Volunteering Abroad: Choosing an organisation

What to think about?

Volunteering abroad can be one of the most enriching ways to spend a couple of months. Not only is it an opportunity to share your life and skills with people in another country but it can bring long term benefits to them and to your own career. Indeed it is often a life changing experience.

There’s lots to think about when considering which organisation to volunteer with; cost, reliability, choice of countries and programmes, numbers and profile of other people who might be volunteering with you, health & safety issues and track record to name a few. Take your time and do your homework. Above all, be prepared to ask the questions you want answered before you sign up.

The Ethical Dimension:

One of the big questions for many volunteers right now is whether the organisation you plan to volunteer with is an ethical one. This can include many factors but really boils down to whether the organisation has strong local links in country and is prepared to commit to long term relationships which benefit the local partners as much as the volunteers. Anthony Lunch, from MondoChallenge, notes that: “95% of our partners abroad have been with us since we started 7 years ago. We really value this long term relationship as it enables us both to adapt the programmes to the evolving needs of the communities”. MondoChallenge supports the Ethical Volunteering organisation and suggests that you download the pdf version of their guide.

It is important to understand the vision and values of the volunteering organisation. Do they go for quick fix, short term holiday style jaunts or are they aiming to make a real difference through placing you in a sustainable programme where the local community really need your help? Another important element is whether the organisation will provide you with names of past volunteers to talk to? This is really helpful in getting a better idea of who you should be signing up with.

Timescales:

How long should your volunteering be for? At MondoChallenge, they always recommend ‘the longer the better’, although in practice this usually means 2-3 months. As the first couple of weeks can often be the most tricky, with culture shock being an issue and simply getting used to your new environment, it certainly makes sense to try to maximise your stay in country. However, one has to be realistic and you should discuss your timescales frankly with the volunteer organisation to see precisely what you can do and how effective it will be. Don’t have unrealistic expectations; you can’t change the world during a two or three month placement but you CAN make a difference to the lives of those you work with (just as the experience will make a difference to your life too!) and the combined effect of a regular volunteer presence will have a long lasting effect on the community.

Why should I have to pay to volunteer:

Paying to volunteer can seem a strange concept to the uninitiated. Why should someone charge you to work for free? In reality, however, you are paying for two very specific benefits. The first is peace of mind; having someone there in case of emergency. Whether it be major issues such as political uncertainty, monsoons washing away the roads or you simply falling ill the moment you arrive, it is good to have an organisation behind you. More likely, the issues – if there are any - will be simpler to solve; problems with homestays, difficulties with discipline at school etc. But here again, a local manager is a vital part of what you are paying for. Also part of this peace of mind is the preparation before you go, the briefing notes, teaching guidance notes and the help given throughout many weeks of getting yourself ready for the ‘off’!

The other benefit from this kind of arrangement is being part of an organisation that focuses on sustainability and continuity and which develops its partners through training and ongoing support. The ability to place good quality volunteers, carefully selected and vetted, is key to this. Anthony Lunch makes the point that in the case of MondoChallenge, the fees paid by volunteers cover not just the management and sustainability of the organisation itself, but the running of the MondoChallenge Foundation, a charity which supports 20,000 children and 400 small businesses each year and has no full time staff.