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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN AFRICA.                                                (Below)

Who is qualified to apply for these opportunities?
Everyone is qualified to apply.

Where in Africa can I volunteer?
In Cameroon, Africa, where Shaping Destiny is currently operating.

How much does it cost?
The volunteer is responsible for the entire cost which includes airfare (which varies according to season) and a $1000 fee which covers living expenses in Cameroon (including, pick up from the airport, meals, lodging, transportation etc in Cameroon for a two week period).
$500 scholarships plus free meals and boarding are available for qualified volunteers who plan to stay for more than one month. Contact us to see if you qualify.
$1,000 scholarships plus free meals and boarding are available for qualified volunteers that plan to volunteer three months or longer. Also contact us to see if you qualify.
All scholarship winners would be assigned to live at the orphanage. If room is not available at the orphanage, we would assign them to live with a good Cameroonian family or in an apartment. For volunteers paying for all their services, the choice of where to stay is theirs. They can choose to live at the orphanage, in a hotel near the orphanage, with a good Cameroonian family or in an apartment.

What do we do for the visitors / volunteers?
We organize the visit and make necessary arrangements in Cameroon including pick up from the airport in Cameroon, transportation in Cameroon, hotels, and food. Volunteers are responsible for personally applying for their visas and getting their plane tickets. We provide advise for visitors that have not traveled before on how to get tickets, vaccinations, visa etc. If you need advise on that, please contact us.

What else can visitors do?
Interested visitors would have the opportunity to go out and visit historic places in Cameroon and even to go to the farm with Shaping Destiny children. There will be much more to discover and learn about the children and Cameroon. You can make this part of a great vacation in Cameroon where you get to serve at the Shaping Destiny orphanage!
 

Questions Frequently Asked by Volunteers.

In order to ensure safety and make volunteer experiences enjoyable, Shaping Destiny suggests that all prospective volunteers follow the steps below to apply for a volunteer opportunity in Cameroon (Africa).

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION. Step 1: Application Part I of Application          Part II of Application Step 2: Travel Preparations Visa Application Please contact the Cameroon Embassy at the following address to  apply for your visa. 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 Tel. (202)265-8790, Fax (202)387-3826, E-mail: cdm@ambacam-usa.org

You can teach them!

Visit http://www.cdc.gov/travel/cafrica.htm#vaccines for more information. When on the CDC webpage, be sure to read the information found on that webpage under the following sub-titles.

• Vaccines and Preventive Medications: Routine Vaccines, Recommended Vaccines, Required Vaccines, and preventative medications.

• What you need to bring with you

• Staying healthy on your trip

• After you return

Costs & schedules
$120 application fee (non-refundable)
$200 orphans' support donation.
All volunteers are responsible for their air-ticket and living expenses.
Air-ticket prices usually range between $1600 and $2000 depending on the season. Depending on your skills and  the length of time that you are willing to stay and volunteer in Cameroon, you may qualify for a scholarship that could cover your living expenses and part of your ticket. Contact us for more information and to see if you qualify. Generally, volunteers who qualify usually volunteer more than 6 months in Cameroon.
Shaping Destiny helps provide resources to all prospective volunteers to help them raise the money that they need to cover their volunteer expenses including their ticket. See part two of the application for details.

Where is Cameroon located? Click here

Purchasing your flight ticket
Ticket prices vary depending on the season. In addition to seasonal variations in prices, you can often get a better price for your ticket if you buy the ticket several months in advance.  We also encourage you to shop around to find airlines that may have better rates. Find below, some suggested airlines to check.

From the U.S.- The most direct route of travel would be to Paris, France, continuing on by Air France to Douala, Cameroon.  Feel free to use a variety of domestic and international carriers into Paris (i.e., Delta, American Airlines, Continental, Air France, Northwest, etc).  Because Air France is the only major carrier into Cameroon, please be aware that if you fly into another country, you will likely then have a connecting flight that will stop in Paris before continuing to Cameroon. 

U.S. TO EUROPE   
www.delta.com  www.continental.com  www.northwest.com  www.alitalia.com  www.iberia.com
From outside the U.S. – Same applies to travel from the U.S.; Feel free to use a variety of available carriers, but you will find that you will have to go through Paris to board a flight for Cameroon. 

EUROPE TO CAMEROON
www.airfrance.com

Volunteers may choose from any of the following activities. Our volunteers are encouraged to do what they feel comfortable doing. However, each volunteer is required to tell us before they travel the kinds of things they would want to do from the list below. Then tentative schedules are made for all volunteers before they travel. This ensures that volunteers get to do what they want and also that we accept volunteers that give the type of help we need. For example, construction work is usually done in Cameroon only during the dry season. In that case, even though we have listed construction below, it may not be available for construction volunteers who want to volunteer during the wet season. Even though most of the other activities are done year round, indicating what volunteers want to do helps to avoid a situation where we may accept more volunteers than we need. This selection of what the volunteer would like to do applies to both short-term (less than 6 months), and long-term ( greater than 6 months).

List of Volunteer Activities to Choose from

Teaching English (teach conversational or written English)
Mentoring (work with infants, toddlers, young children, and teens)
Construction (Paint, build, and repair buildings)
Providing healthcare (Only for Medical professionals)
Care for vulnerable children
Teaching the bible to groups of kids/ preaching to kids and other local groups / organizing crusades.
 

DAILY SCHEDULES

After the volunteer has chosen the type of activities they would like to do, the daily schedule would look as follows. Most major (work-type) activities would be done between 9:00-11:00am and between 2:00-4:00pm in spite of what the volunteer decides to do. Changes may be made if necessary.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR LONG TERM VOLUNTEERS ( GREATER THAN 6 MONTHS) WHO DESIRE TO DO MORE (OPTIONAL).
Long-term volunteers may choose to get more involved in the activities of the orphanage and the organization as a whole. If they decide to do more, they will be given the opportunity to do the following. [ Note: This is for long-term volunteers who want to also volunteer in leadership positions and go the extra mile. It is not a requirement for all long-term volunteers. We however, encourage long-term volunteers who are applying for scholarships to consider going the extra mile to choose and do a few more things from the list below]
   
      -     Within the first one month, follow the same daily schedule as other short-term volunteers.

-          After the first month,  may serve supervisory duties at the center laying emphasis on servant leadership.

-          May make recommendations to both local and U.S. teams on how to improve service to the kids and make the organization more efficient

-          After 6 months may serve as co-manager of the orphanage with the local manager and make decisions on how to run the center more efficiently.
If interested the volunteer will contact the U.S. team via info@shapingdestiny.org six months into their volunteer term.

-     May serve as a co-liaison officer (with local manger) between the local and U.S. teams.

-          May send letters and emails that would be sent to Shaping Destiny partners describing the conditions of the center and children and any progress that is being made.

-     May help promote the work of the organization as a whole as volunteer alumni after return from Cameroon.