AidCamps International

Short Term Volunteer Work Overseas on Third World Development Aid Projects

What We Do and Why

We're a registered UK charity and our primary purpose is to provide grassroots development aid to local communities in developing countries.  The way we've chosen to raise the funds to do this is by offering interested people like you the opportunity to take part in a development aid project and make a significant contribution towards it, both personal and financial.

Why do we raise funds this way?

Well, it's more fun than rattling a tin!  More seriously, while there's no shortage of worthy projects in the developing world in need of assistance, unless you are skilled in development issues, you'll find that there aren't many opportunities for short term volunteers, no matter how keen and motivated you may be. 

This is hardly surprising as there is no shortage of labour in the third world.  The main problem of communities in these countries is not people power; it's the lack of the funds needed to implement local improvements.  Put simply, the problem is money.

Of course, you can always make a donation to us or some other charity -- and we certainly wouldn't discourage you from doing so -- but maybe you find that rather sterile and remote.  The fact that you are looking into short term voluntary work suggests that you want to help out in a hands on manner, to be there, see what it's really like, have a personal experience, and feel that you've made a real difference.

Make Your Donation Happen

Our short term volunteer placements offer you the chance to make a personal and direct contribution to a development aid project in a local community in a developing country.

We are first and foremost a development aid charity, and we are totally unashamed about our motives: our primary purpose is to raise the money needed to implement local development aid projects.  The opportunity for you to go out and help is the enticement we offer to get you to donate or raise the funds needed to make the projects happen.

In return you'll get to volunteer on your chosen project and gain the kind of satisfaction that can only come from direct personal involvement, as well as experiencing a unique view of the life, culture, and region of the people you'll be helping.  You'll also get to see exactly where the donation went; indeed, you'll help to make it happen.

How do we work?

We don't think it's appropriate for "westerners" to go out to developing countries and decide what the locals need, so we always work in conjunction with a local partner organisation in each of our project countries.  These are registered local non-governmental development aid organisations (NGOs) founded and run by citizens of the country.

Our partner organisations, being inhabitants themselves, know their regions intimately, and know and understand the local people and communities, and the problems they face.  They interact with these communities to determine local needs and then propose projects to us, from which we choose on a practical basis.  We work very closely with our partners before, during, and after projects.  We don't enlist partners on a one-off basis, but rather have an ongoing relationship with them, so we get to know each other well.

Unlike some profit-making volunteering organisations, we never "invent" volunteer positions purely because we have "customers".  All of our volunteer placements and projects are genuine development aid needs expressed by local communities and evaluated by our local partner organisations.  Our volunteer offerings are the fundraising mechanism we use to be able to fulfil these development aid needs -- they are a means to an end, not an end in themselves.

Volunteer Independently or with a Group

We offer two basic kinds of volunteer placements:

• Group AidCamps for those that would like to join a team project, and
• Independent AidCamps for those that would prefer an individual placement.

See Volunteer Placements for a quick comparison and other options, and see the individual sections for full details of each.