International development volunteer programs: A primer

Recruiters and seasoned aid workers agree: Volunteering is one of the best ways to break into the field of global development. With overseas placements, volunteers gain valuable experience working with local communities and oftentimes enjoy networking opportunities which may pave the way for future full-time positions. Scour the Internet and you’ll find quite a number of overseas volunteering programs. Beware though of those that ask for payment to participate. Most aid organizations don’t view for-fee volunteering as actual development experience, and so it is unlikely to give you a big boost when applying for salaried jobs. Devex has compiled information on development-focused volunteer programs that require no fee and, better yet, offer financial and other support to participants. Many of them are sponsored by bilateral donors and so they target nationals of these countries. We will update the below list regularly. If you know of a good volunteering initiatives, leave a note below or email us at news@devex.com. Africa Volunteer Corps The group places qualified African professionals in African nongovernmental organizations. It is now accepting applications for the 2015 batch of volunteers. Requirements: African citizenship; diploma received within one year of application and before orientation; demonstrated creativity, motivation and dedication; management, leadership, communications and problem-solving abilities; “a strong desire to use education and skills to help Africa;” willingness to commit 12 months as a volunteer Length of assignment: two weeks of training followed by 12 months of full-time work at an African NGO Financial and other support: full funding To apply: fill out online application form Australian Volunteers for International Development Australian Volunteers International, Austraining International and the Australian Red Cross co-manage this volunteering initiative on behalf of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Australian Aid. Under the program, volunteers work as staff members of their host organizations, which can be local and international NGOs, academic institutions, government departments and businesses. Requirements: Australian citizenship or permanent residence or New Zealand citizenship with Special Category Visa; relevant qualification or experience Length of assignment: one month to three years, depending on the needs of the host organization Financial and other support: modest living allowance, air travel, visa assistance, accommodation, insurance To apply: check out the AVID assignments page Canadian International Youth Internship Program The Canadian government will provide each partner organization up to 16,000 Canadian dollars to cover the direct costs of the internship. The program aims to provide Canadian youth with professional experience through international development work.. Requirements: 19-30 of age; post-secondary qualification or a degree or diploma program from a university, college, post-secondary school of technology, post-secondary institute or a general and vocational college Length of assignment: up to one year, including a minimum of six months in a developing country working on issues including gender equality, the environment, health, education, small business development and agriculture Financial and other support: predeparture and reintegration training; details on financial support still to be announced To apply: stay tuned to this page CUSO International CUSO says it “places people of all ages who collaborate with local groups on projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.” Requirements: Canadian or U.S. citizenship or residence depending on the funding arrangement; recognized qualification such as a degree; a minimum of 2-5 years of professional experience in relevant fields; medical and criminal records clearances; willingness to work for a modest local salary and live in conditions similar to those of local colleagues, to invest time in self-briefing and training ahead of the placement, and to learn basics of the language in the place of assignment; successful completion of an assessment day (where applicants are evaluated on whether they have the personal qualities to succeed as volunteers) Length of assignment: one to two years mostly Financial and other support: attendance at a Cuso International assessment day; travel and accommodation costs associated with five-day predeparture training course held in Ottawa; return airfare, visa assistance, a return flight in the case of a family emergency; coverage for health insurance, vaccinations and medications, accommodation, modest living allowance (this varies depending on the country of assignment), quarterly payments to support placement, modest support for accompanying partners To apply: fill out online application form European Voluntary Service This is an unpaid, full-time volunteering service. Young Europeans can volunteer for activities in the areas of development cooperation and environment, among others. They will be placed in any of the partner organizations within or outside the European Union. Requirements: legal residence in the country of the European sending organization; 17-30 of age Length of assignment: two weeks to 12 months Financial and other support: free accommodation and food, insurance, pocket money; volunteers might have to a small part of the travel To apply: contact sending organizations Fredskorpset Norway Originally modeled after the Peace Corps, FK Norway now funds professional and youth exchanges between Norway and countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Around 550 individuals participate in the exchanges each year. Requirements: citizenship of Norway or a participating developing country; at least 18 of age (up to 25 for youth exchanges and up to 35 for professional exchanges) Length of assignment: six, 12 or 18 months, and another month for follow-up work upon return to home partner organization (in the case of a professional exchange) Financial and other support: moderate remuneration for professional exchange participants or pocket money for youth exchange participants, accommodation, travel, insurance, payment of other expenses related to working overseas To apply: contact partner organizations Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers Since its launch in 1985, this Japan International Cooperation Agency program has sent more than 30,000 volunteers to help promote socio-economic development and reconstruction in 87 partner countries. Recruitment takes place twice a year for long-term volunteers (for two-year assignments) and four times a year for short-term volunteers (for assignments of less than a year). Requirements: Japanese citizenship; age 20-39 Length of assignment: two years for long-term volunteers; less than a year for short-term volunteers Financial and other support: round-trip travel, local cost of living allowance, housing and other allowances authorized by JICA for long-term volunteers; round-trip travel, daily allowance and accommodation for short-term