Long-Term-Volunteering (LTV)
In a long-term assignment, you as a volunteer will make a large contribution to a charitable project in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europa, North America.
You will immerse yourself in a different culture and acquire new skills that will enrich you personally and that will also help you when you return to Switzerland.
The duration is 1 – 12 months. From 18 years old.
Your contact person
Loretta Scherler
Communication & projects, program manager LTV
CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
- Age: 18 to 99 years
- A high level of motivation and initiative, yet certain prior knowledge or skills or professional qualifications are generally not required
- The attending of a preparatory meeting in Switzerland
- Sufficient language skills to be able to communicate in the project country
- The composition of a report on your engagement on returning
- Willingness to share your experiences with SCI Switzerland after your return (presentation at a seminar or meeting, article, video, etc.)
Where do you want to go?
Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand
Great Britain, Russia, Spain, Turkey
Ecuador
El Salvador
USA
COSTS
- Long-term participation fee: CHF 340.-
- Pre-departure Training participation fee: CHF 60.-
- There is a reduction of CHF 30 for those with no or little income.
- Travel expenses (you yourself will have to organize your trip).
- For visa, vaccination, etc.
- In some projects there are additional costs on site. These are noted in the search engine under the respective project.
Scholarship for young people with vocational training
Do you have a vocational training and are you under 25 years of age? Then you can apply for a scholarship!
The scholarship of the “Weltweit engagiert” programme covers 50% of the total costs.
Why pay for volunteering?
SCI Switzerland is a non-profit organization. In order to organize and arrange volunteer assignments, as well as for the preparation and follow-up of the volunteers and the camp coordinators, we depend on participation fees. In contrast to tourism-oriented arrangements, we are organized as an association and are committed to volunteering, local charitable projects, etc.
SCI SWITZERLAND AND ITS PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS OFFER:
- Food and lodging on sitea moderate allowance (depending on the location)
- Supervision by SCI Switzerland before departure, during the assignment and on returning
- Invitation letter for visas, if needed
- Preparation and evaluation of the assignment
- One-year membership in SCI Switzerland (incl. SCI newsletter, reduction of seminar fees, etc.)
REGISTRATION
If you are interested in a long-term engagement, please contact us well in advance. Depending on the country of destination: 2 to 6 months before departure; in case of short notice, registrations are not possible.
STEPS TO LONG-TERM ENGAGEMENT:
- Check that you meet the requirements.
- Find your long-term assignment on the long-term assignments database. All long-term assignments are listed on this international database. There are also some projects in Cambodia listed here.
- Contact Loretta Scherler for an interview (loretta.scherler@scich.org) and for the application form.
- Attend our preparation seminar before your placement (participation is compulsory for long-term placements in the Global South -Africa, Asia and Latin America-).
- For a definite registration, fill out the application form which will be sent to the project partner and pay the placement fee for long-term assignments to SCI Switzerland (CHF 340).
- As soon as you have been accepted into the project, you can start planning and booking your trip. Please also inform yourself about the entry requirements (incl. visa) and possible vaccinations. We will assist you throughout the entire process.
- Your registration is binding. Cancellation fees apply (60% up to three weeks before departure, 80% of the placement fee thereafter).
- After your return from the long-term placement, you will have an individual evaluation interview. In addition, you can share your experiences with us by writing an article for our members’ magazine and/or participating in a preparation seminar or a public event as a “returnee” and thus passing on your experiences.
Do you have any questions? Contact Loretta Scherler for all questions regarding long-term assignments.
The Power Behind Good Intentions [Toolkit]
European volunteers often -consciously or subconsciously- have colonial mindsets Many Europeans have good intentions when wanting to participate in volunteering projects in the Global South. They are eager to “help” where they can, they want to get to know “other” cultures and live a different kind of life than the one they are used to. Europeans usually don’t know that these motivations are rooted in centuries of colonial exploitation and oppression of societies and cultures outside of Europe.