DEPARTMENT FOR
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT News Release issued by The Government
News Network on 29 February 2008
A new
Government-backed global volunteering scheme for 18 to 25
year-olds will offer young adults from less advantaged backgrounds
the opportunity to live, work and learn about life in poorer
countries while making a real difference to people's lives,
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander announced today.
Over the next three years 2,500 young adults will be sponsored to
do voluntary work in a developing country and raise awareness of
development issues in the UK. The £10 million scheme is backed by
the Department for International Development (DFID) and will be
run in partnership by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC.
Announcing the scheme in Birmingham today at South Birmingham
College, Douglas Alexander said:
"This scheme aims to give young British adults who
wouldn't normally have an opportunity the chance to make a
valuable contribution to the lives of people overseas who are
blighted by poverty.
"By living and working with people from very different
backgrounds, facing very different challenges, they will learn new
skills and help unlock the potential within them to become better
global citizens. And on return they'll be applying what
they've learned to activities in their own local communities.
"It is important that young people understand the issues
that shape the world they live in. All round this should prove to
be a very rewarding life experience for the young adults involved.
"I'm pleased that BUNAC, Christian Aid and Islamic
Relief will together be helping the Government to deliver on our
commitment to tackle inequality and poverty."
Starting in summer 2008 with placements to Ghana and South
Africa, the volunteers will be:
* spending 10 weeks in a
developing country working on local community development projects
such as environmental conservation or HIV / Aids awareness;
* designing personal activity plans with other volunteers during
a residential weekend on their return to the UK; and
* building understanding about the world back home through road
shows and activities in their local communities and encouraging
their peers to join the fight against global poverty.
Christian Aid's Director Daleep Mukarji said: "We are
delighted to take a lead in this venture, which is the first of
its kind. Christian Aid's mission is to expose the scandal of
poverty and together with Islamic Relief and BUNAC we will be able
to directly engage young adults with the issues surrounding
poverty, and give them an opportunity to make a real difference."
Dr Hany El Banna, President of Islamic Relief said:
"This project is an amazing opportunity for everyone
involved. It will offer young British adults from all ethnic and
religious backgrounds, especially those from the least well-to-do
families in the UK, the chance to travel as a group and do a
voluntary work placement in a developing country.
"It will be a continuous journey of discovery; of how and
why different people across the globe face different levels of
poverty and development, and of how all our actions and destinies
are so intertwined. Sharing these stories upon their return will
potentially have life-changing consequences, not just for the
young travelers themselves, but also for their families, friends
and possibly whole communities, both here in the UK and beyond."
Callum Kennedy, Director of BUNAC said:
"BUNAC is excited and proud to be a member of this
partnership and is looking forward to playing its part in this new
DFID venture. Volunteering in a developing country shouldn't
be the preserve only of those who can, literally, afford to give
up their time to do it. Many people are unaware of the existing
opportunities or do not have the means to take advantage of them.
"The DFID initiative will show that young adults from all
walks of life and from all backgrounds can contribute to and learn
from the volunteering experience."
Mark Vyner, Global Volunteering Programme Manager, from Christian
Aid, said:
"These young adults will have an experience that will
transform the rest of their lives. After being fully involved in a
10 week programme of grass roots development work, we hope they
will take their enthusiasm and commitment back to their own
communities."
Find out more about the scheme at http://www.dfid.gov.uk
Notes for Editors
1. Quotes from the first young volunteers
and more information about their placements are available on request.
2. The scheme is open to young adults from less advantaged
backgrounds aged 18-25 on the date of travel who meet a
combination of criteria relating to previous education,
employment, benefits and travel. Positive emphasis will be placed
on a track record of community involvement. All volunteers must
hold (or be eligible for) a British passport.
3. Overseas placements will be in groups of 12 to Ghana, South
Africa, India, Malawi or Peru and will start in summer 2008.
4. For more information on the scheme please visit http://www.dfid.gov.uk
5. Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC have been appointed as
a partnership to deliver the scheme.
6. The Department for International Development is leading the
British Government's fight against world poverty. For more
information visit http://www.dfid.gov.uk.
7. Christian Aid http://www.christianaid.org.uk
8. BUNAC http://www.bunac.org
9. Islamic Relief http://www.islamic-relief.org.uk
DFID News is available on our website http://www.dfid.gov.uk
