Unaterra Project

AMAIDI is entering in a new partnership with an Italian organization called Unaterra Project, based in Ginestra in the province of Potenza in the south, with Fabrizio Caputo as CEO.

In a nutshell: the aim of Unaterra Project is the implementation of sustainable development projects in the developing world. To achieve this aim Unaterra supports local communities with integrated projects in the energy conservation- and development sectors. Their methodology is designed to cover all phases of a project from identifying potential investors to working with the local beneficiaries.

Potenza, home province of Unaterra Project

Unaterra  focuses on three main themes: sustainable development projects, climate change and international volunteering. One month ago Unaterra approached AMAIDI with a request to join their global network. Their aim is to provide a human resource platform for local NGO’s through sending out expert volunteers and to create a network of people eager to work for local sustainable development.

AMAIDI hopes to tap into the Italian volunteering market through its alliance with Unaterra. Contacts with Unaterra through Fabrizio are warm and promising.

Filed under: international volunteers, needs, new partner, professionals, projects, sending organization, voluntary work, worldvolunteer, Italian volunteers, Unaterra Project

SPONSOR A CYCLE-RICKSHAW!

SPONSOR A CYCLE-RICKSHAW!

Cycle-rickshaw

Thank you Martin, Kim, Marije, Roshnie and Rodee. Thanks to your financial contribution AMAIDI could order a new cycle-rickshaw, meant to start a service to transport old people and children on the way to their destination, from the beach village down the road to Puducherry (and back) for a low, nominal fee.

The rickshaw will be driven by a local rickshaw driver (as a means for livelihood for his family) against a fixed wage, whereas volunteers are asked to – voluntarily – cycle one or two hours to show their commitment with the project.

The outside of the rickshaw, sponsored by both (ex)volunteers and AMAIDI, will be painted white, with the names of the sponsors on it (of course) but also – from time to time – the name (and website or telephone number) of one of our partner organizations. To raise awareness in their field.

Now the rickshaw is being paid for, what we need are sponsors to pay for the driver’s monthly salary. As he gets a fixed renumeration – so he does not have to chase the customers – the fare fee goes towards maintenace of the vehicle and to the ‘project of the month’. If you like to help us realize this project, send us an email (click here) with the amount mentioned, payable as and when you’re here (in case you’re a coming volunteer). When you’re an ex-volunteer or simply not intending to come to India for it, we’ll send you the banking details.

Thank you in advance!

The AMAIDI Team

Filed under: projects, Uncategorized, voluntary work, cyclerickshaw, handicapped travelers, livelihood, Puducherry

New Partners

AMAIDI regularly receives requests from Indian NGOs to join our partner network. We recently admitted two new partners: a small orphanage in Thiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu) and an NGO, focussing on Tribal welfare activities, in the State of Orissa. It is our policy to visit potential partners that have sent us an application to join AMAIDI and to assess ‘at situ’ what the organization’s needs are that could be matched with coming volunteers; and to ascertain that the potential partner will well receive, guide and in other ways help the volunteer in adjusting to India (if not already gone through at AMAIDI) and to his/her work assignment.  We do ask a lot of our partners in terms of guidance, as from feedback we learned that ‘guidance is everything’.  

Filed under: new partner, projects, voluntary work

"Increased confidence amongst charities" (The Guardian)

More staff than ever employed by charity, volunteer organizations
(from The Guardian)

Charities are signalling their confidence in the future of the voluntary sector by employing more staff than ever before, according to a new voluntary sector salary survey. Despite the number of high-profile charities that have announced redundancies in the last 12 months, the Annual Voluntary Sector Salary Survey 2004 showed that 40 per cent of charities are likely to employ more staff over the coming year. This is a sharp increase from last year’s survey that showed only 25% of charities predicting a rise in staff numbers throughout the year.
Published by survey specialists Remuneration Economics in association with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the salary survey points to an increased confidence among charities towards recruitment and retention of staff. Traditionally a volunteer-led sector, approximately one in three charities now employ paid staff, highlighting the increasing professionalism of the work of not-for-profit organisations in the UK.

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Although this article per se is outdated, its significance is not. Especially if you consider that this article was written and published *before* the 2004 Tsunami, with in its wake the enormous amount of money made available to existing and aspiring funding agencies in the West who had to spend all this money through local NGO’s. And they still didn’t finish the job!

Filed under: article, charitable business, charity, confidence, donating, finance, not-for-profit organizations, voluntary work

‘Travel mode’

I read this on one of the 6.5 million travelblogs of travelers through India. I’d like you to comment on it:

1. Never visit India on a shoe string budget. You will be miserable through out the trip.

2. Travel mode – recommend take flights and trains. Avoid bus trips more than 4 hours long.

Would you agree?
Why (not)?

Filed under: choice, comment, shoestring, transport, travel blog, voluntary work

Difficulty in obtaining a visa for India

In the Netherlands it is virtually impossible to obtain an Indian visa when you tell the Embassy staff that you’re going to do voluntary work in India. As a result, all prospective volunteers are asked to apply for a ‘tourist’ visa. A ‘student’ or ‘trainee’ visa does not seem to much of a problem.

I imagine that can be many reasons, but it eludes me as to the real reasons for this ‘decision’ of the Indian Government. And I wonder whether prospective volunteers in other countries experience the same when they apply for an Indian visa at the Indian Embassy in their country.

I heard that problems in this field have risen significantly after the terrorist’ attack in US on 9/11

Let’s hear about it!

Filed under: Indian Embassy, refusal, visa-application, voluntary work