INS Volunteer Programme (IVP)

Background

RSCJ in the Area of Indonesia are very happy to receive international volunteers in Indonesia. Over the years, the Area has received requests to receive women who wanted an experience of “working with needy people.” We have endeavoured to respond to these requests and to provide them with what they were looking for.

Volunteers have come from several different countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, Australia and New Zealand as well as Italy, Mexico and the US. Most have come through the N-S programme of the BFN province. The length of stay has varied, but is generally around 4-6 weeks, given the restrictions on visas. This restriction, plus the language barrier, has meant that the experience can be characterised as one of exposure/insertion, rather than service. The volunteers have lived in community with the rscj and participated in a number of different activities with marginalised children and young people, women and inter-faith dialogue and peace-building between people of different religions. They have had the opportunity to visit some of the more remote areas of the country where access to education and economic development are limited and so have been exposed to situations which have opened their eyes to communities living in poverty and deprived of many of the basic essentials for living a life of dignity. Such situations of poverty and deprivation also exist within the cities in Indonesia and they have seen for themselves the damaging effects of rapid urbanisation and the efforts being made, by FAKTA and others, to overcome these realities. Examples include the mobile library and giving English classes to children.

Objectives

To experience a different culture/reality/language; to broaden horizons/perspectives; to meet people from another culture/language and learn from them.

To learn of the RSCJ involvement in Indonesia and our engagement with marginalised people, with inter-faith dialogue and situations of social/economic hardship which can be either on-going or as a result of emergencies caused by the many natural disasters suffered by Indonesia.

Activities

1. Observing/assisting in Society's kindergarten, Lenteng Agung community, Jakarta (children 5-6 yrs);
2. observing/assisting in school for children with special needs, Jakarta;
3. Observing/participating in inter-faith dialogue/peace-building workshops, Bandung.
4. Accompanying rscj on visits to the islands of Indonesia for vocation promotion work.

Criteria

The volunteers who come need to be:

• women aged 18+ years old;
• recommended by a sending province of the Society of the Sacred Heart;
• able to cover the cost of their return flight to Indonesia and any internal flights;
• able to contribute USD 15 per day to cover the cost of their stay;
• in good physical and psychological health;
• respectful of the culture and social/religious norms of the country;
• open to learning new experiences, flexible with regard to timetables, appropriately dressed;
• able to provide their own medical and travel insurance.
• responsible for ensuring all their travel documents (passport/visa etc) are in order.

People being served : People who are marginalised

Age group : Adults 26-60, Seniors 61-99, Young people 18-25

Number of participants : mai-50

Project status : Ongoing

Society presence : Indonesia

Focus of the project :

JPIC Imperative : Transforming and Being Transformed

UN Sustainable Development Goals : 17 Partnerships for the Goals