Volunteers must be over 21 years old, have some experience of voluntary, community or youth work and be able to participate in all aspects of the programme. They must be able to meet estimated £1,500 costs of a nine-week stay, which includes VSI fees, flights, innoculations, insurance, two workcamps and some travelling.

The next deadline for applications is next Monday, February 23rd. The first training weekend takes place at the end of February.

VSI also run a Latin America exchange scheme, a teenage workcamp and short workcamps in Europe and Morocco during the summer.

Contact: VSI, 30 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1 phone (01) 855 1011, fax (01) 855 1012, email vsi@iol.ie