Independent Volunteering, Part III: How to Find an Organization upon Arrival

It was 10:30PM. I had just walked off the plane at Kilimanjaro airport and was waiting at immigration to get my visa stamped. I was trying to keep a positive attitude, but one thought kept creeping back into my head, “What the hell am I doing here?” I had traveled halfway across the world in the past 24 hours, and despite planning this trip for the better part of a year, I was beginning to realize that I had surprisingly little knowledge of what life would be like here or how I was going to go about finding a volunteer opportunity. I spoke exactly one word of Swahili – “Jambo” (“hello”) - and wasn’t even sure how to go about doing something as simple as finding food to eat. The only thing I had was one contact – a friend of a friend with whom I had only previously communicated via email– who had promised to pick me up from the airport and arrange my first night’s accommodation. It was something, but considering how much uncertainty I was facing, it was hardly comforting.

Three months later, I’m writing this post having established a stable life in Tanzania. I’ve found two great organizations to volunteer with, a comfortable and enjoyable place to stay, and a network of friends made up of local Tanzanians, volunteers, and expatriates. So how did I go about getting from that first day, where performing even the smallest tasks were intimidating, to the point of creating this an established life? That’s a story for another day. However, I will discuss how you can go about not only replicating my experience, but hopefully doing it more easily, quickly, and with fewer mistakes.

The process of acclimating yourself to a new country and building a stable life during your independent volunteering experience can be challenging, starting from the moment you arrive. Without a doubt, the most daunting part of your trip will be those first few days. No matter how much Internet research you do, or how many current or former volunteers, residents, or travelers you talk to, nothing will quite prepare you for when you first step off the plane and realize you’re about to spend the next several months in a completely foreign environment. Further, you will be almost entirely alone, your only local contacts being friends-of-friends, most of whom you have probably exchanged no more than a handful of emails with, if that. However, despite these difficult days, you will be amazed at how quickly and easily you will be able to adapt when forced to. Of course, it’s also helpful to have some ideas beforehand as to where you can begin searching for opportunities, and this is where I will start.

If I could offer one word of advice for your first days upon arrival, it is not to worry about overspending your daily budget, especially if you don’t have any local contacts. Learning to live in a new city is like learning to do anything else; it takes time and effort, and you won’t necessarily be good at it right away. Therefore you may need to stay in nicer accommodations, eat at more touristy restaurants, and buy from more expensive shops while you are getting to know the city. Of course, you can certainly ease this process by doing some research beforehand, but you won’t truly gain an understanding of a city until you experience it for yourself (imagine trying to get a sense of the Sistine Chapel from reading about it in a book).

If you have local contacts in your destination city, they can be especially useful during your time immediately after arrival. Ask them to help you arrange your first few nights of accommodation, as well as transportation from the airport or bus station, and be sure to offer to compensate them in some way, be it cash, a meal, or a small present. If you don’t have a local contact, then book one of the popular tourist hotels in the area. Likely, they will offer some mode of transportation from the airport or bus station, although it may come at additional cost. Again though, it’s worth reiterating: Don’t worry about overspending your budget during your first few days. The peace of mind you attain from knowing you have a safe, reliable transport and a comfortable bed awaiting you upon arrival is well worth the extra money.

Your first order of business after settling into your hotel - other than getting a good night’s sleep if arriving late in the day - should be to find the bare essentials, which in this case means an ATM and a cell phone (or SIM card, if you have a phone with an unlocked SIM). The importance of cash is pretty self-explanatory, especially if you’re in an area that does not widely accept credit card. A phone will be important because it will serve as your primary means of following up with the contacts you will be making in the upcoming days, specifically in reference to leads on permanent accommodations and volunteer opportunities. You may also find it helpful to locate an internet café to aid you in any additional research and contact friends and family back home to let them know you arrived safely.

Once you have your cash and cell phone / SIM card, it’s time to start looking for permanent accommodation and volunteer opportunities. This is easiest done by talking with expatriates and other long-term volunteers, rather than native residents. While this may sound discriminatory, it is not, and there is good reason as to why foreign-born residents are a better source for this information. First, they will be aware of any additional challenges and hardships you may face as a foreign citizen living in the country, be it passport / visa issues or dietary restrictions. Also, as someone who was once new to the country themselves, they will be far more attune to any concerns or hesitations you may have about your new host country, and will be able to advise you as to how best to adjust to your new lifestyle conditions. This is a perspective that a native resident will simply be unable to provide. Finally, they will be much more likely to be a part of, or know, members of the volunteer community, given this is one of the most popular reasons westerners relocate to developing countries.

