While Overseas


We hope that your time overseas will prove fruitful to you and your host community and that you will be supported by your sending organisation where your needs arise.

The support team at Comhlámh is made up of returned volunteers/development workers and we are always happy to hear from you. We would love to hear from you while you are overseas and if we can assist you with anything while you are away please let us know suzie@comhlamh.org

We will also be here for you when you return with a range of support services to make your transition home as smooth as possible.

We have lots of useful information on this website and on our sister website http://www.volunteeringoptions.org/ which might be of assistance to you while you are abroad:

- The Volunteer Charter
- The Code of Good Practice for Sending Organisation
- Information on Being Overseas
- Focus Magazine
- Index Magazine
- Resources including a library, video and audio clips

Why not sign up for our “e-link” while you are overseas? E-link is Comhlámh’s monthly newsletter which will keep you abreast of what’s happening in the development sector here in Ireland sign up now for FREE!

Also of possible interest to you or to your local colleagues is a new venture offered by Kimmage Development Studies Centre, KODE (Kimmage Open & Distance Education) offers a range of practical courses to development workers – particularly those working in the field at community level projects in Africa.  KODE has put in place a 'blended' learning package for students which include in-country workshops, specialized tutor support, a dedicated website to facilitate student communication and, essentially, full course material/content on CD. For more information check out www.kodeonline.com KODE will be launched in March 2009.

It may seem like a long way off, but it can be really helpful to think about your return before you actually arrive back on Irish soil. Check out the “Coming Home Section” a few months before you are due back. You probably did a lot of preparation for going overseas and it’s just as important to prepare for coming home.

Enjoy your time overseas, take good care of yourself!  “You never know how tall you are until your asked to rise”