Irish Aid Hosts Overseas Volunteering Fair in Dublin

Irish Aid, the Government’s overseas development programme, is hosting a major overseas volunteering fair in Dublin on Saturday to highlight opportunities in developing countries.

Visitors to the fair will be able to meet representatives and former volunteers from more than 28 organisations involved in volunteering.  At a series of workshops, the organisations will provide presentations on their work and information on the skills they are seeking and the opportunities available. 

Speaking ahead of the event at the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre on O’Connell Street, Minister of State for Trade and Development, Jan O’Sullivan, said:

“The fair provides an excellent opportunity for individuals interested in long or short term volunteering abroad to discuss their options with the 28 volunteer sending organisations which will be represented on Saturday.

“The majority of the NGOs taking part have signed up to the Code of Good Practice for Sending Organisations. The code promotes best practice in volunteering, and the signatory organisations undertake to run high quality volunteering programmes based on the needs of their host communities.”

The Volunteering Fair will take place in the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre, 27-31 Upper O’Connell St. Dublin from 11am to 4pm on Saturday October 1. The fair is open to the public and admission is free.   

Press Office 
29 September, 2011

• For further information on the fair and on volunteering, visit www.irishaid.ie or call in to the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre, 27-31 Upper O’Connell Street, Dublin
Lo Call 1890 252 676 

• For media enquiries, please contact , Fionnuala Quinlan, Press Officer, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 087- 9099975

Note to Editors:

• Irish Aid is the Government’s programme for overseas development. It is managed by the Development Cooperation Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

• This will be the sixth time Irish Aid has hosted an overseas Volunteering Fair. Over 1,000 members of the public have attended the five previous volunteering fairs. 

• The Code of Practice promotes best practice in volunteering.  The organisations which have signed up to the Code undertake to run high quality and structured volunteering programmes that are driven primarily by the needs of the host communities. See http://www.volunteeringoptions.org/WhatWeDo/CodeofGoodPractice/tabid/75/Default.aspx

• In addition to Irish Aid, the following organisations will have information stands at the Fair:

A-Z Children’s Charity
Agapé Adventures
Camara
Chernobyl Children International 
Comhlámh*
Concern
DTALK (Development Training and Learning at Kimmage)
EIL Intercultural Learning
European Commission
Foundation Nepal
Friends of Londiani
Global Schoolroom
GOAL
Habitat for Humanity Ireland
Link Community Development  
Progressio
SERVE
Suas
The Volunteer Projects           
Umbrella Foundation
USIT
Viatores Christi
Vincentian Lay Missionaries
Voluntary Service International (VSI)
Voluntary Service Overseas
Volunteer Ireland
Volunteer Missionary Movement

*Comhlámh, provides support, information and advice to returned development workers and volunteers.