Connecting you to free and low fee Volunteer Abroad Opportunities

Wahoe Education India – Low Cost Volunteering

May 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Hi everyone,

So I have finally snapped and decided to vent my frustration at the growing number of Gap and volunteer abroad agencies charging thousands of dollars for volunteer work.

I myself am a director of a small NGO and really need to find volunteer but it is literally impossible for me to advertise for volunteers and get the help we need because the market is flooded with these volunteer agencies.

So I’m here to bust the scam wide open and give you all an opportunity to find very low cost or free volunteer opportunities abroad, and hopefully find a few volunteers for my own projects in the process.

I know there has been some posts on here before related issues but hopefully I can offer you some alternatives.

THE PROBLEM:

Volunteer middle-man companies (They are sure as hell not NGO’s) profiting from Gap year travelers who are trying to do some good and have a meaningful experience. They are literally charging thousands of dollars for this, and where are the profits going? Into their own pockets with very little of the funds actually going to the grassroots projects themselves.

Essentially you are paying for the ‘Security factor’ . You have never been to say India before and you are nervous about going there, you want your safety to be guaranteed and someone to look after you so nothing goes wrong right? But seriously, should your have to pay $500 to be picked up at the airport? It does not have to be like this.

The other problem is that these company’s are all over Google so when you try and look for or advertise volunteer opportunities abroad, you are confronted by them all and struggle to find any affordable placement.

THE SOLUTION:

Stay away from these company’s and never pay big dollars to volunteer. Obviously this will be difficult for the the naive volunteer who knows not of affordable volunteer placements abroad, this will always keep them in business.

You can find that cheap placement if you look hard enough online. These kind of forums are a good way to find such opportunities. Dig deep and find the local NGO’s themselves and you can find great opportunities.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND CHEAP AND FREE OPPORTUNITIES

Workaway.info, HelpX.net, Idealist.org and volunteersouthamerica.net are the BEST places to find affordable volunteer opportunities online. Very low cost, some are even free. These sights should become known to all so these middle men gap year company’s can no longer exist, making it fair to both travelers and NGO’s.

So now a little plug for our own NGO on here. Our organisation is called ‘Wahoe Education’, we are and education and development organisation operating in the north of India. We have several projects across 4 Indian states which you can volunteer at. We run 2 schools in Delhi, women’s empowerment programs in Jaipur and Delhi, village empowerment programs in Himachal Pradesh and an education project in Nautanwa, on the border of Nepal and India. They are really great projects.

The price of volunteering with us is $7US per day in Delhi, including food and lodging. The price for volunteering in one of our projects outside of Delhi is $10US per day, including food and lodging in a home-stay style environment. There are no hidden fees or registration fees. For more information please visit our website http://www.wahoeeducation.org/ and download our comprehensive volunteer pack. You can also send us a direct email if you are interested at wahoe.education@gmail.com

To save more money (if you are a student travelling with a credit card) check out these great tips from Kanetix.ca.

Filed Under: Children, India Tagged With: , , ,

6 Tips for Fundraising for Your Volunteer Trip

March 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

Volunteering abroad is a fantastic way to travel and see the world while using your skills and time to help a community in need. And beyond providing positive benefits to the host community it can also be a source of personal transformation. However, it can often be very expensive to participate in this meaningful activity. If it’s a financial obstacle that’s holding you back, there’s good news to share: At Volunteer Forever we’ve created a simple and effective online fundraising solution to help you raise funds for your trip.

The Volunteer Forever platform allows you to create a campaign page to tell your story and convey your fundraising needs in a simple yet powerful way, and then promote the campaign to your extended network. You’ll be able to reach more people than you ever would have through traditional fundraising methods and make your dream tip a reality!

The first step is to create a campaign page on Volunteer Forever. But creating your page is the easy part- the success of your online fundraising campaign is determined by what you do afterwards. Here are 6 tips to ensure you optimize your fundraising campaign:

1. Tell A Compelling Story- As you’re setting up your fundraising campaign, the most important thing you must do is tell a compelling story. Each person has their own motivation for volunteering overseas, but it’s important to communicate in your fundraising campaign description why you’ve decide to engage in this form of meaningful travel. Also, talk about what you plan to do while you are abroad- whether you’ll be teaching English in Africa or serving on a medical mission in Peru – be sure to highlight how you’re going to add value to the host community. Furthermore, describe why you need the funds. Those of us experienced with international volunteering know that it can be expensive, but your potential donors may not know that you have to pay a program fee, travel insurance, and airfare (all of which can easily add up to thousands of dollars).

2. Share Your Page- There’s an art to crowdfunding and it starts by tapping into your core network. Think for a second and jot down the 10 closest people in your life. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, close friends- these are the people you should engage first in asking for a donation for your volunteering abroad crowdfunding campaign. These people know and trust you and will be comfortable donating to your cause. Once you’ve done that it’s time to begin sharing your page with your extended network including, friends, past teachers, co-workers, community members, or even just people that you know on a Christmas-card basis. A good first step is to use the “Share” widget on your campaign page to promote the page through email, Facebook and Twitter. Those are often the quickest ways to get the word out, but don’t stop there! Think of other channels you use to communicate with people including phone calls, text messages, other social media accounts and anything else available to you.

