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• You are here: Home | Why AV | Green and Friendly

Green and Friendly - Africa and Asia Venture

Green and Friendly

Our thoughts on People & Responsible Travel

PEOPLE

Global Citizenship in a Nutshell

Through the positive contribution and commitment of AV volunteers to our environmental, conservation and educational projects in rural communities, we aim to promote and encourage youth education, friendship and understanding in the developing world. We also believe that the only real way to learn and understand - and help protect - the different cultures of these people is to live among them for a meaningful period.

Commitment to Education

Everybody gains through the cultural exchange of an AV experience. The commitment of our volunteers to their project work allows a unique and rare insight into the culture and customs of very special tribes and peoples, many of which depend on developing good English language skills for their survival. Schools also benefit from the stimulus of a broader syllabus that AV volunteers are able to cover - which includes art, drama, PE and music - none of which would otherwise be taught.

"AVs have been an enormous help in creating and improving HIV and AIDS awareness among our children, enabling them to interact with people of different cultures." - Headmistress Roseve School, Kenya

Commitment to Youth Development

We have spent many years building the supportive relationships that exist between the schools we work with and ourselves. This support is further enhanced through the donations made to schools and projects by our volunteers. Each volunteer's donation is spent wherever he or she feels the money will be of most benefit.

Direct Sponsorship for Children - The AV Foundation

Our charitable arm, the AV Foundation (Charity No 1069099), founded in 1998, has provided over £240,000 of bursaries for the education fees of African, Indian and Nepalese children over the past 13 years. Currently, The AV Foundation supports the education of 60 children annually.

These children would otherwise not have access to a basic education - an entitlement to which we believe every child has a right. We try to share the funding between as many schools as possible although, sadly, our pot of gold does have a bottom.

"AVs have been a big resource to our school for years .... they have really helped in the support of the children and our development plans." - Headmaster Busesa Primary School, Uganda

A World of Understanding

Every AV volunteer will participate in an orientation course as soon as he or she arrives in-country, before project work or teaching begins. This time is specifically designed to introducing volunteers to the intricate and often delicate customs and cultural differences that exist between our volunteers and their hosts. Thus, we ask local people to come and explain all his themselves. Between us, we cover dress codes, greetings, conduct and the responsibilities of visitors to a new land, teaching techniques, lesson practice, project preparations, as appropriate, language skills, safety, security and health matters. This foundation provides our volunteers with the confidence of knowing that they have had the best possible preparation for and introduction to the adventures that lie ahead of them.

"I already know all of my 30 pupils by name. The grassy sports field is full of life every afternoon. The locals love us for teaching their kids .... and I absolutely love it here!" - Harry Maitland, Nkwarungo Primary School, Tanzania

Long term Improvement and support

Many of the schools and villages we work with have buildings in need of improvement and repair. The AV foundation is able to provide for these projects and we source local labour, wherever possible, as part of our effort to help support local economies. We also provide aid for projects chosen and managed by the communities themselves.

 

RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL

Volunteers Code of Conduct

All volunteers are allocated to a member from our Volunteer Support Team to provide all pre-departure information and country specific details, helping them to be fully briefed, culturally aware and to understand their responsibilities as a volunteer prior to their departure.

All volunteers joining our 3-5 month projects are interviewed prior to being offered a place on the scheme.

During the interview we provide them with clear guidelines on AV's values and how we expect them to behave whilst on an AV project in a host community.

All projects commence with a comprehensive in-country induction course run by our local AV representatives to cover culture, customs, teaching techniques and lesson practice where necessary, basic local language phrases, health, safety and security issues.

Volunteers are encouraged to respect and show sensitivity to the local community and environment in which they will live.

Environmental responsibility

In-country:

• Volunteers are advised during their in-country induction course to be environmentally aware and to keep water and electricity consumption to a minimum.
• We use local representatives for all of our projects to avoid unnecessary flights for staff from the UK.
• Where possible we organise group travel for the volunteers to avoid using individual modes of transport, thus benefiting the environment and the safety of the volunteers.
• We promote and are proactive in the preservation of flora and fauna through our Community & Conservation projects. These tasks can include wildlife protection, reforestation, light manual labour and improving the infrastructure. 

UK:

• In our head office in the UK we try to be as energy efficient as possible by re-using or recycling our waste paper and printer toner cartridges.
• We use energy efficient light bulbs throughout the office, and try to reduce electrical consumption as far as possible.
• Staff lift share when possible.
• All documentation is sent to volunteers electronically; we only mail things if so requested by our clients.
• We offer limited printed promotional material to reduce paper waste.

Social responsibility

Pre-departure information and in-country induction courses inform volunteers about local customs and cultures, encouraging greater understanding, sensitivity and respect and promoting positive and responsible behaviour. Our in-country project induction course also covers social and political situations of their host country.

We promote cultural exchange by accommodating all volunteers within communities.

By employing local representatives we can help improve the cultural divide between volunteers from developed countries and their host country, and benefiting the overall experience for our volunteers.

The main objective of our teaching projects is to teach English in rural schools to improve pupils' opportunities in the future. Volunteers also run extramural activities such as sport, music, drama and art, thereby encouraging diversity, inspiring pupils and promoting cultural exchange.

Community & Conservation project volunteers work alongside skilled locals on projects beneficial to the local community/school.

The AV Foundation is a charitable arm of AV and its core objective is to boost the quality of school education in the communities served by AV volunteers. As AV absorbs all the Foundation's overheads, it has no administrative expenses. This ensures that every penny donated goes directly into the rural projects that we support including providing new or refurbished buildings for school classrooms, libraries, washrooms and kitchens, supplying books, teaching materials and sports equipment, financing teachers' costs and training expenses, and financing pupil subsidy schemes or bursaries to cover school fees, transport costs and other education-related expenses.

Economic responsibility

Communities are paid to host volunteers and in total an average of 55% of AV's revenue is spent in-country. This includes paying local communities for accommodation and food or giving volunteers an allowance to buy food locally.

With volunteers living within a community they will be purchasing local goods and services.

We employ local people as in-country staff, to support all our projects providing employment and an income for families.

AV prefers to use locally owned facilities for induction courses, and recommends local services for safaris and adventure activities.

 

 

If you need some help and want to talk about your plans to volunteer, please Get in touch