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Safety, Security, Insurance

Inter Health
Inter Health offers professional advice and a range of medical supplies at discounted rates for volunteers.

Foreign & Commonwealth Office - Know Before You Go
Tons of essential travel advice.

AMREF
AMREF aims to close the gap that prevents people from accessing their basic right to health.

The Flying Doctors Society of Africa e-pax - The only antibiotic travel pack
They provide medical air rescue for all AVs throughout East Africa. 

e-pax
Health & Safety - The only Antibiotic Travel Pack

 

Green, Ethical


Tusk

TUSK has been supporting wildlife conservation, communities, and environmental education in Africa since 1990.

Endangered Wildlife Trust

AV work in partnership with the Endangered WIldlife Trust in Costa Rica to protect the critically endangered Leatherback turtles nesting on the Pacuare Nature Reserve.

Rainforest Concern

AV works in partnership with Rainforest Concern in Ecuador and Costa Rica. The charity was established to protect threatened natural habitats and the biodiversity they contain, together with the indigenous people who still depend on them for survival.

The Royal Geographic Society
Established in 1830 to promote 'the advancement of geographical science', today it is a dynamic world centre for geographical learning - supporting research, education, expeditions and fieldwork, as well as promoting public engagement and informed enjoyment of our world.

 

Old AVs & their Projects


African PromiseAfrican Promise
Charles Coldman was in Kenya with AV in 2003. He set up his charity, African Promise, whilst at Exeter University to rebuild the primary school in the village he lived in whilst on AV. He has now decided to develop the initiative into a long-term venture with the vision of advancing education in Kenyan primary schools.

Build up St Anthony's MalawiBuild Up St Anthony's Malawi
Vicky Bayliss travelled with AV to Malawi in May 2003. Since then she has spent much effort in raising funds for the school she taught at there – St Anthony’s. The money is used to rebuild classrooms and facilities and to provide materials.

Chikupira FoundationChikupira Foundation
Tim Hughes came with AV to Malawi in 2007! He has established a foundation to support the Chikupira Model School he taught in and has plans to rebuild and re-stock much of it – many of his plans are beginning to take effect.

Dave Cornthwaite

Expedition 1000British adventurer Dave Cornthwaite's globetrotting ideals began during a gap year with Africa & Asia Venture in East Africa. It was his first in a long-series of adventures, which he calls Expedition1000. Dave aims to complete twenty-five journeys of 1000 miles or more, each using a different form of non-motorised transport. 

Dave is always searching for volunteers to join his team, possibly a perfect project for AV's searching for something else to fill their gap year. Budding photographers, filmmakers, marketeers or media students could spend weeks or months following Dave through some of the world's most beautiful areas, gaining skills and experience with unique and often world record breaking expeditions.

To find out more about Dave's journeys, and to help him fundraise for the AV Foundation, visit http://www.davecornthwaite.com for more

Elimu Foundation
Elimu Foundation Jo Dwyer returned from her Kenya volunteer placement in 2004 and set up a link between her Kenyan school, Kipriria Academy, and the Priory School in Orpington, Kent, caling it 'Kipriory'. More recently Jo has created Elimu Foundation to work with and to create wider educational opportunities for schools, and ultimately, to respond to the things we can. 

GAFFER
Ben Ramsbottom was at Kasigau, in Kenya, with AV in 2001. He set up GAFFERGAFFER (Goalposts And Footballs For East-Africa Region) on return to UK. GAFFER's aim is simple - It helps to provide simple but effective and sustainable solutions to the problem of limited sports' facilities in rural Africa. In addition it utilises the contact with the local communities to provide comprehensive Health Education in the face of the HIV epidemic and malaria crisis.

Inspire MalawiInspire Malawi
In 2003 Michelle Rowe volunteered with AV in Malawi. Since then Michelle has set up Inspire Malawi. Inspire Malawi supports teachers and schools in the most isolated of villages in both Dedza and Ntcheu District. Overcrowding is a problem across the country in rural schools with class sizes often exceeding 100 pupils. With little, if any, money available for maintenance, these schools can quickly fall into severe states of disrepair.  