3. Ask Your Contacts to Share Your Page- Don’t limit your outreach to just people you think have the money to donate. One of the most powerful benefits of our crowdfunding platform is that it makes it easy for others to share your page and reach an exponentially larger network. So when you share your page, ask people to share it with their contacts as well! If you don’t ask they may not even realize how they can help. And the more specific your request is the more successful you’ll be.

4. Create Blog Posts- Use your blog section to tell the full story of your volunteer abroad trip and keep everyone updated of your progress. Are you doing anything to prepare for your adventure? How do you feel about your upcoming trip? Write a post about your training regimen or research work. Blog posts also give you new content to post through your social media channels to remind people about your campaign.

5. Thank Your Donors Publicly- People love recognition and this is your chance to give them well-deserved praise! Make it public so that everyone can see that someone has contributed to your campaign- this will help get additional donations from others. Also, when you thank your donors make sure to ask them to help you spread the word among their contacts as well.

6. Keep Sharing! Your campaign will only be successful in raising funds if you continue to share your campaign everywhere you can and often. People may need several reminders before they take action, and they may not have even seen your other requests for donations. And use your campaign timeline to create a sense of urgency, especially towards the end.

Good luck!

Billy Beltz
Co-Founder & CMO
Volunteer Forever

Volunteer Forever makes it easier for people to find and fund their volunteer abroad trips. The website features program reviews to help volunteers discover and select the right overseas placement, as well as a unique crowdfunding platform that allows users to tap into the power of their extended networks and raise funds for their trip more effectively. To learn more visit www.volunteerforever.com.

Filed Under: Volunteer tips Tagged With: , , , , ,

Help a child in Nairobi’s slums learn to read

February 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Hi,

This is Jay, from Volunteer4Free Kenya. We are seeking volunteers to help teach English to primary school pupils in Nairobi’s Soweto slums, as well as visit, teach, and play games with children at Nairobi’s main public hospital (Kenyatta National Hospital). Our program is supervised by coordinators with several years of experience in hosting international volunteers in Africa, and we offer both short and long-term volunteer placements (e.g. three weeks to six months).

Volunteers with our program will have the opportunity to teach English in both small group and whole class settings with our slum school reading program. Additionally, they will be responsible for organizing games in the children’s wards at Kenyatta National Hospital, helping to organize the children for teaching sessions; and also assigned specific patients to visit.

A basic background in English is required for participation. Also, we do request a background check (e.g. CRB, or “good conduct certificate”) for screening due to the nature of our work, i.e. with children. But beyond that, not much else is required in the way of qualifications.

Our program also offers budget accommodation (roughly $30 a week) to volunteers, and is a great way to travel Africa and make an impact in the process.

If you are interested in volunteering in Kenya for free, please write to the following email address now to apply: volunteer4freekenya@gmail.com. You can also check us out on the web at the following website: http://volunteer4freekenya.kbo.co.ke/home.

Thanks for caring enough to volunteer.

If your looking for travel insurance, check out kanetix.ca. Their site provides tips to get cheap travel insurance.

Filed Under: Children, Kenya Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Saving money tips while abroad

June 25, 2012 by 1 Comment

Spending money wisely is one of the biggest things we all worry about. We are told not to spend more money than we earn. If you earn $ 2,000 a month you shouldn’t be spending $ 2,500 during that month. But it is easier said than done, we might pass by a shop and start buying things on impulse e.g. shoes (for ladies) and other clothing. Spending money is tricky especially if you want to make every dollar or pound or Euro to work for you. Using money is even harder if you are in another country during your holiday, volunteer/ intern abroad trip, gap year. During this period you won’t be getting extra income and the one you get won’t be able to meet your needs. To avoid calling home to ask for money to be sent to you or using too much of your credit card, money should be spent wisely. Spending money wisely will reduce the credit card debt you will incur when you are abroad. It’s harder saving money while abroad because you don’t know where to get the best deals and the locals see you as a cash cow to be taken advantage of. Here are tips that will help you to save money and make the most of your volunteer/ intern abroad and gap years:

Before you leave

Make the most of your money before you leave, book in advance in order to get the best flight ticket. Buying your airline ticket early allows you to get the best deals to your volunteer/ intern destination.  Paying for the ticket in advance allows you to save a few hundred dollars or Euros. Booking for hotels and hostel in advance helps in saving money. As in some you might be able to take advantage of the low rates during the off season.  Research for the best deals that are available from the internet. Travel insurance is very important and should be taken seriously. If you are to buy it from a travel agent they will sell you policies which are expensive. Or they will send you to firms which are not at cost. Shop around and look for the most cost effective plan for yourself. That is if you will be travelling once or you will travelling in many times during the year. With different options you will be able to choose wisely which the best is for you.

