Dec 5 celebrates International Volunteer Day

Australian volunteering skills are more in demand than ever overseas as Australian Volunteers International (AVI) celebrates the contribution of Australians to its 6,000 strong overseas volunteer program that has now been operating for 55 years.

On Tuesday, 5 December, the organisation celebrates International Volunteer Day.

Australian Volunteers International recruits hundreds of Australians for overseas volunteer assignments in Asia, the Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. These Australians are finding a place in the world that needs their skills, knowledge and experience as part of collaborative projects that are benefiting communities in developing countries.

Up to 350 Australians with skills in areas such as agriculture, health, education, engineering, microfinance, community development and law are currently overseas as part of AVI’s diverse volunteer programs, which receive some support from AusAID, the Australian Government’s overseas aid program.

In addition, there are other Australians in the process of commencing a volunteer assignment or applying for a placement.

Operating at a grassroots level AVI volunteers have contributed to the post-tsunami effort, improved services for people with disabilities around the globe, developed sustainable income generation projects in a range of industries and worked on health and education projects responding to the needs of the communities they are working in.