Volunteer for Community Development and Environment Education (VFCD) - Volunteer & Internship Programs, Vietnam

Volunteer for Community Development and Environment Education (VFCD)
Volunteer & Internship Programs

About VFCD
Volunteer for Community Development and Environment Education (VFCD) is a non-government, non-profit organization in Vietnam with a mission to build global community events through local environmental and community services. As the first local Non-Government volunteer organization in Vietnam with official status to have volunteer programs VFCD provides opportunities that make a difference to the lives of people from all parts of the world. The organization also works to setup sustainable projects to protect the environment, provide basic education for vulnerable groups, and encourage community development and cultural exchange.

INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTARY PROGRAMS
The projects we offer can be undertaken on either a short or long term basis and focus on traditional education, environment education and community development. There are numerous projects for volunteers at VFCD both in urban and rural areas. Urban based volunteers have the option to travel to rural areas on the weekends to promote cultural exchange and live with local people. We also have tailor-made internship programs to suit the volunteer’s interests and skills.

- English Teaching Program
Project Aim: Place qualified Native English speakers into regional schools, colleges and universities in local towns and Hanoi capital. Tutors will assist with the development of student’s English language learning. You will have the chance to teach and experience the real Vietnam and other provincial cities and towns.
Project Duration: Positions will be for 3 – 12 months. The minimum placement will be for 3 months. Applicants requesting long term placements will be favorably considered.

- Volunteer for Street Children
The Centre for Street and Abandoned Children is a governmental project of the local Committee for Children and Mothers Protection.

Local and international volunteers are needed provide orphaned and street children with a basic education. This will be done through educational games and activities created by the volunteer. This centre works with children who are forced at a young age to earn a living by collecting rubbish, begging, polishing shoes, working in handicraft factories and other like activities. Currently the centre houses seventy students and holds three daily classes, two in the morning, and one in the afternoon. As a result, the students are not receiving a full curriculum and the schools staffs are over worked. Volunteers are desperately needed to act as teachers assistants and organize educational games and activities for the students. This project needs local and international volunteers to work cooperatively to create educational programs which include both Vietnamese and English subjects. VFCD wishes to improve the level of education and access to knowledge for the students in the hope that they can lead better lives and be well integrated into the community. This centre is the only hope that they may have for a more fulfilling life.

- Volunteer for Ethnic Minority Youth in Sapa
At the moment VFCD hosting a center for community studying in Sapa town, our students are minority youth from Sapa and the surrounding villages. Some of them already work as tour guides; others make a living through selling handicrafts in the streets of Sapa. Most of the students have very little schooling, and some do not know how to read and write. It is crucial for their future that they learn these skills. All the students have expressed their happiness and gratitude for the opportunity to learn from the centre

Currently, both Vietnamese and international volunteers teach oral and written Vietnamese and English. Classes take place every afternoon and evening. We feel that it is very important for local youth to know these languages, being crucial for them to make the most of limited job opportunities in Sapa. It is our hope that this program will help the local youth to adapt to a more confident and healthy lifestyle and that they will make better use of the opportunities available to them.

The program is great opportunity to make a difference and discovery one of one of the most wonderful places in Asia and is a magical combination of landscapes, ethnic cultures and bracing mountain air.

- Environmental Educational Program
From June to July VFCD conducts two environmental education camps in the north of Vietnam with a primary objective to create more perceptive understanding of the environment within the local community. Swimming, hiking and canoeing are also on the agenda as campers learn new outdoor skills. Campers come away with a life-long passion for nature and a dedication to stewardship of our natural resources.

Campers will learn to identify common plants and animals in the north of Vietnam. They will visit and compare a variety of local habitats, ranging from Ha Long Bay, Ba Be Lake to the magnificent Fansipan Mountain

- Work camp in Sapa (North-West of Vietnam)
This unique program is an opportunity for volunteers to share experiences with a local community development group. The program brings participants a meaningful education program combined with ecological tourism, helping to improve the living standard of the local ethnic minority groups and developing unique cultural exchange.

- Summer work camp in the North of Vietnam
In Vietnam, after the success of the annual International Summer camps, VFCD has further developed our annual summer work camp. The program focuses on 3 themes: “Community, Culture and the Environment”.

VFCD and the local Youth Union will coordinate another summer camp in order to share knowledge about agricultural production, health and hygiene awareness, education and forest preservation with the local community. Volunteers will live with the local community and gain a valuable insight and understanding of the daily hardships that these people face.

- Eco-tourism Camp
The main goal of the program is to contribute to improving people's awareness on environmental protection, especially the young people in the community living near the heritage site. Activities with VFCD to clean the beach can not immediately solve the problems affecting the environment, but this event can help educate the people and raise their awareness about the seriousness of environment preservation. The main program's message is "build up awareness on environmental protection through real activities" This is also a statement of VFCD with the commitment to keep water clean and sustainable for long-term.

- Cultural camp
Vietnamese culture may be still mysterious and unknown to most people outside the country. Today, more and more people are going to Vietnam for traveling and trading. Getting to know Vietnam and Vietnamese culture is interesting and fascinating. Our program aims to bring all people strong social behavior development in a positive, caring, energetic and safe environment. Foreigner participants will be given the opportunity to learn about a real by staying and working Vietnam host families to learn Vietnamese language and art classes…

- Eco-tourism Tour
Ecotourism is defined by many as: "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people." Ecotourism and related forms of tourism support the conservation of natural and cultural environments. Ecotourism connects intelligent, curious travelers with friendly, responsible local hosts. Small groups visit destination cultures and natural habitats for an outstanding Ecotourism vacation experience. Ecotourism gives you the ability to make connections with locals in their back yard. Find out what the people of an area are really like and how happy they are with less than what we have. Nature Tours are probably the best way to describe Ecotourism Tours

We offer short and long-term travel pro-grams for foreigner’s teens and adults worldwide. Our projects provide participants with the opportunity to make a difference through volunteer service in Vietnam.

Internship Program
The internship program offers a look inside the innermost workings of our member-based, non-profit organization. Every day, our rapid expansion demands constant contact, support and outreach on the ground in most countries to sustain VFCD's important work towards global peace. As part of the Management Team interns are expected to take initiative with aspects of grant writing, event planning and campaign strategies. As we are a student-run and student-generated organization, your ideas, unique experiences and skills will be sought by our staff to make VFCD more effective.

Knowledge of MS Office products, internet navigation; ability to organize administrative projects; demonstration of clear and effective written and verbal communication skills; ability to meet deadlines and maintain a flexible schedule; strong diplomatic skills in dealing with people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds; awareness of and sensitivity to a variety of cultural perspectives; awareness of prominent global issues. If applying for an internship in translation the applicant must be fluent in English

For further information, visit VFCD website here