The best way to find ex-patriates or other volunteers is to utilize any existing contacts you made before your arrival. In the absence of any existing contacts, you’ll have to go out and search for them on your own. Most cities – especially those with a large presence of NGOs – will have at least a few popular ex-patriate hangouts. An easy way to identify these locations is through the use of a guidebook such as Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. If you don’t happen to have a guidebook handy, another option is to inquire about them at any popular tourist hotel. The receptionists should be knowledgeable about the popular restaurants and bars frequented by ex-patriates and western visitors, and will usually be happy to help, regardless of whether you are actually staying at the hotel (although a tip is probably appropriate).

Once you have the names of a few places, it’s up to you to go out and network. For those who aren’t natural networkers, this process may seem uncomfortable. Fortunately when traveling, you should never be at a shortage for easy topics of conversation. All you need to do is ask questions: “What brought you here?” “How long have you been here?” “How long are you staying?” Once the conversation turns to you, it will be completely natural and fitting to mention that you just arrived in town and are looking for a volunteer opportunity. I’ve found that most ex-patriates / volunteers / travelers are usually eager to help out in whatever way they can. And even if they can’t help, at the very least you will come out of the conversation with a new friend.

So you know how to find information about accommodation and volunteer opportunities; now how exactly do you go about choosing which opportunities to pursue? I’ll discuss how to go about choosing you accommodations first, as the criteria are fairly straightforward and familiar to anyone who has ever searched for a place to live before:

Cost: Does the price fit within your budget? Are there any extras included, which would reduce other areas of expenses (e.g., a hostel which provides breakfast / dinner)?

Safety: Is it in a safe neighborhood? Do the locks on all windows and doors work? Are additional safety precautions taken, if required in the area where you are staying (e.g., burglar bars, security walls, guards, etc.)?

Location: Is it in a convenient location? Is it close to public transportation, stores, and restaurants?

Comfort: Will you be able to easily perform basic tasks (e.g., cooking, laundry, etc.)? Is it equipped to deal with any infrastructure challenges (e.g., generator for power outages)? In general, do you think you can feel at home there?

You should explore multiple locations and price ranges to get an accurate picture of housing costs in different areas of town. Also, if possible, you may want to look into a variety of living arrangements (e.g., single apartment, hostel, etc.), and determine which is most appealing to you. Once you have explored several options, you should choose your favorite and arrange a short trial period (preferably no more than a couple days, although depending where you are at, it may not be possible to arrange for anything less than a month). This is to ensure there are no problems which are not immediately obvious during a showing, such as excessive noise during the night, a leaky roof when it rains, and so forth.

The process for choosing a volunteer experience is very similar to that of finding accommodations, albeit with different factors of consideration. In this case, they should include:

Personal Interest: Are you passionate about the cause? Is it a demographic you are interested in helping? Does the work sound appealing? Will you be excited and motivated to come in each day?

Opportunity for Impact: Will the opportunity fully utilize your talents and past experience? Will there be an opportunity to expand your role over the duration of your commitment? Will you be given the autonomy to shape your role according to your skills and interests?

Organizational Ethics: Is it clear the funding is being used appropriately? Are the benefactors of the organization treated will? Do clear guidelines / policies exist to govern the organization?

Organizational Culture: Do you like the culture / feel of the organization? Do you enjoy the people with whom you will be working? Can you have a healthy working relationship with them?

Convenience: Is the organization an easy commute from your place of accommodation? Is lunch provided or easily accessible? Are work hours flexible when needed (e.g., can you take a day off if you need to take care of visa issues or other important matters)?

Once you have chosen an organization, you should once again arrange a short trial period, somewhere between 3-5 days, to get as accurate a picture as possible of what your volunteer experience would be like. If you’re having trouble narrowing the list, it’s possible to do a trial period with more than one organization at a time, although I recommend limiting yourself to no more than three at once. If the trial period is a success, then you can make a commitment. However, if it doesn’t live up to expectations for whatever reason, feel free to move onto the next organization on your list and try again. Once you have made a commitment, be sure to contact the other organizations you have been in communication with to inform them of your decision and thank them for their time and any opportunity they extended to you.

From this point, it’s up to you to make the most of your opportunity. If you have any additional questions, feel free to post them as comments or send me an email.