Frequently Asked Questions by
Applicants Interested In AVSAR
Who: AVSAR is now recruiting anyone interested in
community service or international development opportunities in the nonprofit
sector in
What: AVSAR is a US-based nonprofit organization offering
structured volunteer and internship service opportunities in
Where:
When: AVSAR is now accepting applications for one-month
to twelve-month placements. AVSAR is now recruiting candidates up to April
2006!
Why? Because you’re looking
for an experience that could change your life.
About AVSAR:
AVSAR is a nonprofit organization based in the
The application
process is now open to undergraduate students, all medical students, public
health students, business students, software engineers, web designers, graphic
artists, and just about anyone else interested in community service and the
prosperity of
Please scroll down for answers to the
following questions:
Students will be expected to
work in this SERVICE-ORIENTED experience for six-seven days per week with
“light” Sundays and 2 vacation days per 4 weeks of service.
Projects are identified by AVSAR, its partner
nonprofit organizations, as well as previous volunteers. The following lists
are only a few examples of past and future opportunities and projects and
should not be taken as an exhaustive list of opportunities available.
Healthcare
A. Public Health for Medical
Students
Only available to those currently enrolled in medical
school at the time the application is submitted. Although AVSAR volunteers tend to
be utilized more in a Public Health capacity (due to language and cultural
challenges), those with medical training are encouraged to participate in
medical examinations in the slums of Mumbai alongside local physicians. Public
Health volunteers gain perspective on malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies,
tropical medicine, and other public health issues facing
Sites are primarily located in outpatient clinics.
The sites are “Western” educational settings, and most clinics tend to see a
broad spectrum of patients. There will be flexibility for the volunteer to
explore the various aspects of his or her partner nonprofit organization.
Volunteers will be encouraged to work in collaboration with their partner
organization on projects which require skills that the volunteer has to offer,
but more importantly… are needed by the organization. Please note this will NOT be a PURELY CLINICAL
EXPERIENCE.
Examples:
·
Conduct
medical check-ups on slum-dwelling children from an after school program.
·
Work
alongside local doctors in a clinic the treats the child laborer population.
·
Observe
and perhaps assist in the community OB/GYN and General clinics of a community
neighborhood organization.
B. Public Health ***
Design, implement, and/or evaluate Public Health
programs based on the needs of our partner NGOs. Skills from epidemiology to
health education contribute to the areas of possible service for AVSAR’s public
health volunteers.
Examples:
·
Design
an adolescent health and sex education program specifically designed for
adolescent males.
·
Establish
an inexpensive and practical hand-disinfecting protocol in clinics which lack
running water.
·
Create
a Pediatric HIV manual for local physicians and NGOs
·
Analyze
the nutritional data of an after school center for children of sex workers.
C. Dental Public Health
Experience
Assist local NGOs in building capacity for dental
hygiene for underprivileged children and their families. Work with local
corporations and dentists to procure donations, hold dental camps, and provide
health education on dental health.
Examples:
·
Create
health education/awareness modules for children in our various programs (dental
problems are the most common).
·
Liaison
with local dentists to conduct camps and follow-up for long-term continuity of
care.
·
Educate
children at afterschool programs about the importance
of dental health
D.
Research for Medical Students
Conduct research on an area of interest
approved by AVSAR’s administrative team based on the
needs of our partner NGOs (needs assessment of the health conditions of a local
community, research focusing on the efficacy of current treatment protocols,
etc.).
Examples:
·
Evaluate the common health problems among
slum-dwelling children in an after-school program.
·
Research the rates on anemia among adolescent girls.
·
Study why tuberculosis patients in a particular
treatment program stopped undergoing treatment.
Non-healthcare
A. Business management
Share business management skills and techniques with
partner NGOs. Many nonprofit organizations agree that improved business management
skills are needed in order to expand. They are unable to afford consultants and
are more than eager to utilize the skills of volunteers in this capacity. One
of the highest requests for volunteers comes for volunteers with business
skills and experience.
Examples:
·
Work
on the pricing/marketing/planning at an exhibition of an organization for women
and children with HIV/AIDS.
