The Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program is an initiative of the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian government responsible for foreign policy and international relations, development aid (under the name Australian Aid), consular services, overseas trad ...

. The AVID program provides Australians with the opportunity to share their skills and establish connections with individuals and organizations in developing countries, as part of Australia's overseas aid initiative. This program is administered by three Core Partners on behalf of the Australian Government: Scope Global (formerly known as Austraining International),

Australian Volunteers International Australian Volunteers International or AVI recruits skilled professionals from Australia to work with partner organisations in Asia, the Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Its work focuses on reducing poverty, promoting human rights and gender e ...

, and the

Australian Red Cross Australian Red Cross, formally Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1914 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, Australian Red Cross Society is ...

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

in the program come from diverse backgrounds, spanning ages 18 to 80, and they contribute various professional expertise. This diversity allows them to engage in a range of activities, such as assisting in the establishment of medical clinics for safe childbirth, constructing resilient homes to withstand cyclones, and supporting children with disabilities in accessing education. The AVID program connects volunteers with Host Organizations (HOs) in regions like

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

, and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. These HOs encompass a wide range of entities, including government departments, international agencies, non-governmental organizations (

NGOs A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

) at various levels (local, national, and international), educational institutions, research institutes, and private companies. Each assignment is aligned with the priorities of the Australian Government and is tailored to meet the specific needs of the host country.{{Cite web , title=Australian Volunteers for International Development – AYAD , url=https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Pages/australian-volunteers-for-international-development-ayad , access-date=23 August 2023 , website=Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Additionally, the AVID program collaborates with Australian Partner Organizations (APOs) to facilitate and support Australian volunteer assignments. APOs, which comprise Australian government departments, NGOs, educational institutions, and private companies, aim to establish connections with development-focused organizations in Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. For instance, APOs collaborate with HOs to create volunteer assignment proposals, promote opportunities to potential volunteers, and offer guidance and assistance to volunteers during their assignments. It's important to note that HOs can submit assignments to the AVID program independently of APOs.

References

Volunteering in Australia International development programs