The small overhead costs of under 3% consist of the following: Bank Fees, Postage Fees (as money has to be transferred and money has to be sent between countries and for communication with our donors), basic homepage fees, occasional costs that we might incur when evaluating a possible project.
Tsunami-HANDAID is a “Verein” and operates according to the Swiss “Vereinsrecht”, all our transactions (incoming funds and outcoming costs) are reconciled per calander year. The books are audited by an independant auditor. All records can be presented upon request.
Tsunami-HANDAID is not religiously nor politically based.
It has always been our goal to spend all the money raised in our projects and as little as possible in administration. We deliberately decided not to register with these organizations to avoid the costs involved. For example, registration with ZEWO costs several thousand francs ontop of a yearly membership.
Anyone under 18 years old or anyone with medical conditions or physical limitations cannot participate. Also, our volunteer group size is limited to 18 participants.
Yes, there will be a couple of free days for group excursions. You may extend your stay in the country after our volunteer program.
see sample volunteer program
If you have any physical limitation this experience would not be appropriate for you. You can help us out by organizing fundraisers in your home country.
The physical work CAN BE VERY STRENUOUS as it depends on the stage of building. We join the building project at any given stage.
A contact number in the disaster area and in Switzerland will be given to you prior to the trip.
The project manager or the volunteer leader.
Hotels and private houses.
We will have a coach taking us from the accommodation to the site. Depending on the area we are building in, transportation between accommodation and building site may take 15 to 45 minutes. Transportation will be organised.
Refer to the packing list once your participation is confirmed.
One can change currency at the airport upon arrival. One can also use bank cards, post cards and all the international credit cards.
Approximately CHF2400-2500 (see link to budget)
It depends on the country we are active in. Contact your doctor or a tropical institute near you.
This depends on your nationality and the country we are active in. Check out the official websites of the countries for visa regulations: For example Sri Lankan visa – http://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/
Participants should be at least 18 years old. There is no maximum age limit. One must be fit, as building with Sri Lanka HANDAID requires strenuous physical work under hot conditions.
Approximately 14 days, of which 10 days are dedicated to building and 2-3 days to travel and/or relaxation after the building phase. During Spring Break/Easter and/or European summer holidays.