Volunteer FAQs
These questions and answers have been written by previous participants in Tzedek’s overseas volunteer programme, and by members of the VPT. Neither the questions nor the answers are exhaustive. We encourage you to contact us if you require more information about the programme, and we will continue to expand the FAQ section to deal with further questions we receive.
Q. What is included in the programme?
The overseas volunteer programme includes a 2 month long placement in Ghana or India (which is discussed in greater detail below) and a 10 month UK volunteering component. The 10 month component will comprise a series of options, which will be confirmed at your action day on return to the UK in September 2010. On return to the UK, Tzedek's UK based Volunteer Coordinator will work with you to ensure your UK volunteering fits around your other day-to-day activities (university, work, etc).
Q. Should I apply to go to Ghana or India?
This year, Tzedek is returning to India after a 3 year absence. The same structures will be in place for volunteers' arrivals in country, but as a new placement option, we are keen to recruit volunteers who are willing to work independantly and in a pro-active way to make the most of their time. You will be able to indicate your first and second choice of country, but Tzedek will make the final allocations.
Q. How do Jewish values accord with development in poor countries?
Tzedek is a UK-based Jewish charity working towards the relief of poverty in some of the poorest countries in the world. The overseas volunteer programme is one way in which Jewish people can be involved in this challenging work. For up to eight weeks, you will work at a grass-roots level with organisations playing a role in the development of its society. You will feel the ups and downs, the successes and disappointments, the passion and wisdom of a host organisation working for the improvement of their community.
Tzedaka, the Jewish act of assisting the needy, is often considered the characteristic hallmark of Jewish life. The most noble and rewarding type of tzedaka is where one helps another person to get back on their own feet, facilitating their own growth. Similarly the current trend in the international development and aid movements is to provide resources and confidence for communities and countries to develop themselves. The Overseas Volunteer Team was created seven years ago in response to requests from young Jewish people for such a scheme. Their Jewish faith and tradition made them want to be involved in this exciting work. Through this programme they have found a way to use their Jewish identity to assist others in the world. They saw the challenge. They noted the difficulties ahead, but recognised the importance of their work. You are invited to apply to join them.
Q. What work will I be doing?
Most of the projects we support are small organisations with predominantly local staff, working with local people to achieve specific goals, ranging from health promotion to self-help training. Examples of the work that past volunteers have been involved in includes: teaching in a village schools; supporting summer school programmes; devising educational sessions for street children; preparing funding proposals for an educational centre; collecting and collating information for research proposals; helping in the development of a women’s micro-credit scheme.
The possibilities for work depend on the skills you have, the experience you woudl like to gain, and the work taking place with our partner NGOs at the time of volunteering. We can put you in touch with past volunteers to find out more about what they did.
Q. What sort of organisations will I be working for?
They can range from small community groups to large non-governmental organisations. Sometimes an ongoing project exists which needs some additional help and Tzedek volunteers may fill that gap. More often the host organisation has little or no experience of foreign volunteers and will initally be unsure of what they can expect the volunteer to undertake. Similarly, the volunteer may not have a clear idea of what their placement involves, but will be expected to learn about their host organisation, its activities and staff and find something useful to do.
Volunteers will also be encouraged to engage with their own group of children, who they meet with regularly to teach English and help with homework. You will find out more about this at the orientation seminar before the programme.
Q. What is my role as a volunteer?
Your role is to identify and negotiate a role for yourself. You will need to engage with the host organisation; to be proactive in looking for opportunities for useful work, often where none may have been indicated, whilst actively respecting the local culture and working arrangements of the host organisation. Your role will be a learning one, and you should not envisage making great changes to the way things currently run.
Q. How are placements allocated?
Once you have received your in-country orientation from your coordinator, you will be introduced to your host organisation. Your coordinator will do his/her best to match your knowledge, skills and experience to organisations who need support in those areas. However, it is important to be open-minded and flexible. Generic or transferable skills, combined with good listening and communication skills and basic organisational competence can count for a lot. Whilst there are opportunities to work directly with the projects’ target populations, most volunteers can also expect to work with the organisations’ staff teams.
Q. What kind of people apply for the programme?
Most volunteers are students, have just finished university or are on a career-break, and are aged between 20-30, although we accept applications from people of 19 years old and over. Past volunteers have told us that you need to be open-minded, independent, good-humoured, self-motivated, enthusiastic, able to work in a team, patient and have a good sense of individual and group responsibility. Previous experience of paid and voluntary work, living away from home and independent travel are all important.
Volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds with different levels of religious observance. As a group, and in the interests of the communities we seek to serve while on placement, it is imperative that your differences do not create divisions or have any adverse effect on your experience and voluntary work. You must be able to respect, accept and work with the different levels of religious observance within your group. An important way of dealing with this will be through open discussion and communication before you leave for your location, including preparation beforehand of any items that you or the group might need for Jewish practice and activities.
Q. How have past volunteers spent their time during and after the placement?
The evenings are an important time to share the day's experiences with others in the group. They can also afford an opportunity to learn more about overseas development and Judaism. As last year, volunteers will complete a short Torah L'Am course during orientation, with weekly sessions taking place whilst in Ghana/India. But the evenings are not all about work and study! They can be shared with your hosts and group members, enjoying the local culture, cuisine and recreational activities. Past groups have also invited host organisations to share in making havdalah. After the working weeks, take as much time as you want to travel around the country, as there is much to see in both countries.
