Frequently Asked Questions

Q; As director of an IHF center, should I email my soon-to-be-arriving volunteers to see if they have any questions?
A; Yes, this is a good idea, though all volunteers are given the contact details of the center director where they will be volunteering and are encouraged to make contact themselves. This reassures the director, that the volunteer is willing and reliable if they initiate the contact to confirm their arrival at the center.

Q; How many pre trip hours do potential center directors need to complete before at the center?
A; All center directors must complete a minimum of 20 pre trip hours. This prepares them for the workload at the center and shows IHF their commitment to work.

Q; Do staff and directors get the same days off as local volunteers on dates such as public holidays?
A; No staff and directors do not take these days off. They must divide the shifts amongst themselves to ensure that all is done at the center. Many children live at our centers and not all of them go somewhere for the holidays so someone must always be working at the centers.

Q; Are all the living costs at IHF centers for long term volunteers who stay 6 months or longer?
A; The first 3 months you have to pay the living cost but after that you don't. If at first time you want to volunteer for 6 months but there is an urgent thing so you should leave the center and you can only stay for 5 months, you have to pay the living cost for 5 months, before leaving.

Q; Is it OK to work well over 8 hours a day since there is always so much to get done?
A; It is extremely important you do not burn yourself out from a work overload. Please be sure to take your 3 day weekend each month and your day off each week. Try and keep your 8 hours a day, 10 hours max and do not exceeded this or you will run out of steam.

Q; Is it possible for me to live outside of the center, in my own home if I am applying as Co- Director?
A; We demand our co director to stay in the center especially where we have our children stay with us in the center, because it will make our children feel safe as they have somebody taking care of them. Sometimes an exception can be made, but this must be approved by Carol first.

A; As a director how much do I get paid after coming to an IHF center? Is it enough to stay there and afford my all expenses?
Q; We can not afford to pay salary, we only pay stipend.  It is enough to buy living expenses at the normal, local price. Stipend is paid in cash after the centre recieves the budget for the month.

Q; As center director, should I personally contact and encourage volunteers who have expressed an interest in coming to the IHF center I direct?
A; Yes, this personal touch makes volunteers feel more assured and supported in their volunteer, which will make them more likely to come.

Q; At IHF centers which are also orphanages, can all staff take the same day off, such as Sunday?
A; No, staff must work out their days off, so somebody is working every day of the week.

Q; Who should center directors inform when a volunteer arrives at their center?
A; Please inform the Travel Team <gro.enilnofhi@levart>, Donated Hours <gro.enilnofhi@sruohdetanod> and Coordinating <gro.enilnofhi@gnitanidrooc>.

Q; Is there a separate Manual that the directors can read, so they completely understand their tasks?
A; Yes. This outlines the duties of a director and must be carefully read on arrival or prior to arrival so tasks are fully understood.

Q; As center director should I get in contact with those long term volunteers who have applied to come for a year or more?
A; Yes, if a volunteer makes this kind of commitment they should know as much information as they can about the center and they probably have many questions to ask. Please get email address of volunteers arriving at your center from the Travel Team.

Q; As all centers collect a copy of volunteers passports when they arrive at the center, once the volunteer has left should these copies of passports be destroyed?
A; Yes, as long as you have sent it to gro.enilnofhi@atad.ffats for co-director/staff and to gro.enilnofhi@3lagel for at center volunteer.

Q; As center director, should I contribute to keeping sponsors up to date about their sponsor child's birthday?
A; Sponsors love communicating with someone who knows the child personally. So though Childwatch is required to keep tabs on all the childrens birthdays and remind sponsors, if a sponsor contacts you please ensure you help them out. In addition, it is of utmost importance that every month children’s sponsor letters be sent to sponsorletters team by the 21st of each month, so that team can edit and sent to sponsors by the 2nd of each month. No centre is sent money unless sponsorletters confirms that all letters have been sent out to sponsors.
If a child or a sponsor writes an in-between letter this should be forwarded from sponsorletters to Centre Directors within 24 hours. It is sponsorletters responsibility to follow up with the centre director for a reponse.

 

Q; What are the rules when directors are emailing any information concerning the children at IHF center's?
A; Any email concerning one of Carol's children must be copied to her.

Q; As center director, how do I manage how the children use the internet?
A; While it is important children use the internet to help update their center's web page, it is extremely important directors are careful about any emails they are sending with sensitive or private information that the children do not have access. This includes the names of sponsors or any information like that.

Q; As a center director how do I maintain the center's maintenance needs and budget for this?
A; Send in a report about your maintenance needs and budget updates to <gro.enilnofhi@sgnidliub> and copy the finance team at gro.enilnofhi@ecnanif. Send this in monthly so your centers needs can be addressed in the monthly wire that is sent out.

Q; How do I ensure the monthly wire is sent each month to my center?
A; The wire with each months money for the center is only sent once the director has confirmed that ALL sponsor letters have been sent for the month, as well as weekly and daily reports completed. Your monthly wire is only sent once YOU confirm this with Andi at moc.loa@ogeidsidna.

