Fidesco USA
Goal of Program
FIDESCO USA recruits volunteers, ages 21 and through 68 (for a two year mission) or 69 (for a one year mission), who are US or Canadian citizens or legal residents. The mission comes to a mandatory end on the eve of the volunteer's 70th birthday. They are trained and sent (including families whose children will attend grades 4 and 5 or lower grades during the mission), in groups of two or more, to under-served areas of the world for typically two years. The volunteers make their professional skills available to those in need, aiming at the full development of human beings without regard to religion, ethnic or culture differences.
Type of Placement
Accounting | Business & Administration | Agriculture, Agronomy & Animal Husbandry | AIDS Ministry | Arts & Music | Building Trades & Construction | Child Care & Day Care | Communications & Public Relations | Community Organizing, Outreach & Development | Computer Programming & Data Entry | Cook, Housekeeping & Domestic Services | Counseling | Education | Elderly Outreach | Environmental | Evangelization | Fund Raising, Grant Writing & Development | Gardening & Groundskeeping | Health Care | Hispanic Ministry | Housing Issues, Shelter Staff & Group Home | Immigration & Refugee Services | Lawyer, Legal Aide & Paralegal | Library Science | Maintenance, Mechanic & Repair | Maternal & Infant Care | Mental Health | Migrant Worker Ministry | Parish Ministry & Pastoral Counseling | Peace & Justice Advocacy | Prison Ministry | Recreation, Camp Counseling & Coaching | Religious Education & Retreat Work | Social Services & Poverty Relief | Social Work | Soup Kitchen & Food Distribution | Therapist (Physical, Speech, etc) | Transportation (Driver, Pilot, Etc) | Tutoring & Literacy Programs | Youth Ministry | Dentist | Black/African American Ministry | Asian American Ministry | Engineering | Deaf Ministry | Nonviolence and Conflict Resolution | Mentoring | Disabilities Ministry | Performing Arts | Domestic Violence Ministries
Service Area
Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Caribbean, Pacific.
Service Length
Typically 1 to 2 years
Requirements
College degree or equivalent or applicable experience. Attend FIDESCO discernment & training sessions. Able to travel and live abroad. US citizen/resident with green card or Canadian citizen/resident.
Financial Arrangements
Room and Board | Stipend | Medical Insurance | Transportation | Loan Deferment/Forbearance
Living Arrangements
As the minimum, individual bedrooms for singles. We find special accommodations for families and couples.
Training
A spring discernment weekend, then video/teleconference training over 2 months, and a summer week training in France with all FIDESCO volunteers (from all nations) going on mission after the training.
Application Deadline
Applications accepted through March for annual summer send-off after summer training in France.
Address
559 Pelham Manor Rd
Pelham Manor VA, 10803
Phone: 703 260-1904
Website
http://www.fidescousa.org
Primary Contact
Rosemary
Affiliations
An apostolate of the Emmanuel Community, which is an international public association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right under Roman Catholic Canon Law.
Secondary Contacts
Rosemary Leblond