Volunteering at CED
Vietnam has changed rapidly in recent years as it has transitioned to a lower-middle income country. These changes have brought about great progress and many benefits. Yet issues still remain, especially related to education and development. As such, the work of NGOs such as CED is crucial to help Vietnam to continue moving forward.
CED’s mission is to develop, test and expand breakthrough solutions to Vietnam’s toughest challenges in education and development. We work with a host of Vietnamese and international partners to implement a variety of projects on topics such sustainable forestry, young women in STEM and citizenship, amongst many others.
CED is made up of a core team of staff in Vietnam in addition to both Vietnamese and international volunteers. We are always on the lookout for talented individuals to join us, volunteer their time and support our work.
By volunteering with CED, individuals have the opportunity to experience the front lines of development and education in Vietnam. Most importantly, benefiting communities in need and changing lives is at the forefront of everything volunteers do.
Whilst no two days are the same, volunteers typically support CED in a number of ways, including:
- Developing proposals and reports
- Conducting research and collecting data
- Writing articles and newsletters
- Website development and support
- Managing social media channels
- Proofreading and revising documents
- Attending program events and meetings
- Teaching English
In return, volunteers have the opportunity develop their skill sets and competencies, make lifelong friends and gain valuable perspectives. Many individuals also find that a placement at CED is an excellent compliment to university and college studies, or other professional work experience.
Volunteers should be creative, flexible, proactive and have an excellent command of the English language. A minimum stay of three months is recommended in order to fully integrate into the office environment.
Overall, volunteering at CED is an extremely rewarding experience. Please click on the links below to see what our volunteers say about their time at CED.
What our volunteers say about their time at CED
Unforgettable experience at CED
One of CED’s core goals is to nurture the development of skills in the young people of Vietnam to support them in later life, be successful in their careers and personal goals, and realize their dreams. In many ways, volunteering at CED has also done this for me.
I volunteered at the organization over an 8 month period across 2018 and 2019. During this time I worked on a wide range of exciting and engaging programs spanning sustainable forestry, citizenship and civic education, sustainable cities, project-based learning and more. I was also fortunate enough to work with many of CED’s partner organizations including Microsoft, the European Union Food and Agriculture Organization, Aflatoun International and Learning Across Borders. Volunteering at CED has also developed my project management and leadership, communication and research skills, amongst others. No two days were ever the same and I was constantly learning and discovering new things.
Most importantly, I have made many lasting friendships and connections as a result of my placement. CED’s staff are extremely dedicated, passionate and welcoming. They were a pleasure to work with and truly opened my eyes to the development work going on across Vietnam.
Overall, I cannot recommend volunteering with CED highly enough. For anyone looking to gain experience in education and development across Vietnam and beyond, I cannot recommend a placement with CED enough.
An Important Organization in Hanoi
“I am currently volunteering with the Center for Education and Development in Hanoi. This organization is fantastic. Their focus on and science and environmentalism is so important, especially here in Vietnam, where attention to air and water quality is sometimes lacking. I also really love that the organization does so much for students across Vietnam in the form of scholarships and training sessions. CED really aims to help Vietnamese youth succeed and improve their country.
As a foreign volunteer, I have done a variety of tasks for CED: edited grant proposals and interviews, created guidebooks, introduced science and IT programs into schools, assisted with research on numerous topics, and more. I really appreciate the variety and pace of the work.
The staff – made up of permanent employees and volunteers – is so friendly, helpful, and accommodating. I have already formed great relationships with so many people. Overall I have really enjoyed my time with CED, and I am looking forward to continuing my work with them over the next couple of months!”
Valuable experience at CED
I did voluntary work at CED back in 2016. Had an amazing experience overthere. I came, just graduated as educational scientist, to CED with the hope to give and learn something. They gave me the opportunity to write new lessons and a useable handbook/handout for students and more. They took me with them on a trip, to see some of the organisational outcome by myself. My collegues were wonderful and I made some lifelong friends over there, or else they will stay in my heart forever. Next to that I learned a lot about myself right there, to be the person I want to be and to be open about my experiences and feelings. A new place, a place where you are different no matter what, is the best to find yourself and be connected on a deeper level. My birthday was the 29th of december together with an end of year dinner at CED, they gave me a wonderful birthday I will never forget!
Such a rewarding experience with CED
I was volunteer in Center of Education and Development for several months in 2015. During my volunteering, I organized different types of project such as summer camp with children or meetings with students from different countries to improve educational programs. All along my volunteering, I had a lot of things to do and the work atmosphere was really nice, all the people from CED are amazing !
If you think volunteering at CED could be for you, or would like more information, please contact us at: cedhanoi@ced.edu.vn