International volunteers
Anyone who is a citizen of Canada, a permanent resident in Canada, or a citizen of a developing country can become an international volunteer. International volunteers sign up because they are motivated by a spirit of solidarity and commitment to support the activities of one or several of our partners in sustainable development projects or programs.
The term of their commitment usually runs for two years.
International volunteers offer their skills and experience to partners in developing countries. They are inspired by the opportunity for cultural enrichment, mutual learning, and the chance to combat poverty and social inequality.
Our international volunteers are contributing their expertise in many fields: management, organizational development, administration, community development, agriculture, water and sanitation, micro-business, gender equality, social work, HIV/AIDS, youth employment, and many more.
They receive a subsistence allowance that allows them to meet their needs and to live a modest but decent life.
What are the main qualities and aptitudes we look for in our international volunteers?
- Working experience in a developing country or with community organizations in Canada is a plus.
- Good health (for the candidate and accompanying family members).
- In countries where the working language is neither French nor English, they must have a good knowledge of the local working language, e.g. Spanish or Arabic (an asset in the Middle East).
- Sound analytical and organizational capacities
- Good drafting and communication skills
- Capacity for teamwork, even in ambiguous situations
- Good judgment and the ability to listen and collaborate
- Aptitudes and skills for working in different and perhaps difficult socioeconomic and cultural settings
- Resourcefulness and creativity
- Personal qualities suitable to intercultural integration
More than 100 international volunteers work with Oxfam-Québec every year, in more than 20 countries.
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is the principal donor for the international volunteers program.
Are you looking for a personal experience that will be broadening and enriching?
Do you want to put your professional experience to use in developing countries in ways appropriate to local people’s needs and circumstances?
Then being an international volunteer is for you!
For more information on the professional profiles we are looking for, please consult the open positions.
The international volunteers program and its approach
The international volunteers program addresses three important needs:
- Strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations in developing countries.
- The international volunteer is committed to combating poverty in a spirit of international solidarity.
- The program also strives to sensitize and educate public opinion in Québec and Canada.
Why do people become international volunteers?
Social commitment
Being a volunteer or an activist is a way of getting socially and politically involved. Being an international volunteer means contributing to a common objective with the firm conviction that social inequalities and poverty are scourges that should not exist. It means making a contribution, for very modest pay, to the cause of building a better and fairer world.
The professional challenge
The professional training and experience that people acquire in a given context usually prepares them to exercise their trade or profession in that same context. Volunteer cooperation places professionals from different disciplines in new and demanding settings, where the working environment can pose great challenges of adaptation.
The professional experience acquired in this way prepares volunteers who so desire to pursue a career or an assignment in the international field, whether as a volunteer or as an overseas worker.
The intercultural challenge
- Respect and appreciation for differences in culture and values
- Recognition of the diversity of approaches to resolving problems
- Pooling different approaches in order to come up with new and innovative solutions
The intercultural experience acquired and the capacity to work in different socioeconomic and cultural settings is a skill for which there is great demand in the workplace.
Personal and family experience
Serving as an international volunteer is also a unique and very special opportunity to discover peoples, cultures and countries. Human integration, physical adaptation, and professional or academic activity are factors of success in each individual's experience.
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