DBDS offers volunteer placements to young people with open minds, who are ready for challenges!

The relationship between the volunteers and the communities they interact with is one of mutual benefit. While the volunteers get an opportunity to learn from the experience of the people and discover many ideas and methods of working with communities in a developing country, our people get a glimpse of possibilities beyond their own world and often pick up new skills from the volunteers.

Over the years, our volunteers have included young people from Germany, Italy, Spain, Malta and Canada.

Criteria and Duration

We invite young people above 18 years of age for volunteer placements ranging from one month to one year. Volunteers should be able to speak English.

Placement Areas

The volunteers will be placed either in our rural centres, where they will interact with village communities and children from rural schools, or in the urban shelters for street children. The placement will depend on the abilities and skills of the volunteers and the requirements of ongoing projects.

Role of the Volunteer

Depending on the project and the area, the work of a volunteer can include understanding the local situation and life of the people, interacting with local youth/child labourers/street children, teaching music or arts to the children and helping them with their school work, assisting the project with documentation and reporting, assisting in the creation of communication and publication materials, facilitating the collection of materials for the project and contributing to the project with specific qualifications and skills.

Procedure for Application

To join DBDS as a volunteer, write in with a short description of your background (education, interests and skills) and tell us why you would like to work with us. Please attach a letter of recommendation from a university, NGO or other recognized organisation in your area, and contact us with any other enquiries regarding volunteer placements.