Pre-Application Reflection

Please think carefully about whether or not an Independent AidCamp will really be suitable for you.  We don't want to put you off, but we do want you to be realistic and reflect on what it's really going to be like living and working in these places.

You've probably thought about the practical and physical aspects, and decided you can easily handle using a squat toilet and taking bucket showers, but what about emotional and psychological factors?

While you will find most of the people you will work with to be very friendly, you should be aware that you will be constantly surrounded by extreme poverty and considerable squalor in the cities.

Also, you could be somewhere where you rarely see members of our partner organisation and there are very few people that speak English, and even with those that do you might well find that you have nothing in common with them.

Full immersion is undoubtedly the best way to get to know a people and their culture, but it is also the most challenging.
It could be a very enriching experience, or a very lonely one, and that depends on you.  Whether you have a fantastic time or a miserable one will depend much more on these aspects than on the day-to-day physical ones.

You'll need to be self-reliant, patient, have a good sense of humour, and the ability to easily get on well with people.
You'll need to be flexible, easy going, tolerant, and prepared to leave your pre-conceptions and ideas of the "right" way to do things behind.  Keep in mind that probably the most valuable thing you will achieve in your stay is what you'll learn about yourself.

If your reflection fills you with uncertainty, contact us to chat about it and discuss options -- or consider a Group AidCamp where you'll be able to share your experience with other like-minded volunteers.