Food
You will be served three delicious meals a day by the BRIF cook, giving you a
real flavour of local Bangladeshi cuisine. You may also like to bring along food
from your own country to prepare and share with your international team.
Do I need to be able to speak Bangla?
We would be very impressed if you could! The project co-ordinator speaks great
English as do many of the staff at BRIF - and those who don't love to try anyway!
Although most people in Bangladesh do not speak English, you should not find this
a problem during your project. However, we do ask that our volunteers are able to
speak English - but if you're reading this that's a very good sign!
What will it cost?
The programme fee is US$250. This will cover:
Full time project co-ordinator who will be on hand to help,
translate, and sort out any problems
You will also need to budget for your flight, your visa,
a small amount of spending money (everything here is very cheap), and enough to
cover any travel you plan to do afterwards.
Application procedure
It is helpful to apply as early as possible. This will give you plenty of time to
organise your vaccinations, visa, flights, etc. We recommend allowing 8 weeks
from the date of your application to the date of your placement.
Please complete the
volunteer application
form and email it back to us.
Alternatively, you can fax it or post it - see our
contact
details.
As soon as we have received your application, we will endeavour to match you with
your first choice of placement. If your first choice is already fully subscribed,
we will try to match you with your second or third choice:
please only state
second and third choices if you are happy to accept them. If we cannot place
you in any of your choices, we will contact you as soon as possible and try to
find a suitable arrangement.
Once we have fixed your placement, we will contact you immediately to confirm the
details. You are then advised to start organising your flight, vaccinations, visa
etc. We will send you an invitation letter which you will need to present to your
local Bangladesh embassy when you apply for your visa.
Payment
We do not even ask you to pay the placement fee until you have arrived! Please
bring the US$250 to pay on your arrival.
Further information
Before you come out to join us, we will send out a pack to provide everything you
need to know, including what to bring (and what not to bring!), currency,
information about Bangladesh, and full details about your placement. We will of
course also be on hand to answer any additional queries you may have.
Please
ensure we are able to contact you right up until you are due to arrive. This
will enable us to let you know any vital information if necessary. Our main means
of contact will be by e-mail.
Visas
Once we have accepted your application, we will send you an invitation letter
which you can use to get your visa.
Please refer to the guidelines from your
country's Bangladesh High Commission thoroughly, and allow enough time for your
visa application. Obtaining a visa is normally straightforward so long as you
include all the necessary documentation and the correct fee.
Please note:
it is not possible to get a visa at the airport in
Bangladesh. You must use the invitation letter plus all other applicable
documents as advised by your local Bangladesh High Commission to obtain an
official visa in your passport before you fly.
Cancellation
If you need to cancel for any reason,
please notify us as soon as
possible. This will give us a chance to enable a different volunteer to take
your place on the project.