Q. Where will I be living?
Tzedek will arrange accommodation prior to your departure from the UK. More information will be available during your orientation.
Q. What opportunities will there be to meet with the Jewish community or attend synagogue?
There is no Jewish community in Tamale. However, volunteers have often made Shabbat with the group and the group is encouraged to study Jewish texts on development issues. Most volunteer groups have found that there has been a lot of informal talks amongst the group about how their experiences abroad relate to their Judaism.
There is a very small Jewish community in Kolkata, and past volunteers have made contact with the community. We hope to rediscover this community and renew contact in the coming months.
Q. Will I be able to keep Kosher while I’m away?
We have had a number of strictly Kosher people sucessfully complete the Tzedek programme in the past. Although it is not possible to obtain food under Rabbinic supervision, food that is vegetarian and/or prepared under your own supervision will always be available. Volunteers may, of course, bring non-perishable food with them, and you can buy cheap utensils very easily.
Q. Will I be able to keep Shabbat and maintain my current level of religious observance while I’m away?
It will be possible for all volunteers to observe Shabbat according to the level of halachic practice that they ordinarily keep. The same is true of any festivals and fast days (such as Tisha b’Av) that might fall during the volunteer period.
Volunteers will not be expected to engage in any activities that make them compromise their religious standards. Most locations will require a degree of conservative or modest dress, especially for women. In other situations, it will be possible for you to dress as you wish. In terms of accommodation, appropriate single sex sleeping arrangements can be made. There may, however, be some situations where this is not always possible – sensitivity and discretion will be needed.
Before you apply you should consider the expectations you have in terms of Jewish observance and how you might cope in locations and situations far removed from the religious customs and traditions that we are all used to. What challenges do you think this might pose? How might they be addressed? What advantages are there to be gained through experiencing a new culture and possibly having to deal, on a very new level, with your own religious values and background? If in doubt please contact the office for an informal chat.
Q. What support can I expect from Tzedek before and during the programme?
There is an orientation pack which is sent out once you have been accepted onto the programme which addresses practical questions such as accommodation, visas and flights and provides some introductory material on Ghana and development. There is an orientation weekend which is compulsory, usually immediately prior to departure. This is a chance to meet the other participants on your programme, past volunteers and members of Tzedek’s VPT. Volunteers will learn more about the programme and participate in sessions which will equip them for their overseas placements. It will consider various aspects of living in each host country, and provide opportunities to find out about the experiences of former volunteers. There are different activities and lectures lead by various development experts.
Once you arrive in your location, there will be a programme coordinator, who will be a useful contact in country. This coordinator will have good knowledge of the area and will be a source of support. However, the coordinator is also a volunteer and it will be up to you as a group to decide your plans yourselves. Compared to typical gap year programmes or 'Israel tours', Tzedek requires that you accept more responsibility for yourself and the group and that you do this with relatively little support.
Q. What health advice can you give me?
Your GP or travel clinic will be able to give you full details of health precautions appropriate to your trip and you are strongly advised to contact them as early as possible. State that you may be travelling to both urban and rural areas, and that you will be a volunteer and so may be more at risk than travellers. You will be given more information in the orientation pack.
Q. What are the travel arrangements?
The programme for 2010 will run in July and August. You will be expected to book your own flight. Past volunteers have approached student services like STA or local travel agencies. It helps if selected candidates consider booking together - Tzedek will circulate contact details for all group members after places have been confirmed on the programme. You will require a TOURIST visa, and this is sufficient for the two month programme. Further details about tourist visas can be obtained from your local embassy – check www.fco.gov.uk for more details. More information will be given in the orientation pack.
Q. What can I expect to get out of the programme and what is expected of me?
Have in mind that you may well be the one who gains the most. You will gain new insights into yourself, new knowledge about the world, new skills and hopefully some new local vocabulary! The current philosophy of aid organisations is one of helping others to help themselves - sustainable development. Volunteering is far from a patronising relationship. It involves sharing and discussing rather than enforcing and telling. The good work Tzedek volunteers have done in the past has been achieved in this way.
Q. What is the Programme Coordinator's role?
Whilst the overseas programme is very much an independent initiative, Tzedek are aware that Tzedek will need support in country from somebody who knows the area, the culture, and is aware of challenges that volunteers might face in country.
Q. What happens after the programme?
The programme is a year long programme, with the first two months in Ghana, and then the remaining ten months in the UK. Returning volunteers will get involved with one of Tzedek's five programmes (Education & Campaigns, OPT, VPT, Events & Fundraising, PR & Comms) for a minimum of 20 hours. You will be given a series of options to choose from before you leave for Ghana, addressing your skills, experience and interests. More information about your the options will be given during your action day in September, which we expect everyone to attend.
Tzedek's Volunteer Coordinator will assist you in your options, and enable you to fit your Tzedek commitments around other commitments you may have.
If you are thinking of applying download an application form and volunteer agreement. You are strongly advised to speak to a previous Tzedek volunteer about their experiences and research the country you are interested in spending time in. If you call the Tzedek office, you will be put in touch with a past volunteer who will be pleased to speak to you. Any questions, please phone the Tzedek office or email volunteers@tzedek.org.uk.
