On the 15th July 2013 chartered accountant Claire Downie, an Audit Senior at PwC, travelled to Vietnam to coach the staff at HSCV (Humanitarian Services for Children in Vietnam), in doing so she became our 400th volunteer. A remarkable milestone when you consider the organisation was founded in 2009.  
 

AfID’s volunteer accountants have now provided over 65,000 hours of support to 256 charities and grassroots community organisations in 37 countries. Key contributions such as internal audits, budget creation, monitoring and evaluation, financial reporting training and the implementation of controls help to increase the financial sustainability of these organisations and allow for the continued financial support from their donors. For example if a women's refuge in Cambodia doesn’t have the financial capacity to manage its limited income effectively it might have to turn away vulnerable women and children. Similarly, if a health clinic in rural Sierra Leone cannot provide clear and transparent financial reports to its donors, funding will be halted and might be withdrawn altogether. 
 

AfID’s founder Neil Jennings was quick to pass on his thanks to each one of the 400 volunteers.

 

 “On behalf of everyone at AfID and all our charity partners we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our volunteers for their tremendous efforts; they have truly made a lasting and positive impact to some of the world’s most worthwhile organisations.”

 

AfID has had a very diverse demographic of volunteers, ranging in institute, nationality, age and gender. 

 

A Broad range of Ages

 

There has in fact been a 50 year age variation between the oldest (73) and our youngest (23) volunteers, showing that all ages are welcome and have the capability to add enormous value. 

 

Male vs. Female Ratio

We are very pleased to announce that the gender difference in volunteers is very slight, with men just edging ahead on 53 per cent compared to the 47 per cent of female volunteers. AfID is proud to say that over the next couple of weeks 200 female volunteers will have shared their skills and experience with our partners.

 

Out of 20 global institutes the ICAEW leads the way with 36% of AfID volunteers being members. This is closely followed by CIMA qualified volunteers, who contribute to 28% of the total. The top-five is completed by ICAS, ACCA and CIPFA. The five institutes that complete the top 10 are CPA Australia, AAT, CA Ireland, CA Australia and CIOT.

 

30 Different Nationalities

 

Volunteers have also come from all over the world; the 400 includes accountants of 30 different nationalities. The top-four nationalities outside of the UK are Australian, American, Canadian and Irish. German and Polish volunteers are tied in fifth place.

Country Destination Popularity

 

In terms of destination, the most sought after country to visit is Cambodia. The rest of the top-five consists of all African countries: Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and Kenya. Our newest countries are Myanmar and China. Watch this space for somewhere new soon.

 

With more charities requesting the support of volunteers each week it is clear there is still an enormous need for accountants right across the sector and AfID are keen to hear from any accountants that wish to share their skills and experience in this way. 
 

AfID’s next milestone is 500 volunteers. If you would like to find out more about volunteering and help us reach this figure contact AfID on info@afid.org.uk or phone +44 (0)208 741 7000.