Development / Volunteer / Aid Work

The purpose of traveling can be different for everyone. Some people go to places to see things, take photos and buy souvenirs. Others are more interested in the process of getting there and understanding the community and culture of the places they encounter. In fact, there are many reasons that people travel. Each to their own I guess. As you would expect, a good way to understand local communities and cultures is to get involved at a local level.

If you are inclined to get involved in any local development / volunteer / aid work in the country you are visiting there are usually groups that would appreciate your help. The tricky bit is matching up your skills to their needs and ensuring you are not contravening any visa restrictions buy 'working' on a tourist visa.

In the past I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about this and trying to find ways into the 'paid' development / aid sector, whilst selfishly trying to ensure I get to see the world. If you don't have relevant qualifications or experience the common path is to gain some experience by volunteering / internship for a year or so and then try and move into paid work.

To Pay or Not to Pay for Your Volunteering

In my opinion there seem to be two types of volunteer organisations. The ones you pay to work for and the ones you don't. Rightly or wrongly I am skeptical of the ones you pay for. I don't want to pay a UK organisation £2000 so they can organise for me to dig a new irrigation ditch in Bolivia. Surely I could go there and a local organisation could tell me to dig that ditch for free. However, if you are interested in paying for your volunteer work do an internet search for:

• "development work" + [country] or
• "volunteering" + [country]

and you'll have 1000's to choose from.

So that leaves the ones you don't pay for, including but not limited to.

Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO)
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

Quite rightly, organisations such as those above have to pick people with the correct skills. You are part of a limited resource, placed for a specific purpose so your knowledge and experience must be solid. If the water pump you are installing doesn't work then people will go without water. The decisions you make are consequential. There is also rather a lot of demand for these placements. This is probably why the application form for a VSO placement is about 10 pages long and the application process takes 9 months. Treat it like an application for a normal, paid job. The good news is that if you do get through they pay for your travel and accommodation (and a small subsistence allowance I think). Another way into the sector is to get an office job with one of these organisations in your home country and after a period of time try and move into the area you are interested in.

Organising Volunteer / Development / Aid Work Yourself

Below are a few tips for those that don't want to go down the route of pre-organised volunteer work.

• Try to do a bit of research on the web before you go. Many of the pay your way volunteer sites will have information on the types of projects going on in the countries they operate in. If they are operating there, there is a chance that others might too.
• Stay with locals. In the accommodation section of this site I explain www.couchsurfing.com. Staying with locals is going to give you a much better I idea of the area and any opportunities than a hotel room.
• Take your CV with you. If possible have it translated to the language of the country you're visiting. Also keep an electronic copy handy.
• Be flexible with your time and your attitude towards what work you're prepared to do. Your first project might not be exactly what you want to do but it may lead to better things.
• It helps if you speak the language. No need to explain this one!
• If you're going to South America there is an organisation called South American Explorers. They have a Volunteer Opportunities section on their site that is well worth a look.
• I have also had the following sites recommended to me: Volunteer South America, Otra Cosa and Voluntarios Sin Fronteras (VSF).