Why should I volunteer?
Volunteers are generally individuals who have domestic careers, farms, and agribusinesses, or are retirees who want to participate in development efforts; they do not have to be overseas development professionals. The ALOFT program is particularly interested in engaging more university and extension employees to participate in F2F assignments. Volunteers help individuals and organizations build local institutions and address local problems. Volunteers also benefit from these exchanges, including experiencing new cultures, learning new approaches, and building their professional network. Many of the connections made by volunteers and their hosts go on to become longer-term collaborations.
What are the expectation of volunteers?
Volunteers typically travel to the host country for 10-15 days. They are provided with a scope of work detailing their assignment and travel itinerary. Volunteers meet with their local hosts, assess their needs, and develop training and recommendations to address specific challenges. Volunteers are supported during each stage of their assignments by program staff and hosts: from pre-trip orientation, to arrival and travel in Southeast Asia, to their re-entry to the U.S. The F2F ALOFT program covers all of the volunteer’s travel expenses, including airfare, ground transportation, international insurance, meals and lodging.
What does ALOFT provide?
Our program provides logistical support and covers round-trip economy airfare, visa costs, lodging, meals, and approved incidental expenses.
How do I find time to go on an overseas assignment?
Volunteers often donate their personal vacation time, though many employers offer time off to complete a professional development assignment. If time off is an issue, consider a Paired Remote assignment.
What types of volunteer opportunities are available?
In-person assignments and Paired Remote assignments. In-person assignments are U.S. volunteers traveling to Southeast Asia to engage in hands-on work with local hosts. Paired Remote assignments are where U.S. volunteers are matched with a qualified local volunteer in the host country. They work together to develop and deliver training. The local volunteer performs the hands-on work while the U.S. volunteer offers remote support.
How do I sign-up?
Please complete this interest form. This provides us with your expertise, experience, and availability to participate in volunteer assignments. We will use this information to match applicants with assignments as they are developed by our teams in Cambodia and the Philippines.
What assignments are available?
Visit our list of available assignments here.
Questions?
Contact Morgan Owens, F2F ALOFT Volunteer Coordinator at mowens48@utk.edu.