Independent - Fees, Donations and Your Costs
To undertake an Independent AidCamp we ask you for a registration fee and a minimum donation. You can fundraise these or dig into your own bank account, we don't mind!
Registration Fee: we require a registration fee of £95 (£100 by card if paying online) for organising an Independent AidCamp for you.
If we cannot offer you a placement fitting your stated requirements, or if you feel that any of the alternatives we suggest are unsuitable, then we'll be happy to give you a full refund.
Donation: our primary purpose as a charity is to provide development aid to deprived communities in developing countries and we are totally unashamed in asking you to make a financial donation towards this goal.
The difference between a general donation to most charities and your Independent AidCamp donation is that you get to choose how the majority of your donation will be used (subject to agreement of course).
As part of your placement you will be told of the most pressing local needs and the cost of fulfilling each of them, and have the opportunity to decide which of those needs you'd like to fund.
For example, let's say it's agreed that you will teach English in a rural primary school. The school might be short of teaching materials, books, etc, the children may be in rags and in need of school uniforms, while the lack of a clean water supply in the village is resulting in children often being off school sick.
Not only do you get to choose which of these you want to provide but, where possible, you'll also get involved in the purchasing and delivery of your aid - a real and direct opportunity to make your donation happen.
The minimum donation varies with how long you want to stay. The first £200 is split between the local partner organisation you will be working with and AidCamps International as a charitable donation to help fund both organisations' work. 100% of the rest goes directly to the objective(s) agreed with you. We ask that at least £300 be used to provide for needs within the community of your placement, and agreed before you go. Agree what you'd like to fund with the rest (if any) either beforehand or when you are there.
Minimum Donation
1-5 weeks - £500 (£518 if paying online by card)
For any placement over 5 weeks we ask for an additional £50 per week.
Your Costs: you cover all your own costs directly while in-country, in the local currency, as well as your pre-departure costs such as flights, visas, etc.
Typical in country costs are listed in the descriptions of our AidCamp countries, and we'll help you in planning and budgeting your stay, so you know how much to take with you.
In addition to your personal costs we also ask you to cover any created costs - those that others incur solely due to your presence. Our philosophy is that you being there shouldn't cost either our partners or the local communities anything. You are, after all, there to give, not to take.
For example, if our partner organisation kindly offers to take you to see some local scenic spot one afternoon, please cover their fuel costs. Or if you want to go off sightseeing one weekend and ask someone in the community to be your guide, pay their travel, food, and accommodation costs, and give them something for themselves.
The volunteer work you choose may also create costs, e.g. if your choice needs you to have a full time translator or assistant. People costs in our project countries are very cheap by western standards, typically less than £2 per day, and these will be discussed with you when arranging your placement.
Credit & Debit Cards
Payments made by credit or debit cards are a little extra, so that we receive the correct amount after processing costs. Please see Credit & Debit Card Rates for details, and for approximations in other currencies.