How it works

Thank you for contacting Christians Abroad. We hope the information below will help you decide to volunteer with us. It explains our principles, how we operate and how we co-operate.

This is a self-funded programme as Christians Abroad does not have funds to support volunteers. Our overseas partners are based in poor communities and are unable to pay you but they will look after you and generally provide accommodation. Food may also be provided. We recognise the commitment of volunteers, and we try to keep our costs as low as possible.

Volunteers have to be available for interview by phone or face-to-face, and must have a connection with a British or Irish-based Church. Many projects prefer people over the age of 21.

Why is this programme important?

Volunteers make useful contributions in many ways: using skills and experience gained at home; showing care and love; relating across cultural, community and faith boundaries; and sharing and strengthening faith.

What do we look for?

People who will enjoy the challenge, give something to the host community and learn from their time abroad in terms of faith, cultural and practical experience, and then be able to share this with their home church and community. People who are open to change in their own lives as well as those who feel they have something to offer. People able to adapt to different cultures including expectations about behaviour, food, traditions and other everyday aspects of being in a different place. Projects run by local people, which give an opportunity for learning and relating to the local community as well as giving of the gifts and skills you have. For that reason most placements are in faith-based schools, hospitals or community projects.

What we will do together:

Consider what you have asked for and said about yourself in your application form and decide what will be right for you.
Look at the best way to prepare you for going and being overseas.
Keep in touch and talk through your experience on return.

What we insist on:

Having the names of three referees we can contact.
If working with children or vulnerable adults you have a Criminal Records check.
You have professional pre-departure advice on health.
You have adequate travel and health insurance.
A gift-aided donation of £150 to cover time costs and other work.

What we will do for you:

Negotiate with the projects abut dates, length of stay and any financial considerations.
Keep in touch with the projects, and check regularly both government and other sources of information to keep up-to-date on local conditions.
Arrange contact or meetings for you with those who have detailed knowledge of the country or placement to which you are going.
Keep in touch while you are away and share agreed news with our supporters and other volunteers in a regular newsletter.
Should any problems or difficulties occur (this is very rare), work with you and the placement to try to resolve them.
Carry out free Criminal Record checks where needed.

In addition, we can:

Arrange air travel, visas and insurance where needed.
Devise on preparation, including briefings, literature and other information, nationals or former volunteers to contact. This includes our own books or CDs and on-line material.

Arrange an opportunity for you to tell your story and explore your feelings, but also look at what can be learned at both ends from the experience. This may be by personal or group conversations and meetings. Future career advice is also available.

Christians Abroad has an agreed Code of Practice - a copy of which will be given to you. Within this we agree to work together to the benefit of the projects we support. Included in that is an agreement signed by volunteers to take adequate health and safety precautions.

Costs:

The greatest cost to you is likely to be the air fare. You also need to think of pre-departure costs (health checks, inoculations, anti-malarial tablets, etc) and visa costs.
Costs are often not much higher if volunteers stay longer. The estimates below are approximate costs and do not include any holiday, ‘safari’, or other personal expense element (including appropriate clothing). Expenses in placement assume that local food is bought and cooked, and that local transport is used when needed. Most placements provide accommodation but some may also expect that a contribution will be made to their own funds.
 

Approximate costings	3 month placement	6 month placement
Air fare	£450 - 700	£450 - 700
Travel/Medical insurance	£120	£175
Visa	£0 - 50	£0 - 75
Inoculations, anti-malarials, etc	£100 - 200	£100 - 250
Expenses in placement	£200 - 500	£300 - 700
TOTAL	£870 - 1570	£1025 - 1900

Air travel is usually cheaper if booked in advance and not around public holidays, so timing is important. As explained before, Christians Abroad will also require a £150 donation – considerably less than asked for by most agencies. This is needed to cover the time we give in negotiating with you and overseas placements, free Criminal Records checks, and the advice and support we offer before during and after the placement. As a charity we do not make profits but try to cover some of our costs.

We ask that air tickets be paid for by us (even if arranged by you). If a minimum of this and the original donation are covered by gift-aid (at no extra cost to the volunteer), Christians Abroad gains a further 28%. Only in this way can we continue our volunteer programme.