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What are the steps you need to take if you want to become a BUDDY volunteer:

fill in a simple form you can see above, so we know who we should talk to

send us a resume, so we know a little something about who you are

if you have not seen one of our presentations yet, come and join us - at the presentation we explain, what does it really mean to be a BUDDY in real life, we will introduce you to real BUDDIES - both volunteers and children who already left an orphanage and decided to share their stories publicly. If you should not be a BUDDY for some reason, you will most likely understand it at this event. Follow the web and facebook, when is the next presentation.

we will invite you for an interview, where we will have the chance to know each other better

if you pass and still want to move on, you will take a one day course giving you deeper knowledge of child psychology, education and legal aspects of the specific issues faced by children living in orphangaes

only at this point will we introduce you to children from orphanages depending on where you work and where you live and where the children actually live and attend school, so you will be able to meet the kid regularly. The introduction is made on a weekend (2 day) event - we sleep in libraries this year.

we introduce you to caregivers taking care of your BUDDY in the orphanage so the 2 of you can co-operate in the best interests of the child, not fight against each other.

you will set short-term and long-term goals with the care giver. These must be discussed not only between you and the care-giver but most of all with the child. You will record it in our simple app, so we will know what specific issue you need to be trained in. By providing us the information, we will organise the training you need.

you will have a coordinator working for our organization, who will take care of you. If you have any problem at all, just give her a call. All our coordiators are trained psychologists. If they cannnot provide the right answer for you, they sure can ask very senior professionals within our network. The coordinators will encourage you to meet with your BUDDY, to meet caregivers, to attend the trainings made specifically for your needs and to give us a one sentence information through our app that you have met.

once every month or two you will attend trainings or individual supervision with professional lecturers, who will help you understand why the child does what it does and how to react

otherwise you can spent time together however you choose, as long as both of you want to. Everything is strictly voluntary. Your relationship with your BUDDY is far more important than a curriculum you might want to stick to.

We understand you have not chosen to become a BUDDY to gain anything.

That is precisely why you will gain a lot:

complex self-development program

real impact on the life of your BUDDY

confronting a different world, you might not have known exists

improving a wide range of skills needed for your life (empathy, leadership, decision-making)

learning detailed real information about child and adult psychology (what is it that children really need and what if they do not get it)

gaining parental skills

life-long friendships

network of professionals and partners who advise you in a wide range of areas (accommodation, work, government, bureaucracy)

REQUIREMENTS

Each BUDDY makes some commitments:

meet with your BUDDY in person once a week

communicate with your BUDDY regularly through facebook, whatsapp, sms, e-mail or whatever way you BUDDIES may prefer

to be friends with your BUDDY not for 6 months, not a year or two, but for a life-time - we do understand you cannot plan everything in your life - but the basic intention and motivation for a relationship without time limit is crucial

not to be sentenced in a criminal proceeding

to be physically and mentally capable of being a BUDDY volunteer, to be mature and to have a job

comply with our ethical standards, live our BUDDY values, accept the children as they are, change them by example, not by force, power or manipulation

record your activities into our simple, easy-to-use app

attend regular trainings and supervisions

protect personal and confidential information about the children, not to publish their photographs at social networks, their names or the names of their families. It is up to them to decide whether or not they want foreigners to know where they came from, not up to you or us.

Every BUDDY volunteer must have a contract signed with us. The document protects the children from potential abuse of confidential information and sets the obligations we as an organisation have gained in our contracts with orphanages.