·
Help
an organization create an organizational budget for the next 5 years.
·
Work
with AVSAR to help build capacity of an international NGO.
B. Basic computer skills
instruction
Utilize computer skills to build the capacity
of the staff of partner NGOs. For example, one AVSAR volunteer noticed
that her partner nonprofit organization was spending a considerable amount of
time on simple mathematical calculations because they were using Microsoft Word
for all of their data entry needs. She then decided to hold training sessions
and teach the personnel how to use Microsoft Excel in order to significantly
increase the efficiency and accuracy of their work. The volunteer happened to
be medical student.
C. Web development
Assist with the development of websites for partner
NGOs. Since many people in
D. Creation of informational and
promotional materials
Help create training manuals, health education
brochures, or even promotional material for a partner NGO. Volunteers can help
create informational and educational brochures for specific programs (micro-credit,
adolescent health and sex education, basic personal hygiene, HIV/Aids, etc.).
E. Marketing and PR
Many NGOs need assistance with the creation of
promotional materials, brochures, power point presentations, and more in order
to raise awareness about their organization. Our partner NGOs
have often expressed the need for volunteers that can help them create a
marketing plan to improve awareness to the constituency and funders
alike.
F. Creation of systems
Develop systems for greater efficiency in the
documentation process. Volunteers have helped create effective and efficient
documentation for record-keeping, patient registration, patient encounter
forms, inventory of medications, etc. By using these as templates and modifying
them for a new partner organization, volunteers can make an impact which makes
a difference. Volunteers can also create new documentation to replace other
hand-written tables and protocols currently being used by a partner
organization.
G. “Inspiration by Illustration”
Expand a partner organization’s network of support. AVSAR
volunteers are often an inspiration to those around them. An AVSAR
volunteer recruited the assistance of the owner of a small but impressive custom-made
furniture company to help with the creation of a new clinic. The owner was so
inspired by the dedication of the volunteer that he continues to provide his
skills, expertise, and services at no profit to himself. Another bridge was
made when the volunteer recruited the help of a Managing Director who heads a
large construction company. The company ended up provided its services for
free. Work hard and inspire someone today.
As a selected participant of
AVSAR you will be expected to keep a daily journal and meet with the
administrative team bi-weekly reflection sessions and topic discussion. Volunteers
may also be expected to participate in peer-topic sessions in which the
volunteers teach each other about health or social issues facing the
communities in which they work. At the end of the experience, volunteers will
also be expected to incorporate their experience into a summary sheet about
their partner NGO in order to allow future volunteers the ability to have a
faster orientation to the organization. While the time spent with a partner NGO
during the day is often the most interesting time for a volunteer, the
capacity-building and value of their service to the community often becomes
apparent through the work they do outside of their “day work.” This may include
research on health topics or treatment regimens, program design, creating of educational
modules or multimedia presentations, networking for the NGO, etc. The time spent during this experience is
often very short, so we hope to recruit volunteers who are excited about having
an intensive service-oriented experience. As an AVSAR volunteer, you will be an
“ambassador” and represent previous and future volunteers. Overall, as an
organization serving the needs of passionate volunteers, we take pride in
making your experience as inspirational as possible. Although all applicants
are volunteers, we expect them to work with AVSAR and partner NGOs with the
commitment and attitude of a full-time employee. Further information, policies,
and procedures regarding roles and responsibilities will be reviewed before a
volunteer enters the program.
As an AVSAR Alumnus, you will
be asked to make a presentation regarding
your experience at a location of your choice (high school, college, medical
school, Public Health school, local community meeting, church, or possibly at a
national conference such as the AAPI
National Conference, the AMSA
National Conference, the IFMSA – USA
National Conference, etc.). The presentation may be in the form of an oral,
multimedia, or even a poster presentation. Additionally, as AVSAR Alumni are
located in various parts of the world, you may be asked to help host a
fundraiser, arrange a table at a career fair, or help promote AVSAR in your own
community.
