UK volunteers abroad to receive grants
13th October 2010
David Cameron has pledged grants to young Britons to fund volunteer work overseas. The Prime Minister has announced a £10 million pilot scheme for UK volunteers to help some of the poorest communities in the world, in a system likened to the US Peace Corps.
Announced at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, the International Citizen Service (ICS) will be means-tested to attract a diverse group of men and women, mainly aged 18 to 22. In its launch year, places will go to 1,000 young volunteers and 250 others, with taxpayer’s money financing 3 month stints in the developing world.
Projects will include HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa, orphanage volunteering in Haiti and conservation work in Bangladesh, with the government set to identify a range of partner charities before the initiative is launched.
Mr Cameron presented the plan as an extension of the National Citizen Service, already announced to support youth volunteering in the UK. According to Cameron this international scheme will be an opportunity “to give thousands of our young people, those who couldn’t otherwise afford it, the chance to see the world and serve others.”
People towards the end of their careers will also be able to take part, sharing their skills on short trips or for two-year periods as mentors. Volunteers will be encouraged to share their experiences when they return to spread the positive message of volunteering.
Having suffered indirectly from media criticism of gap year travel and a government drive for UK-based volunteer work, overseas volunteering organisations are pleased to receive the Prime Minister’s support.
Matthew Snell, chairman of the British Volunteer Agencies Liaison Group, said “We are pleased the coalition government recognises the value of people from different cultures and backgrounds working together.”
Visit our volunteer work page to find out about what you can do to help underprivileged communities overseas. Alternatively, visit our destinations page to see which countries we operate in and where you can volunteer abroad.
