Description

Supporting and educating a nation's under-privileged children is one of the most significant ways a volunteer can assist a society with their development, along with making the futures of a few select children brighter. By working with the children of poor families at the Youth House, you will certainly assist the community as a whole, along with knowing that your time and effort has gone to making a brighter future for the children you worked with.

Volunteering in Vietnam - A Day in the Life

As a result of extreme poverty, the families of Hanoi's slums are unable to pay the minimal fees needed for studying in public schools. Therefore families are forced to keep their children home or make them turn to begging and collecting garbage to help with income generation. The Youth House gives the children a safe environment to learn, eat and play. Volunteers in this project work with children in teaching English and other skills, to improve their well being and give them the promise of a brighter future.

Funding for this project (which comes from your project fee) is limited. For this reason, volunteers are truly needed to keep the project up and running and the children off the streets. Volunteers in this project assist with all areas of the operation of the Youth House, including the tasks of teaching, cleaning and cooking at the Youth House. Volunteers are able to change roles throughout their project, if they choose. Cleaning and cooking may not sound like glamorous jobs, but necessary to the operation of the Youth House and important to the lives of the children that attend.

Making a Difference by Volunteering in Vietnam

Vietnam's economy is growing and Hanoi is seeing more and more tourists and foreign visitors. Helping with giving children the gift of a foreign language and ability to connect with westerners will give the children of the poorest families in Hanoi the opportunity to pull themselves and their families out of poverty with the outlook of a brighter future.

Volunteers are broken up into different tasks, but all volunteers will have plenty of time to interact with the children, whether it be in an educational way, or just playing and giving them well-needed attention.

Highlights

If ever a country deserved a helping hand it is Vietnam. Blighted by a turbulent and tragic past, this Southeast Asian gem is fast on the road to recovery and our Vietnam volunteers are doing their best. Every year hundreds of volunteers join our projects in schools, hospitals, monasteries and orphanages across Hanoi, Vietnam, making a real and lasting difference to the lives of the country's most disadvantaged people.

Vietnam's breathtaking scenery, rich culture, incredible food and welcoming people are no secret. Millions of tourists flock here each year. However, volunteering in Vietnam provides a completely different take on how life here really works. Volunteers eat, sleep and work amongst Vietnamese nationals, in local projects designed help the most under-privileged in society. And while some of our projects can be challenging, the positive impact our volunteers make is something that stays with them for the rest of their lives. Many return year after year.

Our Vietnam volunteer projects offer a variety of options to the conscientious traveller who wants to take their Vietnam experience to the next level. All the projects have been in operation for years, and have enjoyed the benefit of hundreds of Vietnamese and foreign volunteers from around the world.

All of our Vietnam volunteer projects are focused on working for and with children. Projects range from working with sick kids in hospitals, looking after children in Buddhist temples, to providing much needed non-formal education to Hanoi's disadvantaged youth. Volunteers will be provided with full orientation and assistance throughout the project.

Vietnam is fast emerging from a turbulent past and there is a very real sense that now is the time there is now a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a better future its people. Participating in one of our Vietnam volunteer projects is the perfect way to play your part.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

Starts at a minimum of USD 350 for one week

Program Fees Include:

Participation in the Youth House Volunteer Project starts at a minimum of USD 350 for one week. Additional weeks in the project are USD 120 per week.

FEE INCLUDES: Airport pick up, shared accommodation during orientation and entire project time, all meals, 1 day orientation, onsite coordinator, cultural exchange activities with many international and Vietnamese volunteers, 24 hour emergency assistance and written record of service completion.
FEE DOES NOT INCLUDE: Plane tickets, travel insurance, cost of criminal police background check required for this project, cost of transportation to and from the hospital and accommodation (roughly USD 5 per day), ride to the airport after service, e-mail and telephone calls.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

An individual who loves to travel, wants to learn more about Vietnam and assist Asia in it's development.

Age Range

18 and up

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Independent living

Participants Travel

in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Typically The Application Process Time is

2 days

Post Services Include

• Exit Debriefing Abroad

Friends For Asia's Mission Statement

The mission of Friends For Asia is twofold. We offer an opportunity for people to contribute, in a meaningful way, to the improvement of standards of living by building capacity in our host agencies and we provide committed volunteers to work on projects developed with host agencies that benefit the people of Thailand.

Year Founded

2008