held in person in london and training is given
in london for three weekends and one full
week between march and july.
In-country support: Volunteers work with
communities of assumption sisters overseas
who offer support and in-country contact.bms world mission
po box 49, 129 broadway, didcot,
oxfordshire ox11 8xa, uK
%+44 (0)1235 517700
fax +44 (0)1235 517601
[email protected]
http://www.bmsworldmission.org
this Christian organisation aims to improve
the quality of life in impoverished communities
through a large range of programmes.
placements can include working with street
children, teaching basic english or helping to
run church programmes. medics and lawyers
are also placed in a professional capacity.
one of bms’s explicit aims is to enable
the local communities to know Christ and
volunteers must be committed to jesus.
status: registered charity.
timing & length of projects: placements
range from just a few weeks to years.
departure dates vary but are throughout
the year.
destinations: Countries throughout africa,
asia, europe and latin america.
Costs: fees vary between programmes and
destinations. two weeks as part of a medical
team costs about £1000, while six weekson a legal team is £1800 and 10 months
on an unskilled project is around £3600.
fees include flights, visas, insurance, food,
accommodation and training. Individual
placements are entirely self-funding.
eligibility: applicants must be practising
Christians. age restrictions vary with projects
but there are placements for those between
18 and 74.
groups or Individuals: there are opportunities
for individuals, couples and families. there
are also team programmes.
annual no. of Volunteers: 230
annual projects: approximately 40 projects
and partners worldwide.
partner programmes: around 40.
selection & Interview process: bms holds
group selection events and interviews either
in didcot or birmingham.
In-country support: Volunteers have 24-hour
emergency contacts in the country they’re
working in and in the uK. Volunteers are
always placed alongside bms long-term
personnel or partner organisations.Christians abroad
rm 237, bon marché Centre,
241 ferndale rd, london sw9 8bj , uK
%+44 (0)3000 121201
[email protected]
http://www.cabroad.org.uk
this organisation works with projects of all
denominations and mainly with projects that
have no other connection with the uK. most
placements are in schools, health centres or
on community projects. Volunteers can work
in a wide range of capacities, from teaching
science, business or english to working in
clinics or fundraising. all placements are with
people and places known to Ca and it tries to
match the needs and religious leanings of the
projects with appropriate volunteers. there
is no evangelistic aspect to the placements,
although some can have a religious
component (for instance, teaching theology or
running church programmes).
status: registered charity.
timing & length of projects: placements are
year round with a three-month minimum.
medical electives may be shorter.
destinations: mainly africa, in Cameroon,
Kenya, nigeria, tanzania and Zambia. there
are also placements in argentina, India and
syria, depending on where there’s a need.07: Religious Organisations:DevelopmentPhoto: Paul PiaiaTaking a break at the market in East Timor