The Right Volunteers For The Right Projects
James meets all prospective volunteers before they sign up for any projects. As a parent we encourage
you to also come and meet us. It is important that you understand our work, our goals, our objectives
and the level of support that we provide.
This enables you to make an informed decision about your choice of project.
We only send volunteers to a project where they are genuinely needed. The projects we support are
small, grassroots initiatives – we choose them carefully and know them well. The local staff are more
than appreciative of volunteer support.
Before leaving, all volunteers have had the opportunity to attend an initial interview, a fund
raising awareness day, a training course and also the pre-departure briefing. These meetings provide
great opportunities to meet fellow volunteers and the Outreach International team. New volunteers will
also be put in touch with a returned volunteer who has worked on the same project.
Parents Deserve Support Too
All parents are invited to attend their son or daughter's initial interview and pre-departure
briefing. Parents are also free to talk with us before departure and at any time during the project.
The UK office has weekly phone briefings with each overseas coordinator. In this way we are kept
up to date with volunteer activities and project developments.
Phone contact can always be had with our local coordinators, and in nearly all cases you can be in
direct phone contact with your son or daughter. Some volunteers take UK mobile phones and use a local
SIM card. In most cases internet access is good.
We believe however that it is important not to 'over-monitor' volunteers. This is a time to grow up
and mature. While we take safety and support very seriously, we believe it important to give
volunteers a degree of independence, with the freedom to mature and develop their role in their own
way.
Accommodation
Volunteer accommodation is often with a host family. These people are friends or family members of
our local coordinator and provide a warm, caring home. Some people stay with other volunteers in an
Outreach International house. Our houses are comfortable, well equipped and in a safe area of
town.
Funding the Trip
We realise that raising the money for your project can be a daunting task. However, it can be a
rewarding one. We invite all volunteers to attend a fundraising awareness day, where they can discover
lots of ideas for raising the necessary amounts. Fund raising should be fun and considered as an
important part of the Outreach International experience.
Your money is safeguarded by our insurance bond. In addition, we do not ask for full payment until
six weeks before departure.
There's a fixed cost for each project, which includes project related travel, food, accommodation,
all training, intensive language course, plus baggage insurance and the unlimited health insurance as
detailed above. Please note that it does not include the cost of international flights.
For more details on costs, please see our costs
page.
Further Information
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us. Either call 01458 274957 or email
info@outreachinternational.co.uk.
"Harry is having a great time. His emails are lively and great to read. He's
obviously enjoying the street children project, working with the children and enjoying a good and multicultural
social life. He is also enjoying living with Monika and having the benefit of her knowledge, experience and
motherly wisdom. It is obvious that Outreach has got it right."
Mr and Mrs Hall
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Outreach International is a registered member of the Year Out Group and abides by its code of
practise and operating guidelines. In addition, our activities conform to British Standard 8848,
designed to minimize risk and maintain good practice for overseas ventures. We are also members of the
FCO Know Before You Go group.