| Is
SVN a Christian organisation?
- SVN
was started by Christians in response to a challenge from God.
- All
policy and practice is under the Lordship of Jesus and informed by biblical
truth.
- However,
we don't only serve Christians, but will respond to anyone who requests
help that we might be able to give.
Does SVN only do educational
work?
- SVN's
distinctive contribution is to make available the experience and skills
gained by teachers during their years of service.
- We
will try to respond to any request that calls for that experience and
skill.
What am I committing
myself to if I join SVN?
- Only
to consider prayerfully any request that the Directors of SVN put to
you. Nothing more.
- We
will attempt to match volunteers to tasks on the basis of the data you
give us.
What kind of things
do volunteers do?
- The
variety is enormous.
- We
operate in the UK as well as overseas, and most tasks would be described
as 'advisory, consultancy, or training'.
- We
do proof reading, reviewing, preparing curriculum materials, and supporting
families home educating their children in remote places overseas, as
well as sending teams to encourage and support education work overseas.
How much time will I
be expected to give to SVN?
- That
is entirely within your control.
- The
most any volunteer (apart from the Directors) has given so far is five
weeks, overseas, in any one year.
- Work
in the UK can sometimes involve, perhaps, one afternoon a week for several
weeks, or a block of two or three days.
Does it mean travelling
overseas?
- Most
of our requests come from the developing world.
- We
usually work in small teams (3 - 10 volunteers) and the team leader
is usually someone who has worked in that part of the world before.
- We
do have UK planning meetings and briefings before a team goes out.
- Some
volunteers limit their input to projects within the UK.
Am I qualified to do
in-service work?
- The
experience of 'in-service' courses in the UK, carries with it the idea
of visiting experts.
- For
us, helping a new school in a developing country would be better described
as 'sharing experience'.
- They
are free from complications of National Curriculum, target setting,
etc., and really want basic educational support and encouragement.
- We
are all able to give that. We are dealing with the basics of teaching
and learning - and it is refreshing after UK experience.
What does it cost to
go to an overseas assignment?
- Our
policy in SVN is to offer help to the very poor, so we offer it with
no charges (fees or expenses) to those we help.
- Volunteers
raise their own support.
- This
is dealt with in more detail in an SVN paper "The
Cost of Volunteering" (click on link to access).
- Our
(Christian) Travel Consultant gets us to places as cheaply and as reliably
as possible and living in developing countries is cheaper than in the
UK.
What support is given
to volunteers who go overseas?
- We
help by arranging flights and briefings, and we have a handbook, "So
you are going overseas" which covers most issues.
- There
is a wealth of experience of overseas work available in volunteers and
supporters of SVN.
- We
pray for God's hand to be on our teams whilst they are away.
How do I join?
Fill
in the feedback form and click it to SVN.
Those
who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings
like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not
be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
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