There are many opportunities to conduct research through an AVSAR rotation. The
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) which we partner with often have the
ability to collect a great deal of data, but are unable to afford the expertise
of a skilled professional to analyze the data. Therefore, there are many
opportunities to work with a partner NGO on an existing, or a new, research
project.
We can confidently say that
other such programs are unavailable.
A.
The founder of AVSAR was a
B.
Comprehensive orientation and support throughout your
experience- During
this month of service to the community, we make every effort to ensure that you
have all of the resources you will need to make the experience as trouble-free
as possible. This includes:
a. airport pickup
b. pre-arranged accommodations
c. language training (through
books, tutors and packets made by previous volunteers)
d. peer education sessions
e. orientation to the city and
its public transportation system
f. discussions about cultural
barriers and medical practices
g. presentations from
inspirational NGOs
h. discussions about your role
as a volunteer during this month of community service
i.
options for
transportation (hired car)
j. options for communication
(mobile phone rental)
k. group support – your peers
will be your backbone during this experience
l. local support by AVSAR’s staff and affiliates
C.
Inspirational partner NGOs – We make every effort to place
our volunteers with NGOs that are doing meaningful work. Although resources are
often limited for the NGOs, they continue to provide much-needed services in
impoverished communities.
Long-term partnerships of
service.
A.
To
foster a sense of partnership and collaboration between the NGO and the
individual with a goal of creating long-lasting bonds for continued support;
B.
To
connect a population of motivated individuals having professional skills with
passionate grass-roots organizations who are promoting positive change and
reform within
C.
To
bring increased health services to developing communities in
D.
To
promote an experience of personal and professional growth for all parties
involved;
Great emphasis
is placed on trying to provide a quality experience for all of the involved
parties. Since very few (if any) such programs exist in
Yes. While the majority of
applicants tend to be of
Yes and
no.
Yes – Your participation is
considered to be of great value to these areas. Our hope is to provide the
professional skills needed for these NGOs to accomplish tasks that will
otherwise be left undone. Also, clinics can get overwhelmed at times with
patients (especially during general health-camps, eye check-up camp, etc…) and
your assistance in evaluating patients will be valuable. You will also find
that suggestions which you make regarding alternatives in patient treatment,
general care, or even administration, will be appreciated and truly considered.
On a bigger scale, you would be part of the growing effort to bring wide-scale
international support to
No – You shouldn’t come
expecting to “save
If you are a student (medical student or MPH student)
applying for this elective, you will be asked to investigate the possibility of
receiving school credit for this rotation. Most medical schools allow one
international health experience to count as school credit towards graduation.
Most MPH programs require you to do a certain number of hours of field work;
and oftentimes students use this opportunity to work internationally. We have
gone through this before, and we will provide all of the necessary paperwork
needed to make this part of the application as easy as possible.
Yes. Physicians should not be practicing medicine
without direct supervision by a physician who is licensed to practice in
Recruitment will be carried out through the AVSAR
listserv (join by sending a blank email to AVSAR-subscribe@yahoogroups.com),
as well as through emails sent out by our supporting team of organizations.
You can simply click on the
following link and download the latest E-bulletin and then email it to your
friends and colleagues:
http://www.goyalmd.com/Download/Challenge_Yourself_Through_Service_In_INDIA.doc
In order to fulfill the objectives of the elective, a
site must carefully be selected to ensure that the elective will be of maximal
benefit to both the community and the student. The criteria for site selection
include:
a.
A grass-roots
organization or institution with a strong reputation in the community
b.
An environment
that is conducive to hands-on participation with maximum opportunity for
collaboration with local community
c.
An organization
which has the need for skilled professionals
Please click on Application
link on the homepage for details.
*PLEASE
NOTE THAT THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
ALSO, IT MAY NOT BE THE MOST ACCURATE REFLECTION OF AVSAR’S VISION,
Meenakshi
Verma, MPH
Program Director, AVSAR
+1
775 854 4637 Fax
+91 9820888974 Mumbai
+1 404 259 0321
info@goyalmd.com
http://www.avsarindia.org/ (or http://www.goyalmd.com/)
MSN Messenger and AOL Username: AVSAR