Volunteer Placement Overview
- Ten week teaching placement with local partners in urban Kolkata
- €3,499 participation fee covers flights, accommodation, training and insurance
- Live and work within a team of 8-12 volunteers
- Open to applicants from 18 - 25 years old
- Three compulsory pre-departure training weekends
- Access to all Suas programmes on return
- Departing June 3rd (provisionally)
Training
The Suas Volunteer Programme is physically and emotionally intense. To prepare you we provide three training preparation weekends. Facilitated by Suas staff and outside consultants, these weekends will show you how to remain sensitive to the cultural surroundings of your placement while equipping you with the skills needed to be effective teachers, team-members and change-makers. A full post-placement debrief will ensure you are well equipped for the sometimes challenging phase of returning home.
The safe completion of the Volunteer Programme by everyone involved is our number one objective.
Training Covers
- Logistics and Planning
- Teaching
- Teamwork and Ways-of-Working
- Health Safety and Security
- Cultural Context
- Fundraising Support
- Information on Partner Organisations
Training Weekends 2020
- Weekend 1: Feb 21st-23rd - Maynooth (Residential)
- Weekend 2: March 21st - 22nd - Dublin
- Weekend 3: May 16th - 17th - Dublin
- Return Debrief: September 12th
Fundraising
The participation fee of €3,499 for a ten week placement covers:
- Pre-Departure Training,
- Flights
- Accommodation, Health Safety and Security
- Insurance
- Coordinator and in-country support
We're aware that this is a substantial amount of money to raise. To help we support you with materials, ideas and workshops during pre-departure. No volunteer has ever failed to travel for not reaching the target and any excess monies raised goes directly to our partner organisations.
Our Partners
We work in partnership with local organisations to help make positive change in their communities. Each placement team works with one of the following:
Sabuj Sangha
Sabuj Sangha is a non-government, non-profit organisation working in West Bengal.
It was established in 1975 in Nandakumarpur, a rural village in the Sundarbans. From its humble beginnings, Sabuj Sangha has grown into a vibrant organization serving a community of over 300,000 people and employing over 230 staff.
Aside from its work in the Sundarbans, Sabuj Sangha also works in suburban Kolkata and Jalpaiguri. Sabuj Sangha implements programmes in the areas of health and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education and protection, livelihood, women’s empowerment, environment and disaster response
Development Action Society (DAS)
DAS is a non-government, non-profit organisation working in West Bengal. DAS was started in 1989 by Sheela Sengupta and Purabi Roy, social workers from Kolkata
The community feel proud seeing their children interacting with the volunteers. Garghi, Teacher from Mukilbithi School
The organization was formally set up in 1995 with a mission to educate and protect women and children in vulnerable isolated communities in South and East Kolkata.
Thoughtshop Foundation
The Thoughtshop Foundation is a non-profit social communication organisation dedicated to creating new and effective ways of dealing with social issues, with the aim to educate, motivate and initiate change. Thoughtshop works on self initiated projects which tackle issues such as child rights, adolescent health, gender equity and young peoples empowerment programmes.