Likweni Primary ChallengeLikwenu Primary School Challenge
Lucy Jones wen to Malawi with AV in 2005 and taught at Likwenu Primary school. Since returning to UK, she has challenged herself to raise funds for rebuilding the school and sending pupils from it on to secondary education.

LivLife
Max Griffiths went with AV to Tanzania in 2001. (Some of the brilliant video LivLifefootage he took can be seen on our website now!)  Max returned to UK determined to do something for the people he had left behind and ‘LivLife’ is the result – working together with local communities, listening to their needs, and developing projects alongside them, as partners.

Peter Gate & the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund

Peter Gate, who was an AV volunteer in 2003, set up the Ugandan Rural Schools  Initiative (URSI) to raise money for building classroom blocks, dormitories and staff houses in rural schools in South East Uganda. In 2006 he was named the Clydsdale Bank Young Person of the Year for his work.

In 2009 the URSI merged with the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund. The fund was set up in memory of Henry, who tragically died in a road accident just before he was due to join AV as a volunteer at Bupadhengo in 2003. As a result of improved facilities Bupadhengo Primary is now achieving some of the best exam results in the Kamuli district. The fund has expanded and now helps 21 schools and over 16,000 children in South East Uganda.

The Saramek Trust

Will Tudor-Evans and Ollie Webb The Saramek Trustwent with AV to Kenya in 2005. The Saramek Trust is named after the Primary School in which they taught, where seeing how lack of money stopped so many gifted students going on to secondary school they gained the inspiration to set up a trust to help them. The Trust sponsors children with a good academic record whose families cannot afford to send them to secondary school. It also ensures that the child has enough money for books, uniform, pocket money, lodging and anything else deemed necessary to support their education. To Trust is currently sponsoring 3 children and is looking to sponsor a fourth.

St Anthony's Nursery School
In August 2001 Gina Rose travelled to Malawi with AV and St Anthony's Nursery Schoolspent three months teaching in primary school. Whilst there, she saw the need for a nursery school and this became the next goal in her life - to raise the necessary funds to build a properly equipped nursery school for the children of Chilumpha village. It opened in October 2002! See how it happened on her website.

The African PulseThe African Pulse
Katherine van Wyk went with AV to Zimbabwe in 1999. Since then she has moved to South Africa and set up her own charity, The African Pulse, which equips young people to make informed life choices in a world affected by HIV and AIDS. Its aim is to provide schools and communities in Africa with innovative, relevant teaching resources and skills to promote healthy living.

Useful Sites


Adrift
The first rafting company on the River Nile and the one used by most AVs in Africa.

Aidan College
Based in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, Aidan College, provides a structured environment in which students can combine a wide range of challenging pursuits, both intellectual and physical, leaving them with valuable life and career skills whilst expending their horizons.

Cookery at the Grange

Cookery at the Grange

Develop your cooking skills and add another element to your CV by undertaking a cookery course. Not only is it good for fundraising too but your skills will come in use when cooking up a feast with limited ingredients on project! AV recommends 'Cookery at the Grange' - a fantastic residential cookery school in Whatley, Somerset - just down the road from the AV office! Many AVs have been to the Grange and thoroughly recommend it!

ELAND - Travel Literature 

Eland specializes in keeping the classics of travel literature in print. Eland books open out our understanding of other cultures, interpret the unknown, reveal different environments as well as celebrating the humour and occasional horrors of travel.

Gap Enterprise
Independent advice and help with planning your gap year from John Vessey. 

Kenya Airways
The airline we fly to Africa with.

Lonely Planet
Lots of great information on all aspects of travelling to your chosen destination.

Rough Guide
As for the Lonely Planet.

TEFL Express
Brought to you by Language Link. Online TEFL courses to do whenever and wherever you choose 

UCAS Higher Education Conventions
The HE fairs run by UCAS throughout the year.

World Wide Volunteering
Lots of information and stories on volunteering exploits around the world.

Year Out Group
This is the non-profit organisation that provides a series of benchmark standards for applicants to meet before being granted membership. Continued membership then depends on those standards being kept to. AV is a founder member.

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