Workers Sought For Jobs Abroad

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30155, 12 June 1963, Page 2

Workers Sought For Jobs Abroad

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, June 11

A call for volunteer workers to go overseas to help Pacific and South-east Asian countries with their social and economic development was made today by the chairman of Volunteer Service Abroad, Professor C. C. Aikman.

Speaking at an English Speaking Union luncheon. Professor Aikman said his organisation aimed to promote friendship and understanding between New Zealand and other countries which needed volunteer workers to help in their development Starting as a student volunteer scheme, the movemeat now had Government backing in as much as the Government had accepted responsibility for meeting administrative expenses and would probably pay the fares of volunteers going overseas So far. about 100 people had volunteered for service with the organisation They would be expected to live among the people with whom they were working, and to live in similar conditions Though much valuable work had been done by New Zealand experts under the Colombo Plan, most of these people, as experts, had been fairly well paid and had lived overseas in conditions which had tended to limit their social contacts with local peoples Volunteers, on the other hand, were expected to make greater social contacts because their standard of living would be lower The scheme was not limited to students Or to particular age groups, but high standards would be expected Those who were selected would be given some introduction to the language of the country to which they would be sent, together with information of local customs

They would be given a living allowance at local rates together with an additional £5 a week to enable them to buy the type of food they were used to In addition, provision would be made to pay them a repatriation allowance based on their length of service overseas.

which was expected to be a minimum of two years, said Professor Aikman.

Some volunteers were being sponsored by organisations, and it was hoped this system ivould be taken up by communities Rotary, for example, was sponsoring four New Zealanders and one Thai to visit villages in Thailand to carry out repairs to tanks, water supplies and sewage systems

This group, said Professor Aikman, would contain people able—because of the extraordinary versatility of New Zealanders —to cover every type of skill.