GOING ABROAD & SPECIAL PROJECTS
Overview
Christians Abroad's current special projects are listed as follows with a fuller explanation below.
1. Volunteers & Mission Associate Partners for our respected and highly valued Medical Electives, Medical placements and Community Development projects and the Services provided to them.
2. Christian Abroad services to Christian volunteers from other UK based Christian organisations and Churches. This includes bespoke travel insurance and administration of VDWNI contributions.
3. UK administrative support of Christian Abroad Community Development projects overseas in Nepal, Kenya, Jordan and the Holy Land.
Christians Abroad has regularly reviewed Partnership Protocols and International Safeguarding Protocols with all our selected overseas indigenous Christian organisations, along with robust Christian Abroad Volunteer preparatory processes.
1. Volunteers & Associate Mission Partners
Current Volunteer placements for 2026 / 2027 are:
Respected and highly valued volunteer placment opportunities in Nepal, Kenya and Jordan:-
Medical Electives & Medical Professional Placements
Leprosy Hospital Placement (Nepal) - Christians Abroad - OSCAR
Medical Electives (Kenya) - Christians Abroad - OSCAR
Tuberculosis Hospital Placement (Jordan) - Christians Abroad - OSCAR
Community Development
Community Development Placements (Nepal) - Christians Abroad - OSCAR
Trauma Counsellor, Social Worker & Community Development (Kenya) - Christians Abroad - OSCAR
Contact recruit@cabroad.org.uk to find out more!
Services
The following services are provided to all Christians Abroad Volunteers and Associate Mission Partners.
Preparation: we like to allow six months for placement preparation in order to complete all our system processes, including references, volunteer agreement, DBS Enhanced check, Thrive Worldwide online travel nurse clinic, overseas partner engagement (including the work programme and budget), Christians Abroad Stewardship fundraising page for your placement, ten preparatory modules (including an International Safeguarding module), travel arrangements, security & contact form, and placement risk assessment. Please contact recruit@cabroad.org.uk for further details on how to apply and the preparatory process. Preparation is usually through distance learning or by bespoke residential preparation including any further training that may be required by arrangement.
Insurance: Christians Abroad has negotiated tailor made policies with our insurance providers to meet our specialist requirements and we place considerable value on the relationship between volunteer and mission partner, ourselves and the insurance provider to enable the best possible service at the lowest cost. Policies can be provided across a wide range of risks but our service is the provision primarily of travel, health and accident insurance.
Voluntary Development Worker National Insurance contributions. Christians Abroad is an agency of the HMRC in providing VDW National Insurance contributions to those workers working for development in particular countries overseas designated as eligible. These are special Class 2 contributions and provide state pension entitlement as well as a number of other immediately qualifying state benefits including job seekers allowance on return to the UK. The contributions are paid annually usually in September following the end of a tax year.
Management of travel arrangements including air ticket purchase/amendment and visa processing where appropriate through Key Travel. Christians Abroad is a recognised partner of Key Travel and is a customer paying by invoice from Key Travel for the services provided. This means that Christians Abroad is able to provide tickets at charity rates where appropriate which may include an extra luggage allowance. The only tickets that Christians Abroad will purchase, as a matter of policy, are tickets which are at the lowest price available for tickets that offer the possibility of rearrangement of dates of travel. We can act as agent whilst you are overseas to help with any rearrangements which can prove troublesome at a distance.
Support and Information: For mission partners, Christians Abroad can provide support through another organisation, Stewardship, for regular gift aided support from individuals and church organisation and can give accountability for occasional gift aided and non-gift aided contributions paid directly through Christians Abroad. Christians Abroad can offer publicity and promotion support where necessary with local church congregations associated with a mission partner.
In general, any Volunteer or Mission Associate Partner can request help on a wide range of issues where Christians Abroad will provide such services as it is able or make referrals to other appropriate agencies as necessary.
Debriefing. An often neglected but essential opportunity for an individual or family to reflect on their period of service once returned to the UK. This helps integrate and make sense of what has been learned and will also help with emotional impact of the placement and its relationships which is always long lasting but which may need help to accentuate the positive and life affirming impact of the experience as well as learn from the negative aspects of the experience.
Associate Mission Partners
Some Christian individuals and families who are supported by one or more church congregations in Britain and Ireland for long term appointments as mission partners assigned to or appointed by church congregations overseas to share in the work of these congregations in development or mission. Such mission partners can apply to be pastorally supported by us and, if successful, can be appointed Associate Mission Partners of Christians Abroad for which there is a modest annual adminsitratiion fee. They can avail themselves of all the services outlined above for Volunteers and Associate Mission Partners. Additionally such Associate Mission Partners can use our stationery for their newsletters, and engage our support in accountability to their funding constituencies including enabling gift aid recovery through Stewardship. We keep in touch, ensure local accountabiltiy and accountability to us as a UK agency for all aspects of their ministry. Currently we are pleased to have one assoicate mission partnership (Paula, Dean and Family) but our capacity is limited for expansion of this programme - applications, however, can still be received. Please apply to Jamie Mackintosh at support@cabroad.org.uk as the first step. Jamie would then seek to chat with you to discuss the application process.
