Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers have been written by previous participants in Tzedek’s overseas volunteer programme. 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.

How do Jewish values accord with development in poor countries?

What work will I be doing?

What sort of organisations will I be working for?

What is my role as a volunteer?

How are placements allocated?

What kind of people apply for the programme?

How have past volunteers spent their time during and after the programme?

Where will I be living?

What opportunities will there be to meet with the Jewish community or attend synagogue?

Will I be able to keep kosher while I am away?

Will I be able to keep Shabbat and maintain my current level of religious observance while I am away?

What support can I expect from Tzedek before and during the programme?

Who is the coordinator and what is his/her role?

What health advice can you give me?

What are the travel arrangements?

What can I expect to get out of the programme and what is expected of me?

How much does the programme cost?

Are there any sources of funds I can approach for support?

What happens after the programme?

Where can I find out more about the programme locations?

I am really interested, what next?

How do Jewish values accord with development in poor countries?

Tzedek is a UK-based Jewish charity working towards the relief of poverty in 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 betterment of their community. You will share in the celebration of success and have the opportunity to make an impact on the organisation and community you work with. You will be part of a group of Jewish people predominantly from the UK, but the programmes have reached applicants from regions as diverse as Israel, USA, Canada, France, Germany and Australia.

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 Programme 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.

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What work will I be doing?

Many of the projects we support are small organisations with a 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 include: teaching in a squatter camp or special needs school; devising educational programmes for street children; preparing funding proposals for an educational centre; carrying out support tasks in a healthcare clinic; and helping in the development of a women’s micro-credit scheme. You can find more details by clicking on the country-specific links to the right.

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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 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.

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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.

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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 organizational 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.

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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, though we accept applications from people of 19 and above. 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.

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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 - past groups have collated educational materials on various topics and undertaken educational activities. 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. After the working weeks, take as much time as you want to travel around the country. India, Ghana and Kenya are tourist destinations that boast a wealth of rich historical, scenic and zoological treasures – see the country pages for more details and contact former volunteers to find out what they did.

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Where will I be living?

The local coordinator will arrange friendly safe accommodation, either in lower budget hostels, a rented apartment or house or with the host organisations.

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What opportunities will there be to meet with the Jewish community or attend synagogue?

Both Nairobi and Calcutta have small Jewish communities with beautifully maintained synagogues. They are always happy to meet visitors and Shabbat hospitality is always possible. The communities have no real involvement in Tzedek's work, although we would like to develop closer ties with them.

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Will I be able to keep kosher while I’m away?

In most locations it is not possible to obtain food under Rabbinic supervision. However, food that is strictly vegetarian and/or prepared under your own supervision will almost always be available. Volunteers may, of course, bring non-perishable food with them, and you can buy cheap utensils very easily and these can be left with your hosts

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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 at most locations. 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?

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What support can I expect from Tzedek before and during the programme?

Orientation is arranged for all newly accepted volunteers, where you can meet the other participants on your programme, past volunteers and members of Tzedek’s VPG. Volunteers will learn more about the programme and equip them for their overseas placements. It will consider various aspects of living in each host country, address practical questions such as accommodation, visas and flights and provide opportunities to find out about the experiences of former volunteers.

We also ask volunteers accepted onto the programme to attend Tzedek’s AGM in order to learn more about the charity’s overall aims and introduce them to the Tzedek community. This will help to prepare volunteers to represent Tzedek overseas, since they will more easily identify with its aims and with the many individuals without whom the organisation could not function.

Once you arrive in your location, your coordinator (who is usually a past volunteer) will give a local orientation. The coordinator will remain as your contact with Tzedek whilst overseas. However it will be up to you as a group to decide your plans yourselves. Compared to typical gap year programmes or 'Israel tours', the Tzedek's Overseas Volunteer Programme requires that you accept more responsibility for yourself and the group and that you do this with relatively little support.

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Who is the coordinator and what is his/her role?

The coordinator is usually a past volunteer. They are not agents or employees of Tzedek. They may not have worked in the country they are coordinating in, but they will have gone out to the volunteer location two weeks before you to finalise placements and accommodation.

Their role is to facilitate the placement – to prepare the host NGOs in advance and to prepare you when you arrive; to liaise between you and the host NGO; to mediate in any conflict that may arise; to gather feedback from all parties and to report back to Tzedek’s VPG and Trustees.

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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 travelers.

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What are the travel arrangements?

The programme for 2008 will run in July and August, with the exact dates to be confirmed. 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 - it is complicated to arrange work or volunteer visas and these should not be requested. Further details about tourist visas can be obtained from your local embassy – check www.fco.gov.uk for more details.

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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.

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How much does the programme cost?

You do not need to pay any money to Tzedek! The flight alone can cost over 600 GBP, especially if booked late. Accounting for the main costs of accommodation and food mean that most volunteers find that up to 1,500 GBP will cover the basic costs, though if you plan to travel afterwards you may need more, and some locations are more expensive than others. Budgets are discussed in detail at the orientation. Inflation and fluctuating exchange rates for weaker local currencies means these figures cannot be absolutely accurate, so check the rates before departure.

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Are there any sources of funds I can approach for support?

All Tzedek volunteers are self-funding. It is up to you to find the necessary money for the programme. Tzedek's fund raising work is targeted directly at small-scale sustainable development projects. However we are happy to provide written confirmation of your participation in the programme and previous volunteers have been successful with approaches to their synagogue, old schools, or current universities which often have funds for such purposes.

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What happens after the programme?

Returning volunteers are expected to get involved with Tzedek's many activities (education, funding overseas projects, the volunteer programme, events and fundraising, PR and communications). Maybe you could contribute to the Tzedek newsletter, liaise with an NGO in receipt of Tzedek funding or become a coordinator for next year's programme... there are many ways to stay involved with Tzedek when you return home and we will be happy to discuss them with you. Each volunteer and host organisation completes an evaluation which Tzedek will use to refine the following year's programme.

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Where can I find out more about the programme locations?

More detailed information about programme locations can be found in travel guide books such as those by Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. It is also worth looking at internet resources (for example, www.lonelyplanet.com, www.roughguides.com) You will find out more at the orientations and from your co-ordinator.

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I am really interested...what next?

If you are thinking of applying you are strongly advised to download an application pack and speak to a previous Tzedek volunteer about their experiences and read the experiences on the country specific pages on this website. Please check the deadline for applications on the how to apply page.

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