What to prepare when you are preparing

1. What to prepare when you are preparing
25 October 2017

2. Introductions
Marcus Wootton Caroline Neil Jessica Townsend
• Middle East
• North and Sub-Saharan
Africa
• Former Soviet Union
• South America
• Africa – Malawi
• Nepal
www.rpspartnership.com
info@rpspartnership.com
• Southeast Asia
• Sub-Saharan Africa
www.rcpch.ac.uk
Marcus.Wootton@rcpch.ac.uk
jessicajanetownsend@gmail.com

3. Today
 How can I prepare for volunteering?
 What organisation should I go for?
 What should I expect an organisation to prepare for
me?
 How should I prepare personally?

4. Today is a toolkit
 Preparation and planning
 Provoke thought!

5. Who are you?
 Please raise your hands if…….
 You have volunteered overseas before…
 You are thinking about volunteering overseas…
 You really aren’t sure if you should volunteer
overseas and are hoping that this session will help
you decide!
 If you weren't expecting a third option!

6. “What are your concerns about
volunteering?”

7. Why preparation matters
 A good placement can be
one of the most important,
fulfilling and life enhancing
things you will ever do

8. Why preparation matters
 A bad experience can be
crushingly disappointing
not only for you
 but also those who you are
with and working with….

9. Before you go….?
 What is the remit of the
organisation?
 Does it align with your
own views, and outlook?
 Even as a volunteer you
will be representing the
organisation

10. The organisation?
What is their track record on:
 Supporting volunteers
 Achieving their aims
 Improving outcomes for patients
 Can you talk to a previous volunteer?

11. Are they effective?
 How long has the
organisation been working
there?
 On what evidence are they
basing their intervention?

12. What else to ask
 What countries do they
work in?
 What areas of what
countries do they work in?
 What people in what areas
of what countries do they
work in?

13. Isn’t any help better than nothing?

14. Caroline Neil

15.  What should the organisation provide?
 Travel insurance?
 Insurance for equipment?
 Life assurance?
 Contingency planning? Flights and pick ups? Secure
accommodation?
 Training – do you need travel safety training?
 Personal security – money etc
 Equipment to take?

16. Money
 Cash?
 Money belts
 Ankle holder
 Belt/bra
 Sock?
 Washbag
 Safe?

17. You lose everything…

18. Jessica Townsend

19.  What is the aim of the project you are working
on?
 How does it fit into the organisation purpose?
 Why are you going?
 Practicalities of volunteering?
 Top tips – professional
 Top tips – personal
 People and contacts

20. And finally…..
 Don’t be afraid to ask about money and who is covering
what
 Interviews and meetings aren’t just them assessing you!
 A bad placement can be worse than no placement
 A reputable organisation should be able to answer any
reasonable question adequately

21. Today
 How can I prepare for volunteering?
 What organisation should I go for?
 What should I expect an organisation to prepare for
me?
 How should I prepare personally?

22. Questions and Comments?