Bank accounts

Using credit cards overseas is very useful and effective. But there are many hidden costs and charges that they don’t tell you when you are applying for them. First of is the transaction fees they charge are different than what they charge you while you are at home. Then secondly there are currency conversion rates which in some banks are about 2 or 3 %. Use debit cards as opposed to credit cards while you are abroad. This is because credit cards start charging you interest from the time you have withdrawn cash. Due to these costs, when you use the ATMs, withdraw large amounts and do it once in a while.  If you are going to stay in the host country for a period of 6 to 12 months it’s advisable to open a local bank account. Opening a local bank account is better as you won’t have to worry about ATM fees, Currency conversion and huge interest rates. After your volunteer / intern abroad program is over, you can withdraw all your cash and change it back to your currency at the banks.

Communication Costs

When you arrive at your host country, buy a cheap local phone which will help you communicate with your friends and family. Due to the advent of the internet we can cut down our communication costs drastically. Facebook makes it easy to send messages either through wall profiles or directly at their inboxes.  With this you can save money rather than sending direct text messages or sms. Skype has an extensive network all over the world. With Skype you can make free online calls from Skype to Skype. Using other companies like Yahoo, MSN messenger also provides free calls on their services. These services drastically reduce your communication costs when you want to communicate with friends and family.

Group travelling

You will be able to get group discounts if you travel as a group. You can start saving money as soon as you leave your home country. Some airlines offer group discounts and you will get better rates rather than travelling alone. Also hotels and hostels offer group discounts. Going with a group of friends enables all of you to get more value for your money. Apart from it being more fun it will also be cheaper.

Locals

The natives of the country are a huge resource of information. Although some might use your for cash, there are those who are good and will advice you on the best places where you will get value for your money. They will take you to the cheaper shops, restaurants and hotels. In some case you will be able to save money if you stay with them. The local people as your friends will help you navigate the cities and give you the best budget deals. Use public transport to move around, like buses and trains as opposed to using taxis and chattered cars.

Tourist areas

Tourist areas are known to be the most expensive areas. You should avoid such areas as they will reduce your budget drastically. The prices for everything in these areas are normally inflated. Buying goods and services in these areas is not a good idea as you won’t be able to sustain your stay. Exchanging money at the airports is a bad idea as the exchange rates there are unfavorable to you.

Zablon Mukuba is the director of Volunteer capital Centre, leading provider of quality and affordable volunteer abroad opportunities in third world countries. We give you the chance to leave a finger print on a life. For more information visit http://www.volunteercapitalcentre.org and http://www.volunteercapitalcentre.blogspot.com

Filed Under: Volunteer tips Tagged With: , , , , , ,

What to do if you are arrested while volunteering abroad

May 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment

“You can be arrested and not charged. You can be arrested and have no right to counsel.”-
Harry Belafonte. When volunteering abroad, your biggest hope is that nothing goes wrong during your experience while in a foreign country, but as fate would have it things can often go wrong, and most likely when you least expect it. It will help you a lot if you are prepared for some likely unfortunate circumstances that you may find yourself in. Here are some guidelines in case you get arrested.

A volunteer can get arrested for a number of reasons, ranging in seriousness; one can be arrested for something as simple as a traffic offence, or something more serious like drug possession. Whatever the reason for your arrest, it helps for volunteers to try and not get arrested for blatantly breaking the law of the country you are in. While you are abroad you are subject to the laws of the country you are in, and therefore you have to obey them to the best of your ability.

There are some instances where as a volunteer you could be committing a crime and you don’t know you are breaking the law. In such cases you can’t tell the police officers that you didn’t know you are committing a crime, as ignorance of the law is not a defense. For example chewing of gum in Malaysia is a crime and the punishment is a few days in prison or a hefty fine. To avoid this from happening it is advisable to be properly oriented about the rules and regulations of a certain place. If you are not sure of the rules ask for some help from the locals who will guide you.

If you are in a country and you don’t speak the native tongue it will be hard for you to explain yourself. When you commit a crime, the police will arrest you despite of the fact that you are a foreigner and they won’t extend you the courtesy to try and speak to you in a language in which you understand. As most of the police officers won’t be able to communicate with you effectively and hence defending yourself could be an issue. In such extreme cases ask for permission to call one of the local people who is your friend and who would help with the translation.

If arrested, first thing you should do is contact your embassy or high commission office. Officers from your embassy will help get in touch with your emergency contacts, and in some instances help you get a local lawyer who understands and speaks your language. This is one of your rights, so do not be afraid to ask for legal representation. Always try and be polite and not lose your cool while dealing with the local or arresting officers, especially if you have been arrested for a minor offence, this can help you come to a speedier and simpler resolution and release, also ask if you can be released on bond while the issue is being resolved.

If arrested abroad, ensure that proper documentation is provided for all the belongings that were in your possession when arrested, make sure nothing incriminating has been added to the list of your belongings, also ensure that you thoroughly check your personal effects when released to make sure that nothing is missing.

One more thing to look out for if arrested while volunteering abroad is to make sure you do not put your signature on anything that you have not thoroughly read, and if possible gotten some legal advice on, you do not need to make things any more worse for yourself

For more free information and low cost volunteer in Africa programs visit http://www.volunteercapitalcentre.org/ghana.aspx

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