KCF Engagement
KCF Engagement grant provides a unique opportunity for people who are passionate about working with children and youth to volunteer in KCF-funded projects that assist the neediest children and youth in communities in South Africa, China, and Thailand.
Host Projects
Our host projects are all run by committed local people. KCF has a long-term commitment to support them in their efforts to help children and youth in their own way. All the host projects have experience in working with volunteers from other cultures.
Dandelion School, Beijing, China
Dandelion school is the first and only government-approved charitable, non-profit middle school in Beijing providing equal access to quality education for children in Beijing from low-income migrant families.
Westbury Youth Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa
Westbury Youth Centre brings nonprofit agencies and skills development programs under one roof to create a one-stop-shop where young people can find a wide range of services and opportunities
Zero-to-Hero, Na Yom, Phetchabun Province, Thailand
The Zero-to-Hero Foundation collaborates with local government schools in the Na Yom Village, providing active learning for children in the local community.
Joy of Reading Children's Mobile Library, China
The Joy of Reading Mobile Library, in partnership with local public libraries, primarily serves internal migrant children in Hangzhou and Huzhou City in China.
Grant Rules
For a minimum of three weeks of on-site volunteering, the volunteer will be awarded a grant to cover the cost of a round-trip traveling to the host project.
In order to encourage volunteers to stay longer, a daily allowance, in addition to the travel expenses, will be offered to volunteers who work on-site for four weeks or longer.
Following a volunteer’s trip, KCF may also offer a small grant to the volunteer for providing remote support (e.g. follow-up consulting) to the local project team.
Additionally, we are open to discussing other collaboration possibilities with volunteers, such as group visits or on-site workshops.
Eligibility Requirements
In order to volunteer for a KCF-funded project, all volunteers must:
Be over 18-years-old.
Have a passion for working with children and young people.
Communicate fluently in English. The primary language of the program is English but knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin), or Thai is a plus where appropriate.
Have an open mind and willingness to learn, respect for local cultures and people, and strong collaboration and communication skills.
Additionally, KCF will require volunteers to submit a police record extract to ensure there is no obstacle to working with children or youth. Please find more information from Oikeusrekisterikeskus, or your own country’s police records office.
Grant Process
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Please send your CV and a description of your interests to: wen.wen@kone.com
You will be contacted by KCF if your application has passed an initial screening and you have been selected for an interview. This interview will either be held in person or via Zoom.
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KCF team facilitates a matching process, enabling volunteers and the host project to get to know each other and assess if they are a good fit. The matching will assess the needs and availability of the host project and the volunteer’s skills and expertise.
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Once volunteers and the host project get matched, volunteers are requested to participate in pre-trip collaborative planning workshop/s. Volunteers will work with the host project to set deliverable goals and create a plan for the trip and prepare for on-site activities.
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A grant decision requires that the volunteer, the host project, and KCF have agreed to the plans, goals, and other terms of the engagement and signed a related agreement.
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KCF will pay the grant and potential daily allowance to the volunteer in accordance with the terms of the Grant Agreement. KCF and the volunteer will stay in contact throughout the engagement, and at the end, the volunteer is expected to report on the progress of the engagement.
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Volunteers are required to complete a questionnaire and submit a written reflection/report to KCF after returning from a volunteer engagement trip.
KCF Engagement FAQs
Below is a list of frequently asked questions regarding the program and application. If your question is not listed below, please get in touch with wen.wen@kone.com.
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The type of volunteer work needed depends on the host project’s needs. Volunteers and the host project will work together to make a plan for the type of on-site work/activities to be undertaken.
Examples of previous on-site volunteer work:
Teaching English to children
Working with local teachers to implement pedagogical models
Offering teacher training to local teachers
Working with young people in the local community and helping them develop skills
Helping the project team to develop accounting and financial management skills
Conducting research on the local community
Helping host projects create connections with different local and overseas organisations
Planning and carrying out fundraising activities for host projects
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Accommodation, meals, and transportation options vary from project to project.
Some host projects provide volunteers with accommodation and meals. In other cases, volunteers need to provide themselves for accommodation, meals, and transportation. In the latter case, the host project team will assist volunteers in finding affordable and safe accommodation and provide suggestions for local food and transportation.
Volunteers and host projects will discuss the options at the pre-trip planning workshop.
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We require that volunteers purchase international health insurance. In addition, volunteers are also responsible for meeting the host country’s vaccination requirements (See the THL instruction).
Local project teams will provide close support and advice to volunteers when they work and travel around the local community. Participants are responsible, however, for their own health and safety.
We encourage applicants who have special needs related to health, culture, disability, or religious practices, to contact us to discuss whether their needs can be accommodated in our projects.
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In some cases, volunteers may need a visa to travel.
Volunteers are responsible for determining visa requirements, applying for visas, and paying related fees.
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Candidates have skills and knowledge that match the host project’s needs
Candidates have a clear idea about what they can offer to advance the development of a host project
We encourage those with any of the following skills and knowledge to apply:
Pedagogical practice and teaching (early education, primary and secondary school)
Special education
Teacher training
Child development
School management
Youth work
Library and information sciences
Nonprofit management and sustainability
Financial Management
Project planning and evaluation
Operations, partnership building, and advocacy
Fundraising
IT, coding, robotics, web development
Urban gardening
Community development
Media and communication
Entrepreneurship development
Welding
Other? (Tell us what)
KCF Engagement Volunteers’ Stories:
