Volunteering in Serbia

Volunteer in Serbia for 12 months

Location:Belgrade, Serbia

Organisation: ADRA Serbia

Posting time: 12 months; with deployment to start in autumn 2022 (deployment will be preceded by pre-deployment training)

Cost: We will cover all costs you incur before and during your secondment, including transport, visas, medical check-ups, and insurance. In addition, you will receive a monthly allowance of €760. However, this is not a salary, but an allowance to cover essential costs in the place of stay (food, accommodation, local transport).

Deadline for applications: 25.9. 2022

Volunteer activities

The volunteer in this position will support the Project Manager primarily in programme areas:

WASH activities (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) - focusing on helping homeless people

Roma inclusion - focusing on adult employability and supporting children's education

Supporting refugees from Ukraine, who are crossing or seeking asylum

Specific activities consist of accompanying and assisting colleagues during field trips in vulnerable communities (homeless people, excluded Roma families, refugees) in order to carry out needs surveys or direct distribution of food and other material aid (e.g. hygiene kits).

The volunteer will also assist in the area of project administration and management such as supporting the team in data processing, preparing reports, handling correspondence and communication with partners, searching for new project calls and funding sources. The volunteer will strengthen the internal capacity of the team by transferring/seeking transformation experiences and examples from practice (best practices) from Slovakia and the EU on common topics (Roma inclusion, migrants, homelessness).

Occasionally this will involve assisting during professional training and workshops for disadvantaged adults, at social and recreational activities for young people from socially disadvantaged families. You will also actively assist in the case of assistance to refugees in tent cities/community centres by identifying their needs, raising awareness of available services and providing information or assistance in applying for asylum.

The volunteer will also assist with preparation of PR plans and materials, or occasionally by preparing public and online events. .

Requirements for a volunteer

The programme for sending volunteers to low-income countries is open to all citizens of the Slovak Republic aged 18 and over. The aim of the programme is to involve both young people and older age group in development cooperation and thus to expand the circle of people with professional interest in development cooperation.

Profile of the suitable candidate:

university degree min. I degree in a relevant field (international relations, development studies, social work, project management, public administration and public policy, etc.)
English language - advanced
knowledge of Serbian and other languages an advantage
practical experience in project management an advantage
good knowledge of MS Office programs and digital skills
positive attitude to administrative tasks
interest in PR and communication; practical experience is an advantage (copywriting/ copywriting skills, social media publishing, ad creation)
soft skills and creativity
a sense of teamwork, but also independence and a proactive approach to work
flexibility and ability to adapt to local conditions
interest in the topics of development cooperation and humanitarian aid, social exclusion, inclusion of vulnerable groups, gender equality an advantage

ADRA Serbia - Receiving organisation

ADRA Serbia is a humanitarian non-profit organisation within the ADRA global network. Since 1990 it has been working in the following areas:

1) Education - children from refugee and Roma minorities in Serbia and adult basic education.

2) Economic opportunities - vocational training, employment assistance, stabilization of family businesses in Roma communities.

3) WASH - daily mobile assistance to the homeless in Belgrade and is also actively involved in preparedness and assistance in humanitarian crises.

ADRA Slovakia and ADRA Serbia were partners in two recently completed projects. The first was a humanitarian intervention project during the Covid-19 pandemic aimed at preventing outbreaks of Covid-19 in homeless communities in Belgrade. The second project was capacity building of future host organisations, which, after successful certification (EU Aid Volunteers), will provide expert secondment of European volunteers to low-income countries in cooperation with an EU sending organisation. ADRA Serbia has obtained this certification.

Experience of our volunteers

If you want to on volunteering in Serbia Learn more Read more, we bring to your attention the following articles from the pens of our volunteers:

ADRA Slovakia - sending organisation

We have a long tradition in the field of sending volunteers, as evidenced by the dozens of volunteers we have sent to various countries around the world, the regular approval of our projects, which we apply for support to send volunteers to partner organizations, as well as the award „Volunteer of the Year“ by volunteers sent by us. We are characterised by high quality pre-deployment training, well-functioning volunteer cycles, and alignment with ODA sectoral and territorial priorities.

Under the SAMRS programme we send volunteers since 2012, and since 2017 we have been part of the European expert volunteering EUAV.

The volunteer posting will be carried out in accordance with official safety and epidemiological measures.

Application form

The application form should be sent by email to volunteering@adra.sk. The application form includes:

1) Professional CV in English

2) Cover letter in English

3) Consent to the processing of personal data granted in accordance with Article 6(1)(a) and Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data in accordance with Act No 18/2018 Coll. on the Protection of Personal Data and on Amendments and Additions to Certain Acts in the Slovak language.

4) Affidavit of health in accordance with Section 6(3) of Act No 406/2011 Coll. on Volunteering and on Amendments and Additions to Certain Acts in the Slovak language.

Selected candidates will be invited to an interview, which will be conducted in Slovak and English. The successful candidate will be awarded a contract in August 2022.