The Australian Volunteers for International Development program, an AusAID initiative, has expanded to the Caribbean. Assignments are now available for skilled Australians to volunteer with local organisations in Dominica and Suriname to contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction.

About Australian Volunteers for International Development in the Caribbean. 

Australia has signed an agreement with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to deliver development assistance programs to its member states in support of local efforts to enhance regional integration and cooperation, including addressing issues such as sustainable tourism, disaster management, economic resilience and growth, and governance.

Key priorities that the Australian Volunteers for International Development is contributing to in the Caribbean include climate change and disaster risk management, economic resilience, and building people-to-people and institutional linkages. Volunteers with skills and expertise in these priority areas, including experience working with small island states, environmental protection standards and research, community education and engagement, national policy and program management, are required to contribute to the Caribbean Program.

The Australian Volunteers program will contribute to improving relations with Caribbean states and enhancing the already warm relations based on Australia's shared histories as Commonwealth states.

For more information on Australian development assistance to the Caribbean, click here.

One Volunteers's Story

Jeff Barnard is working with the Dominica Red Cross Society as a Disaster Risk Management Officer. He aims to empower the community to prepare for and respond to natural disasters including hurricanes, volcanoes, landslides, flooding and earthquakes. His assignment takes into account the effects of climate change in Dominica and the occurrence of landslides due to the mountainous terrain and heavy rainfall and the extended isolation this can cause for communities during emergencies.

Jeff Barnard, current AVID volunteer with the Dominica Red Cross Society.

"I felt volunteering for international development would be a good method of gaining valuable experience in the community development field at a grassroots level," said Jeff. "The rewards flowing from sharing knowledge and assisting people less fortunate are many and varied. I chose AVID specifically due to the support offered and respected place the program holds within the community development field.

"My role at the Red Cross has been varied, inspiring and challenging. One program I have been working on is the Safer Houses, in which we isolate 20 houses in a community to fit with hurricane straps and other fittings in order to build resilience to disasters then teach community members how to do this work. The aim being that next time their roof blows off; they will know how to put it on properly."

Current Assignments open for application:

Assignment: Education & Curriculum Development Officer
(APPLICATIONS CLOSE 21 MAY 2013)
Host Organisation (HO): Instituto Dominicano de Desarrollo Integral (IDDI) 
Location: Bonao, Dominican Republic
Assignment Duration: 12 months

Assignment: Renewable Energy Information Officer
(APPLICATIONS CLOSE 21 MAY 2013)
Host Organisation (HO): Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology and Public Utilities (MESTPU)
Location: Belmopan, Belize
Assignment Duration: 12 months