A; We only authorize a trusted director or co-director to handle finances, but everyone in the center always knows what the money is spent on. Finance report should be attached on the PDW every week. Our San Diego office will send the budget once in a month to the center account. Our co directors work on the budget and make sure everything is enough for the budget they have for a month.

A; You must read aloud with the volunteer and collect the signed MOU, a photocopy of their passport, and their accomodation money within 24 hours of their arrival or they will be asked to leave. Accomodation money can be in US dollars or the local currency.

Q; What happens if a staff does not send in their daily donated hours or weekly team reports?

A; The finance penalties team should track and charge $5 a day penalty for any staff who does not send in their daily hours or weekly team reports on time.

 

Q; Which reports incur a penalty if late and how often must I send them and what are  their related mailboxes?
A; Submitted monthly:

1. Sponsor Letter  gro.enilnofhi@srettelrosnops
2. Newsletter  gro.enilnofhi@rettelswen
3. Yearly Budget (the monthly budget request)  gro.enilnofhi@tegdubylraeY

Submitted weekly, due on Sunday:
1.  Team reports: gro.enilnofhi@tropermaet
2. Supervisors/ Coordinators report: gro.enilnofhi@srednimerS-C
3.  Volunteer Money Report: gro.enilnofhi@yenomsreetnulov
4. Project report:: gro.enilnofhi@stropertcejorp

5. Awards: gro.enilnofhi@sdrawa
6. Needs: gro.enilnofhi@sdeen
7. Gifts: gro.enilnofhi@stfig
8. Special thanx: gro.enilnofhi@sknahtlaicepS:
9. Finance Report: due every 8th, 15th, 22nd and end of the month.gro.enilnofhi@stroper.ecnanif
Please cc gro.enilnofhi@seitlanep whenever submitting any of the above reports, even if simply: ‘There are no award nominations this week.’
Every day a report is late will incur a penalty of US$5/day so please do not forget to send them. A spreadsheet is used by the penalties team to track submission of reports by division supervisors.

 

Q; Can a center be given its monthly money if they have not sent in their proposal for how they plan to use it first for review and acceptance?
A; No. Centres must always send first:
    -    A statement of all reports sent in the past month and if any were late. 
    -    Written statement that all sponsor letters have been sent.

 

Q; Can a Director be fired for not sending in sponsor letters or for not doing their international teams properly?
A; If a Director does not send in their reports/letters in on time, their stipend will not be paid until the next month, and on top of this the $5 late penalty will be subtracted.
If all their task teams are not opened daily and mailboxes kept at the very least a B level, they are sent warnings and suggestions to improve their team. If after much effort they still do not improve, they will be replaced.

 

Q; Can a volunteer/staff do less than 4 international hours a day and then do the remaining hours the next day or at a later date?
A; No, unless they are sick or physically unable to work. If there is a problem with the internet, volunteers/staff are must find an internet café or similar. The reason for this is that their donated hours becomes hard to track and a mess.

Q: The roof is leaking, may I repair it?

A: No roof can't be left leaky for even a week. To not fix an urgent problem like leaks, will cost many thousands of dollars more because of the damaged that will be caused. Urgent attention and highest priority should be given for the fixing and repair of leaks.

Q. what is required to be sent as special thanx report?

A. Special thanx requires that directors send in reports thanking anyone who has donated gifts/money over $200.

Q. What is the due date for sponsor letters?
A. All sponsor letters are due to gro.enilnofhi@srettelrosnops by the 21st of each month.

Q.If these children are not attending any of our classes, as per terms of the TEP Program, what do we do with these sponsorships?
A. We do not give TEP money where we don't teach English.The children should be learning English so they can communicate with sponsors and the world to strengthen world leadership skills and get friends around world. The classes should be started with the TEP money.

Q. What are the various legal and ethical issues need to be addressed by various centers located at different countries?

A. Legal Issues are largely bounded by the country and its regulations, where the centre is located  IHF prepares various financial reports, government reports and other reports of equal importance which are all bounded by the norms of the country.

some of the broad issues related to ethics are that our director of the centers should follow such as no smoking in the center or near the center, no drinking in the center or near the center, no sex in the center.

 Carol will interfere once there is an issue regarding above. No one can take decision regarding IHF children but Carol (the founder). If we cannot reach Carol then DEC (gro.enilnofhi@3ced) will deal with the issue.

 
Q.As many children left our centre and went to visit their families during holidays most of them will come back by May. What will we do with sponsor letters of April as we won't be able to send them all?
A. You will write your regular monthly template to send to the sponsors with the letters of the children that remain at the home during the school holiday. For the others, you will write a template to the sponsors explaining that the children are away on holiday and that they will be returning in May.You will not be held accountable for those letters from the children that are away on holiday.

Q. As at the moment more than half children went to visit their families as they are having holidays, should we still keep giving English classes at the centre as it wouldn't be ease to encourage children to come?
A. Let attendance know vacation period from date to date.

