On a budget?

Is your budget a little tighter than you’d like? Here are a few tips to help you realize your dream of volunteering in Armenia with AVC.

Consider the following for partial or even full funding of your Armenia experience:

www.samuelhuntingtonaward.org
The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award provides $30,000 stipends for a graduating college seniors to pursue one year of public service anywhere in the world. The award allows recipients to engage in a meaningful public service activity for one year before proceeding on to graduate school or a career.
http://www.iefa.org/scholarships/1846/Go!_Volunteer_Abroad_Scholarship
Anyone participating in a volunteer program abroad is eligible to apply for the GO! Volunteer Abroad Scholarship. Scholarships are awarded each year. The scholarship is awarded based on the creativity and analytical thinking displayed through writing samples and/or video submissions..
www.volunteerforever.com
This site periodically offers $500 – $1,000 travel scholarships.

Start Saving

Donations instead of presents: Is your birthday or Christmas coming up? Consider asking friends and family to contribute funds to your travel plans instead of buying you one more thing you don’t really need.

52-week challenge: During the first week of the year, save $1. During the second week, save $2. Keep adding a dollar each week so that during the last week of the year, you’re putting away $52. Even without interest, this adds up to $1,378 over the course of a year!

Alternative means of travel to conserve money: Put your gas-guzzler on hiatus, for the good of the planet and your pocketbook, aspiring volunteer! Do you cycle or ride a motorbike? How about walking to work? Why not? Some of our volunteers have tried these options in the understanding that every cent counts if they want to be able to finance their Armenia stays.

Fundraise

Try these fundraising platforms to convince potential backers of the merits of your volunteer trip to Armenia:

AVC volunteer Garo (2015, Canada) cycled to Armenia from England:

I cycled from London to Yerevan. It took approximately a month and a half. I set out on 1st August and arrived on or about the third week of September. The journey was long, more than 5219 km, but a lot of fun. I cycled through the following countries: Holland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Georgia and, finally, Armenia. There were some hills and mountains on my route but none that were insurmountable. I thought that the best way to end my journey was to take up work as a volunteer in Armenia. I am currently volunteering for COAF, teaching creative writing with English in a small village a few kilometers west of Yerevan. Once my work as a volunteer is complete, I hope to cycle back to London.

AVC volunteer Juane (2014, Spain) travelled to Armenia by motorcycle:

I did not think of volunteering in Armenia and then planned how to get there, it was rather the other way around. I was on a return motorbike trip to Central Asia and decided to stay in Armenia longer and volunteer with AVC. This means I did the trip twice, once in late spring and taking my time to stop in many places in Greece, Turkey and Georgia, and again in late autumn non-stop from Armenia to Spain. Before I left Spain, it took me five weeks to import my motorbike into the EU, arrange all the documentation and paperwork, buy some extra gear and service my motorbike for the trip.

Birthright Armenia volunteer Arnaud (2015, France) hitchhiked to Armenia:

I decided to travel to Armenia by hitchhiking for various reasons:
– To get out of my comfort zone
– To see the progressive change of culture
– The displacement of oneself
– Airplanes pollute
I left in early May because I wanted to have the weather on my side. I had also confirmed through which countries I could pass without a visa and I wrote in my notebook helpful information for each one of these countries: