ATD Fourth World International Volunteer Corps members make a long-term commitment to working alongside families living in extreme poverty and are involved in projects both in the UK and overseas.

Members of the Volunteer Corps agree to live on the same basic wage and make themselves available to go where their expertise and skills are needed the most. Families, couples and individuals of all ages, from a variety of backgrounds and with an assortment of practical skills and qualifications, make up this diverse group of dedicated, full-time workers.

There are a number of steps to becoming a Volunteer Corps member, the first of which is involvement in ATD Fourth World projects here in the UK. Taking part in our activities and programmes at either the National Centre in London or Frimhurst Family House offers a practical introduction to the philosophy, approach and work of ATD Fourth World and is an opportunity to learn from families and children with experience of poverty and social exclusion.

“I was drawn to the ATD Fourth World Volunteer Corps by the importance that is placed on a commitment to fighting injustice or wanting things to change over what qualifications and experience you had. What I have learned about the families’ lives and how they are judged and viewed by society has stayed with me and been reinforced by my experiences in other countries,” says Sarah Kenningham. “For ten years my husband and I have held a variety of different responsibilities in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Philippines. Our activities have ranged from reading books to children on the street in languages we don’t speak and meeting politicians and civil servants in national and international institutions to facilitating arts and craft workshops, analysing and modifying proposed legislation and just being there for people when they need us.”

Below are articles about getting involved in the UK. To discover profiles of Volunteer Corps members in other countries, please click here.