We are recruiting skilled volunteers to work with our projects in Kolkata. We have outlined below the current available placement opportunities.
Please read the relevant skills below before applying to the programme.
Have you thought about volunteering overseas?
About the HOPE Volunteer Placement Programme
Placements may be offered to volunteers who meet the below requirements. Please read carefully to ensure you are eligible. If you wish to progress your application please fill in the Online Application Form.
Relevant Skills
HOPE is currently seeking the following qualified volunteers for our placements in Kolkata:
Applicants must hold an Irish Passport or have been a resident in the Republic of Ireland for at least 2 years. All overseas placements are subject to granted visas.
Current Length of Placement: 28 Days
You will be required to make a commitment to fundraise for The Hope Foundation’s projects. Fundraising targets depend on your proposed length of stay. Targets begin at €2,000 for a placement of up to 6 weeks. Full details are given upon application.
Note, this is treated as a donation to HOPE. Accommodation is provided for during your stay at no cost, however travel costs need to be covered privately by volunteers.
You must make a commitment to organise and fund your own travel arrangements, including:
– Flight
– Travel Insurance
– Vaccinations
– Visa (with assistance from HOPE)
Volunteers will be working under the supervision of HOPE staff in Kolkata. A flexible and open minded attitude is needed and a willingness to take instruction from experienced staff members. You may be asked to be flexible and respond to varying role requirements.
You need to be realistic about what to expect in a culture that may be very different to your own and what you can expect to achieve during your placement. We recommend that you thoroughly research Kolkata, the work of HOPE and volunteering in general before making a decision to apply.
Cathal
“To be of service and to help bring dignity to those whom, without HOPE, were once invisible, is a wonderful thing to do.”
Diane
“The talent, enthusiasm and joy of everyone we have met is absolutely contagious and I am privileged to have spent my time in India with amazing people.”
Ruth
“I would recommend volunteering with The Hope Foundation to anyone. It is a life changing experience and I look forward to my next trip to Kolkata. I learned so much more from them, to appreciate what we have, to show kindness and happiness to others, and that material goods do not show a person’s true…
How to Apply
The Hope Foundation recruits volunteers in Ireland and India for residents of those countries only. If you are an Indian resident please apply through our Branch Office website here.
We will respond to all queries as soon as possible. If you are eligible for HOPE’s Volunteer Programme you will be provided with further details and a programme Application Form if you would like to officially apply for a volunteer placement with HOPE.
The Comhlámh Code of Good Practice (CoGP) for Volunteer Sending Agencies.
The Hope Foundation is a signatory of the Comhlámh Code of Good Practice (CoGP) for Volunteer Sending Agencies.
Comhlámh’s Code of Good Practice is a set of standards for Irish Volunteer Sending Agencies facilitating international placements. The Code is based on a vision of volunteers working in solidarity for a just, equitable and sustainable world. It promotes responsible and responsive volunteering to ensure a positive impact for the overseas project and community, the volunteer and the sending agency. The Code promotes development education, which enables people to more deeply understand the world around them and to address the root causes of inequality and poverty.Every Volunteer Sending Agency, which is party to the Code of Good Practice, commits to the implementation of the Code’s five values that underpin the work of international volunteer programmes. These are solidarity, respect, social justice, ecological sustainability and integrity.
Full details of the Code are here.
Comhlámh is a member organisation that works to mobilise for an equitable and sustainable world. As the Irish association of development workers and volunteers, Comhlámh promotes responsible international volunteering and development work. We support people in their journey of working for social justice. We work with returned volunteers, partner organisations and member group to foster just, inclusive societies, through progressive grassroots activism in Ireland and internationally.
More details of Comhlámh work can be found here.
If you feel we are not adhering to the Code please email sharonlouise@hopefoundation.ie or info@comhlamh.org.
For further information on overseas volunteering visit the Comhlamh website:
VolOps: http://comhlamh.org/volunteering-opportunities-overseas/
International Volunteering: http://comhlamh.org/international-volunteering/
For further insights on volunteering and the issues to consider, we recommend visiting the following websites:
Comhlámh’s website sections including ‘Issues to Consider’ and ‘Trainings and Courses’;
Comhlámh’s online pre-decision and post-return courses, ‘Where Do I Start’ and ‘What Next’;
Irish Development Education Association (IDEA) website: https://www.ideaonline.ie/