VIA traces its origins to a 1963 group of Stanford students who saw volunteer work as an appropriate way to enter and better understand the non-Western world. Since its beginnings in the refugee settlements of Hong Kong, VIA has sent over a thousand volunteers to a wide range of assignments in Asia. VIA seeks volunteers who want to live and work in Asia not for financial gain, but rather to learn frm and contribute to a community overseas. Most volunteers are paid a local salary which covers basic living expenses.
Most volunteers teach English at the college level or in community organizations.
VIA remains a local rather than national organization. We recommend that prospectve volunteers meet VIA staff and volunteers during recruitment, and require that applicants interview in person in February. All volunteers must attend the VIA cross-cultural training sessions offered at Stanford and UC Santa Cruz from March to June. In addition to Staying Healthy in Africa and Latin America, VIA publishes the Appropriate Technology Sourcebook, an annotated bibliography of 1,100 resources on third world village technology. The texts of the books and pamphlets from the Appropriate Technology Sourcebook are available on microfiche.