AidCamps International |
Short Term Voluntary Aid Projects in the Developing World
Independent AidCamps
Volunteering
No skills or experience are needed to volunteer for an Independent AidCamp. If you do have skills or experience that you'd like to make use of though, that's fine. The only requirements are that you are over 18 (if unaccompanied) in good health, enthusiastic, and culturally sensitive. There is no upper age limit and people of all backgrounds are welcome to volunteer.
In some cases we can arrange placements for small groups or families. For information about the inclusion of under 18s, see Family AidCamps.
To apply for an Independent AidCamp please fill in the application form and send it to us with your registration fee. Please attach a recent passport style (head and shoulders) colour photograph. A curriculum vitae (CV), while not always necessary, is always useful.
If you are applying for a skilled placement related to your profession or studies, then we will need a CV along with proof of your qualifications or certification or a letter from your university or college.
Once we get your application we will contact you to discuss your wishes, examine options, and suggest possibilities. Having reached an understanding with you on your requirements we will then negotiate with our partner organisations to agree a placement suitable for you.
Fees, Donations, and Conditions
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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. Fees are taken in British Pounds (£) only and we can not accept foreign cheques. |
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Credit & Debit Cards Payments made by credit or debit cards are a little extra, so that we receive the correct amount after processing costs. Fees are taken in British Pounds (£) only and we can not accept foreign cheques. |
| Do I HAVE to Fundraise? No. We encourage you to fundraise but personal donations are also welcome. |
| UK Higher
Rate (40%) Taxpayer? You can reclaim 25% of your personal donations by entering them in your self assessment return. Please note: you cannot claim tax relief on your Registration Fee. |
| Tax Relief in Other Countries Many other countries offer tax relief for donations to charities. We are unable to offer advice for outside the UK, but will provide any supporting documentation you might need. |
A registration fee is needed to arrange an Independent AidCamp and taking up the placement requires donations to a minimum fundraising target, which varies with the length of your stay. These can be personal donations, fundraised donations, or a mixture.
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Registration Fee |
£95 |
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| Length of Stay | Minimum Donation | |
| 1-5 weeks | £500 | |
| Each additional week | £50 | |
| up to 3 months | ||
The registration fee covers arranging your placement and provides you with extensive UK based support both before and during your assignment.
The first £200 of the donation is split between the local partner organisation you will be working with and AidCamps International as a general charitable donation. 100% of the rest, including donations more than the minimum, will go directly to the objective(s) agreed with you.
The registration fee is required upon application and is only refundable if we cannot offer you a placement fitting your stated requirements within 10 days.
The first £200 of the minimum donation is due three months in advance of the start of your assignment. The remainder is normally due three weeks before you go, but may be required earlier, depending on the local development aid objectives to be funded. Should you fail to provide the minimum donation by the agreed due date, your Independent AidCamp will be cancelled.
Any and all donations are non-refundable, however we do commit that if for any reason you are unable to go, any donations already made will be applied as stipulated.
All other costs - both before and during your placement, are your responsibility to pay directly to the relevant suppliers. The registration fee and donations do not cover travel, food, accommodation, or any other material benefit except for the service of arranging your placement and the UK based support listed.
Travel health insurance, covering emergency repatriation costs and including an international emergency help line, is mandatory to attend any AidCamp.
You will be expected to behave in a manner consistent with the laws and customs of the host country.
After Application
The registration fee provides you with extensive UK based support starting with:
Individual Placement Service: to provide you with the opportunity you want.
Volunteer Matching Service: if you'd like to team up with someone or want to wait for a particular opportunity.
Once you are placed you'll receive:
Planning and Budgeting Assistance: to help you plan and budget your stay according to your requirements and the available possibilities.
Travel Research Assistance: to help you find the best flights (from western Europe only).
About Fundraising: ten pages of hints, ideas, and guidelines to get you thinking about fundraising.
We'll send these to you by e-mail if you have Internet access, or by post if you don't.
Website Volunteers' Area: you'll also be given access to a special area on our website where you can find information and links useful prior to and during your AidCamp, and obtain donation and sponsorship forms, posters and logos, t-shirt transfers and other items to aid your fundraising, as well as other information useful for preparing for your AidCamp. If you don't have Internet access we can post these to you on request.
Website Sponsorship Page: in addition we'll set up a Sponsorship Page for you on our website which will allow your friends, family, colleagues, and any other donors you tell about it to make donations to your target using their credit or debit cards. E-fundraising made simple!
We'll do this automatically if you have Internet access, or by request if you don't.
Three months before you go you'll get:
Visa Forms and Information: UK residents only.
Preparation and Packing Information: including a kit list, so you know what to bring and what to leave behind, and various other bits and pieces of useful information.
Detailed Health Information: letting you know what to do and what not to do to stay healthy, and information about the recommended vaccinations and prophylaxes for the region.
A Letter to your Doctor: listing the recommended vaccinations and prophylaxes and encouraging him/her to give them to you cheaply or for free, in light of the charitable nature of your trip.
Emergency Contact Details: to give your family.
Pre-departure Form: to collect details of your flights, insurance, vaccinations, etc.
Again, we'll send these to you by e-mail if you have it, or by post if you don't.
Reference, Health, and Criminal Record Checks
In order to protect the local communities where we place Independent AidCamp volunteers, and our partner organisations, we will ask for and may check details of your criminal record.
We will also ask for references from two people with experience of you in a non-personal capacity, and certification that you are both physically and psychologically fit from your doctor.
Please see Applicant Checks for details (even if you don't have a criminal record) and for our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.
Please note that we cannot accept applications from residents of countries where there is no formal criminal record checking system.
We won't necessarily exclude you if you don't come through 100% clean on these checks, but if you have any criminal record at all, or have any health problems whatsoever, you should contact us before applying.
If we find out later that there's something you didn't tell us about, you won't go and you won't get a refund.
See Application to apply for an Independent AidCamp, either online or by post.