FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

VOLUNTEERING

To apply for the volunteering project in Vrygrond you are asked to fill in an application form online. You can find the link on our website. When we receive an application, we have a look over it and contact the applicant as soon as possible.

You are free to choose the date and duration of your stay in Cape Town on your own. Just keep in mind the longer you stay the more you will be involved and the more you can enjoy your time in South Africa. In general, we prefer volunteers who are willing to stay from 3 up to 6 months. Also, make sure to apply as early as possible to help us organize and plan your stay.

Normally you will work between 4 and 8 hours a day from Monday to Friday and you will be free on the weekends. So, there is enough time to explore the city and do all kinds of tourist activities in and around Cape Town. In addition, we want to support you soaking up the whole beauty of the country. Therefore, we explicitly allow you to travel around upon consultation with the other volunteers who are on-site.

We want our volunteers to enjoy their time as much as they can. In return we expect you to take social responsibility, to be motivated and to respect new and different cultures.
You are communicative, open-minded and have a good command of English? Get involved, make a difference in the world and apply now.

Although South Africa has 11 official languages, the people you will be working with understand and speak English. It is totally sufficient for you to communicate in English.

Since you will do volunteering work, the work you will be doing will not be paid. Nevertheless, unlike many other organizations we do not require a payment for the volunteering commitment. Even so you are asked to pay your flight to South Africa, the monthly rent and all your living expenses on your own.

We are a young and motivated team within everyone is needed. We need all kinds of skills to realize our work. No matter what‘s your strength – you‘re welcome to share it with us, develop and improve yourself. For us, it’s the person who matters. And we can guarantee you a fun, memorable and life changing experience.

Upon a stay in South Africa longer than 3 months a visa is required. However, we will give you all the important information and do support you with the visa application at the responsible consulate.

OUR UNIVERSITY GROUPS

No, everyone should concentrate on their core strengths and interest.  But this is precisely the strength of our approach. The diversity of our students constantly creates new ideas and creative solutions.

 How much time and effort you want to invest is entirely left up to you and of course depends on your exam period etc.

As long as you are a student and short of cash your membership will be free. After you finished your studies your yearly contribution will be 40 Euro per year.

Then just start another initiAID university group!  Our members will gladly assist you during this process. Just get in touch with us!

ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP

We issue donation certificates not only for donations but also for membership fees. Amounts which do not exceed 200 Euro, the tax office only requires the presentation of the account statement.

Our annual membership fee is 40 Euros per year but can be higher if desired. As long as you are a student and short of cash your membership will be free.

The payment of the membership fee is due to first month of the year. If you join our team during the year, your contribution for this year will be 40 Euros as well.

Our costs in Germany are mainly covered by revenues from our events, so that all donations will be put in our projects in full. Our membership fees will be used for our projects as well as to cover our costs in Germany.  (e.g. Money transfer charges etc)

SUPPORTING MEMBER

We issue donation certificates not only for donations but also for membership fees. Amounts which do not exceed 200 Euro, the tax office only requires the presentation of the account statement.

Our annual membership fee is 40 Euros per year but can be higher if desired. As long as you are a student and short of cash your membership will be free.

The payment of the membership fee is due to first month of the year. If you join our team during the year, your contribution for this year will be 40 Euros as well.

Our costs in Germany are mainly covered by revenues from our events, so that all donations will be put in our projects in full. Our membership fees will be used for our projects as well as to cover our costs in Germany.  (e.g. Money transfer charges etc)

DONATION

As a charitable recognized association, we issue donation certificates for amounts above 200€, which can be claimed at the tax office. For donations which do not exceed this amount, the tax office only requires the presentation of the account statement. But if you like, we will also issue you a donation certificate in this case.

Project specific donations will be put in our projects in full. Arising money transfer fees and conversion charges are financed by member subscriptions.  Moreover, we don’t have administrative costs, as all our members work on a voluntary basis.

As a donor you decide how we are making use of your donation. You can make a donation to initiAID in general or specifically for one of our projects. We take care of your donations and make sure that you know exactly how they are used.

One of the most crucial characteristics of The Compass Trust is that we are completely transparent about our income and expenses. Therefore, you are more than welcome to check our financial reports. If you have any questions or comment regarding our finances, please get in touch with us.

Funds for our projects in South Africa will be transferred to our South African partner organization The Compass Trust. In close collaboration The Compass Trust will put the donations into our projects.

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