Q: Could you give us a short background on AidCamps International:
A: AidCamps International is registered charity whose objects are the charitable purposes of providing development aid and support to local communities in developing countries for the furtherance of the relief of poverty, the advancement of education and health care, and other purposes beneficial to the community.
It was founded by experienced overseas volunteers who realised that while there are many worthy projects in the developing world that are in need of assistance, there are very few opportunities for short term volunteers unskilled in development issues, no matter how enthusiastic and motivated they may be.
This is hardly surprising as there is no shortage of unskilled labour in the third world. The main problem of local communities in third world countries is not people power; it is the difficulty of funding local development needs.
AidCamps International was founded to close this gap by providing a way for short term volunteers to make a significant contribution, both physical and financial, to development projects run by local partner NGOs, while giving the volunteers a unique view of the life, culture, and local region of the people being helped.
Q: What are some volunteer opportunities you offer? Do you have any volunteer opportunities you are particularly proud of?
A: We offer two and three week development aid projects in Cameroon, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Mostly our projects focus on providing facilities for local children, such as village primary schools. We are proud of all of them.
Q: What kind of daily life should prospective volunteers expect?
A: The goals of our AidCamps include giving the volunteers the experience of living in a third world country under local conditions and allowing the volunteers to meet and integrate with the indigenous population and experience their culture. As such we usually live amongst the community we are helping in local houses and eat local food.
Our itineraries also include other local problem awareness visits, as well as trips to local and regional heritage sites, national parks, and cultural centres, so that volunteers can get a feel for both the richness of the area and the predicaments faced by its inhabitants.
Q: What is the most important piece of advice you can offer future volunteers?
A: Come with a sense of cultural sensitivity and ready to experience how others live and to accept their outlook on life.
Q: What is the biggest challenge while volunteering abroad?
A: We try hard to minimise survival challenges on our projects. While we live under local conditions we try and make volunteers as comfortable as possible, given the local situation. The purpose of our AidCamps is the development aid project itself, not “character building” through roughing it.
Probably the biggest challenge for volunteers comes when they return home and realise how much of a sense of community and sharing that we in the “developed” world have lost, and contemplate how people with materially so little can be spiritually so rich.
Q: On the flip side, what is the biggest reward?
A: This is best answered by some quotes from recent volunteers:
"Life changing is an understatement!"
"Being welcomed and accepted by the community was a wonderful experience, and seeing the school develop over the three weeks with everyone involved was unforgettable."
"Never have I been so deeply touched by a community. I've had a truly amazing experience, and have spent the past 3 weeks overwhelmed by everything."
"Truly awe inspiring. The welcome that we received said it all about the people; warm, caring, and a truly honest welcome which remained throughout the duration of my stay"
Q: Why should they pay to volunteer with AidCamps International? How is the money used?
A: AidCamps International is first and foremost a development aid charity. Unlike many commercial volunteering organisations, for us recruiting volunteers is a means to an end – implementing the development aid project – not an end in itself.
We are totally up front in telling volunteers that the main purpose of holding an AidCamp is to raise funds for and implement a worthwhile project, and that without the financial aid provided by the volunteers the project would not happen.
72% of the minimum donation is used for the implementation of the project, with the rest being used for the running of the charity. 100% of any donations above the minimum goes directly to the project. The registration fee goes towards taking care of the volunteers.
AidCamps International is run entirely by its trustees on a voluntary basis. Nobody at AidCamps International receives a salary.
Q: How does volunteering abroad fit into the bigger picture of aid and development?
A: That depends entirely on the organisation that the volunteer is going with. People looking to do voluntary work should look into the legal status of organisations and the nature of the opportunities being offered. Are they a registered charity or a commercial profit-making company? Will the placement fill a genuine local need, or has it been created in order to provide an opportunity that the organisation can offer? Will the volunteer’s contributions go mostly to the local need or to the organisation’s head office?
Q: Why should someone volunteer with AidCamps International?
A: AidCamps International offers volunteers the chance to participate in a third world development aid project, experience authentic local culture, customs and food, integrate with truly local people (not just the tourist industry), witness the real situation for many people on the planet, visit local and regional heritage sites, and live amongst the people being helped.
Our volunteers are people that are interested in the development aid projects themselves, rather than looking for a “personal growth” experience and many of our volunteers talk about “the chance to give something back”.
While we take anyone 18 and up, we are not a “gap year” organization per se, rather our projects are meant to appeal to regular working people who’d like to do something useful and different with their holiday time. We attract a wide range of people, both in professions and ages – from 18 to 74 so far.
Q: How can someone get in contact with AidCamps International and learn more about your volunteer abroad opportunities?
A: How can someone get in contact with AidCamps International and learn more about your volunteer abroad opportunities?
See our website at AidCamps.org
Q: Do you have any advice on funding a volunteer experience abroad?
A: Yes, signed up volunteers will receive our fundraising pack.