volunteers To apply: for long-term volunteer assignments, register with JICA; for short-term volunteer assignments, mail required documents to JICA Korea Overseas Volunteers KOV, a program funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, dispatches volunteers to work in partner countries on areas of education, health, the environment, rural development, information and communication technology, governance, and industry and energy. Requirements: Korean citizenship; age 20-62; knowledge and specialist skills; for male applicants, fulfillment of military duty before joining the program; some assignments (International Cooperation Volunteers and International Cooperation Doctors) can replace military service Length of assignment: two years Financial and other support: round-trip airfare, moving expenses, funds for adaptation and returning (equivalent to one-month living allowance), living allowance, housing, transition funds at the end of the service (totaling $8,400 for a two-year service), comprehensive medical benefits (including vaccinations, hospitalization, medical evaluations and round-the-clock medical consultations), security-related training, equipment and service, up to $2,000 to support activities during assignments such as purchasing books and office supplies, a box of Korean items for New Year’s Day and Korean Thanksgiving Day, up to $50,000 to implement a small-scale project promoting sustainable development of a local organization To apply: register with KOV MovingWorlds MovingWorlds helps people find the best place to volunteer their professional or technical skills overseas with it's matching and personal support network. Requirements: Any business, professional, or technical skills. Length of assignment: From 1 week virtual assignments to 2 years on the ground — pick your own length and timing. Financial and other support: "Experteering" assignments on MovingWorlds provide amazing local benefits like free accommodations, and sometime travel stipends. To apply: get started at www.MovingWorlds.org/invite Peace Corps Over more than half a century, the Peace Corps has mobilized some 215,000 volunteers in 139 countries to work on cultural exchange and development issues, including education, health and environmental protection. Requirements: U.S. citizenship; at least 18 years of age Length of assignment: two years Financial and other support: student loan assistance, a “readjustment” allowance of $7,425 before tax upon service completion, language and cross-cultural and technical training, round-trip travel, monthly living and housing allowance, medical and dental care, 48 paid vacation days, leave for family emergencies, graduate school opportunities such as scholarships, credit for service, fellowships and internships, transition and job support and social networking post-service, advantages in federal employment To apply: register and apply online United Nations Volunteers The United Nations volunteering arm has been in operation since 1971. It deploys more than 7,700 peace and development volunteers every year and works in 130 countries. Requirements: at least 25 (no upper-age limit); university degree or higher technical diploma; two years’ relevant working experience; good working knowledge of any of the three UNV languages (English, French and Spanish) Length of assignment: six to 12 months (renewable contracts); volunteers are expected to serve one year or more Financial and other support: settling-in-grant calculated based on placement duration paid at the start of the assignment, “volunteer living allowance” paid monthly to cover basic living expenses, travel on appointment and at the completion of assignment, life, health and permanent disability insurance, annual leave, resettlement allowance calculated on the basis of placement duration upon “satisfactory” completion of assignment To apply: register with UNV Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance Volunteers are usually placed with partner organizations such as Winrock International, International Executive Service Corps, ACDI/VOCA and Financial Services Volunteer Corps. Most of the assignments are funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Requirements: highly skilled experts Length of assignment: varies Financial and other support: round-trip coach airfare, passport and visas, lodging, meals and incidentals, immunizations, supplemental health insurance, emergency medical evacuation if required for overseas assignments To apply: register or search for opportunities with VEGA member organizations and submit application online Voluntary Service Overseas Since its founding in 1958, VSO has placed more than 40,000 volunteers in at least 90 countries. It recruits from both the developed and developing worlds, with more than 30 percent of volunteers now serving in their own countries. It has also increasingly placed people from one developing country to another. Volunteers are asked to contribute to the costs of their placements through fundraising. Requirements: a minimum two years’ experience in one’s profession gained in the last five years; in some countries, an official qualification such as a diploma may be required to secure a work permit; willingness to work for a modest allowance and live in conditions similar to local colleagues’, invest time in self-briefing and training prior to deployment and learn the basics of the local language of the place of assignment; a good command of the English language to fully participate in selection, induction and wider program activities while volunteering; share experience on volunteering and promote VSO upon return Length of assignment: six to 24 months Financial and other support: criminal records bureau clearance, medical insurance and required immunizations and anti-malarials, training, accommodation and food while on residential training weekends, flight to assignment and back to home, accommodation while on placement, allowance to cover basic living expenses while overseas To apply: view vacancies and submit application form online weltwärts The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and De­velop­ment launched this volunteer service for young Germans in 2008. Since then, the program has placed more than some 20,000 young volunteers in German development cooperation projects. Requirements: German citizenship or permanent residence; age 18-28; good-enough health to be able to work abroad; interest in developing countries’ culture and way of life; readiness to work hard on a project backed by the sending organization and participate in an in-service specialized training; completion of a vocational training course after graduating from school or graduation from secondary school; good basic knowledge of a language spoken in the placement country Length of assignment: 6-24 months, but usually 12-18 months Financial and other support: allowance, free accommodation and meals, travel, medical, repatriation, accident and liability insurance, seminars before, during and after the service, mentorship To apply: submit application to any of the partner sending organizations