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Here are a few reasons why volunteering might be a great option for you. Volunteering is always a very rewarding experience – one that allows you to feel good about yourself while constantly learning new skills and improving existing ones. It's also a great way to brush up and learn the local language. Volunteering gives you an excellent opportunity to meet new people and is an invaluable way to open up your mind to new cultures and people.

The European Voluntary Service (EVS)

The European Voluntary Service (EVS) is a European Union programme, set up by the European Commission in early 1996. It offers young people (between 18 and 25) the opportunity to work as a volunteer for six to twelve months in a non-profit project abroad. Three partners are the key partners of an EVS project: the volunteer, the sending organisation and the host organisation.
The European Commission take in charge the travel costs for the young, the insurance (health, accident, public liability) and provides a monthly allowance from 140 to 220 euros.

How to proceed: Find a sending organisation that will assist you individually along the procedure (you can find contacts through you National Agency, your National Coordinator or international volunteer organisations). Start contacting potential host organisations through your sending organisation. Keep your fingers crossed and persevere in your search as the difficulty is not to find a suitable project, but to find a project ready to host you within the time limit you have planned.

You can have a look at the European database on accredited host organisations and the Youth organisations.

More information also on the website http://www.britishcouncil.org

Volunteering in Turkey

There are a number of  volunteering projects available in Istanbul and can include teaching at primary schools, helping in orphanages, working with handicapped people, environmental or cultural work or even volunteering in construction projects in Turkey's rural areas. Below is a list of some websites that post English openings for both paid and unpaid jobs.

• http://www.unitedplanet.org/quest/turkey.html : an organisation that works with orphaned and homeless children
• http://www.partnershipvolunteers.org/Turkey/projects.html : a listing of a number of volunteering projects
• http://www.volunteerabroad.com/Turkey.cfm : a listing of volunteering opportunities in Turkey
• http://www.volunteerabroad.ie/turkey.htm : a listing of volunteering opportunities in Turkey
• www.greenpeace.com : Greenpeace Nederland is the Dutch wing of Greenpeace; its main focus is on environmental issues
• http://www.cadip.org/archive/turkey.htm :  a listing of volunteering opportunities in Turkey
• World Wide Volunteering (http://www.worldwidevolunteering.org.uk) is a search database with nearly 1000 voluntary organisations, in 214 countries worldwide.

NGO

A listing of some of the key NGOs in Istanbul along with a detailed overview of their focus and objectives can be found at the following sites:

• http://www.epha.org/r/14
• http://www.mymerhaba.com/en/main/
• http://www.bseanetwork.org/Turkey.htm

Insurance

No matter where you go and for how long, it is prudent to subscribe to travel insurance. This is especially even more important for ‘exotic’ countries where the chances of falling sick are relatively higher. Below are some companies that offer travel insurances. You can browse the internet for more options.

• PROTECTIONS Travel Insurance
• Mondial Assistance
• Europ Assistance
• http://www.worldnomads.com/
• http://www.worldwideinsure.com/

Make sure also that you have a current passport and valid visa as necessary.