How and Where can I do relief work in Africa?

Question

Hi,

I am a senior in high school. My school is sponsoring a trip to go to Zambia for a mission trip. I wanted to go but it was only available for juniors. My ambition to do relief work in Africa has not relinquished however. I was wondering anyone had any insight into this. It would be a great help.

Thanks,

Breez

Answer 1

You can contact Mathias Zimba at Rising Fountains Development Program.

www.risingfountains.com

They are always looking for volunteers and are in Zambia as well. Don't know if there is an age requirement, however.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Here is a web site that can help you learn more about the skills and experience desired by long-term placement organizations, and how you can gain that experience locally, wherever you are right *now*, no matter your age. You are never too young nor too old to start engaging in activities and training that will make you a viable candidate for long-term volunteer placement agencies, like PeaceCorps, UN Volunteers, VSO, etc.:

http://www.coyotecommunications.com/volu...

The goal of organizations working in poor countries is to give the local people jobs and to keep money local, not to give Westerners a feel-good vacation/experience -- hence why short-term placement agencies (in contrast to the aforementioned) charge volunteers a fee, or require these volunteers to pay their own way (flights, in-country transportation, health insurance, accommodation, food, security, translators, training, staff to supervise and support them in their service, liaisons with the police and local officials, etc.).

There is a listing of the more-than-30 member organizations of the International Volunteers Program Association (IVPA) that is a good place to find reputable volunteer-for-a-fee programs -- programs where you don't need to have much experience in order to participate, and the placements are just for a few weeks or months:

http://www.volunteerinternational.org/

The cheapest overseas volunteer-sending organization in the USA that will send unskilled volunteers for short-term assignments (six months or less) that I've found is SCI - Service Civil International (http://www.sci-ivs.org/). I know *nothing* about them other than what's on their web site, so please don't consider the listing of this organization in my answer as an endorsement.