Paula, Dean & Family (SOUTH AFRICA)
Paula, Dean, Joel and Eli are the Finnie family; Paula and Dean are Associate Mission Partners of Christians Abroad. . Paula and Dean work in Macassar which is an urban sprawl outside Cape Town with all the social problems and challenges that you might expect in such an environment. They first planted the 'Tree of Life Church' in that community and their lives and the lives of their members, largely among the mixed race communities in Macassar', were closely intertwined.. Today they are leading a new church project
called 'The Gathering'. They remain part of a network of local churches.
The Homework Club, the Food Pantry and work within community is meeting an increasing demand reaching out to peoples who have been displaced or have immigrated into the area from all over the sub continent hence 'The Gathering'. (see http://www.dpfinnie.com ).
PRAYER POINTS
- Please pray for the Gathering as it meets for worship every Sunday morning from 10 - 12 noon and every Wednesday evening from 7.30 - 9.00 pm
- Pray for the work of the Soup Kitchen as it serves more and more of those more needy than overselves each week.
- Pray for the Homework Club as young boys and girls gather and find a place where they can study in peace and with help and give thanks for the success that they are achieving.
- Please pray for the women' social time, bible study and reflection that meets at Gathering Ground for coffee on a Wednesday morning every week and for the support that it gives through the struggles of the week
- Please keep South Africa and Zimbabwe (where the Finnies used to serve) . Please pray for peace and good governance.
- Please pray for the whole family and their life and work in Cape Town that they may bless others and be blessed. Please pray for that they will conitnue to be blessed with the resources that they need to live and work in South Africa.
If you would like to donate to Paula and Dean's ministry, please e-mail us at support@cabroad.org.uk.
Current at January 2026
2. Services to Churches & other Christian Organisation Volunteers
Some volunteers or others serving longer periods overseas may just want occasional support from Christians Abroad. They may need help with identifying a project but don't want any other assistance. They may just want insurance, national insurance. some preparative advice, general information or other support as they going to be overseas for a considerable time with another sending organisation. We also offer the same support to a person of any faith or none who is working as a volunteer with a Christian development project overseas supported by a local Church where that seems appropraite.
3. Community Development Project Administration
Christians Abroad are happy to consider approaches from UK Churches, UK Christian organisations and regulated networks of UK Christians with regard to:
- UK administrative support of Christian community projects abroad.
- Assistance with Christian community development project cycle of:
- Project concept surveys & feasibility studies;
- Project formulation and implemention;
- Project monitoring and evaluation.
Please contact projects@cabroad.org.uk if you would like to start the conversation.
Community Development Project Donations
Christians Abroad greatly appreciates donations to individual projects to which we provide administrative support.
As Christians Abroad is a registered Charity in England & Wales, donations can be gift aided.
For donations, please please use the following secure Link that will take you to all Christians Abroad fundraising projects when you click on 'Give'. Please note that there is a Gift Aid option.
Christians Abroad | Stewardship
Please then send an email to finance@cabroad.org.uk notifying Christians Abroad of the donation made.
Another alternative is by bank transfer. Please contact finance@cabroad.org.uk for details.
Please note that a certain percentage of all Gift Aid from all donations goes to the Christians Abroad General Fund to help support Charity running costs. Currently, half of the Gift Aid recovered goes to the Christians Abroad General Fund, the other half is allocated to the Giver's preferred fund. Please contact finance@cabroad.org.uk to find out more.
Bank Transfer Country Project References
Nepal
Children's Home Project = Ref Nepal Home
Women's Sewing/Tailoring Project = Ref Nepal Women
Destitute Street Children Project = Ref Nepal Street
Fundraising can also be through this secure link:
Jennifer's Nepal Fund | Stewardship
Kenya
Hand of Hope Project = Ref Hand of Hope
Fundraising can also be through this secure link:
Hand of Hope, Kenya - Refugee Micro Loan Project | Stewardship
Holy Land
Bethlehem Church Relief Project = Ref Bethlehem
Fundraising can also be through this secure link:
Palestinian Church Relief Project | Stewardship
South Africa
The Gathering Project = Ref Finnies Project
CAB General Fund
Christians Abroad General Fund = Ref CAB General
Fundraising can also be through this secure link:
Christians Abroad | Stewardship