Q. it states that I am allowed 4 weeks paid holiday a year. Do the 4 weeks have to be taken off together or is it possible that I could take 2 two-week vacations per year?
A. You can take two weeks after you work with IHF for 6 months.

Q.  There are different sets of sponsor letters (class and children).Based on this is the latest date used to calculate the penalty? Also, does the penalty carry over to the following month if they weren't deducted for the preceding month?

A. Yes the latest date is used to calculate the penalties, as that was the date that the last letter was received. Also, those penalties which were not deducted for a particular month will be carried over to the following month.

Q. Are any classes currently held in Bali?  Or, does the monthly TEP money just go towards the school fees for the children there? 

A. We do not give TEP money where we don't teach English and the children are not learning to communicate with their sponsor.The English classes that have been stopped with the teacher have to begin again if we are doing TEP.
The children on TEP must have English classes so they can email with sponsor and world to strengthen world leadership skills and friends around world , thus their country and their community and their future.This rule is true for all centers and TEP.

Q. What are the rules regarding team reports?
A. If anyone is late a day to send their weekly reports they have penalty. Every single day late they incur a penalty of  US$5 penalty/day for any report that is late.The reports that incur this penalties are, team reports,finance,volunteer money, needs,gifts,calendar,project report,needs,awards and special thanks.No single person is exempt from this rule.

A. Send the Vmoney report to volunteer money and Titim and Carol asking permission for using the volunteers money within 24 hours. Be sure that all volunteers money or any other money may never be spent by any centre without prior detailed permission from Carol or Titim and finances, dec2 and penalties teams always copied. Always use volunteers donated money with prior permission from Carol <gro.enilnofhi@ikasasmlorac>, or Titim <gro.enilnofhi@gnitanidrooc> and finance team <gro.enilnofhi@secnanif>, dec2 <gro.enilnofhi@2ced> always copied. 

Q. What should be done when a new volunteer or staff arrives at a center?
A. The following is the standard procedure to follow,

• Record the names of Arrivals and time and date and manner of transport to center.
• Note if they had difficulty getting to the center.
• Read the Mou aloud with them and receive payment.No exceptions to this rule.
• Give them their survey if they did not already fill the preserical one out please include this ,otherwise please just give them the " our first week  at the ihf Center one and ask them to please tell you of any problems as you want their stay to be very wonderful for them.
• Please be sure they have turned into your locked office files, their signed copy of the Mou and waiver and visa entry number all always have,  and passport number we legally must have. Be sure to email this into staff volunteer data. 
  
• Be sure to register them with police also in those centers where this is required .
  
• Please be sure they are given a tour of the center and of the surrounding communities and places and introduced to students and staff present  the following day.
• Please be sure to have the name and number and address of two relatives in case of accident and need for surgery.
  
• If a work study at center volunteer , not Voluntourist,  be sure they have given you a copy of their pre hours work certificate and a copy of the four or more teams assigned by ttp , or if staff given by hiring.
• Please help work study students to do their first donated hours report always so they understand how the daily report works.
• Be sure they understand clearly the four international hours are required daily. Any director that suggests they lie and not do their full hours at good quality,  is immediately to be fired of course. Please be sure they understand who the directors of their teams are, and understand the directions. If they don't please help them to do so. All work study volunteers will need your help understanding their international teams. They will need not just the help of their team directors, but also yours. Because you are there with them you can be of much help to them in getting started and feeling at ease. 

• If new Staff, please be sure they have been given the staff manual and have signed and given you our hiring and during policy for your locked files along with passport and visa numbers. Please be sure they understand they are paid a stipend that comes from outside the center budget for the international work they do daily four hours and must keep at a quality level of B or A once they learn their teams.

• With work study and with new staff, Please discuss class teaching and have materials ready for them to read. Be sure they teach the first classes with you or another English speaking staff before teaching alone. Be sure they understand they will be teaching two classes daily either on their own or with a teacher depending on the situation and needs. Have you arranged this before their arrival and told the students of their coming? Please be sure to do so and have the students make them a welcome card.  
  
  
• If Voluntouristsl please be sure their private room and suronditioning is working. All voluntourist rooms see private with survonditioning that we yet to not ever have over used. Please be sure the private room has curtains and chair and table and a place to hang clothes and store items such as sweaters books and toiletries. ALWAYS have a case and flowers beside the bed and welcome card from children on their pillow. Be sure their sheets and blankets and towel see clean. Be sure their bathroom is working and very, very clean at all times.
• 
  For both Voluntourists and work study please be sure you have an active and detailed list of all the activities you need the volunteers at your center to work on along with items needed to do as well organized. This is printed out to them along with a suggested timetable and copied to gro.enilnofhi@gniniartv :   
  
• 
  Be sure Voluntourists and work study both know the sights to be seen around them for their free times during this particular time they see at our center various vermonies take place at various times of year and sightseeing and other activities very widely depending on time of year. Please discuss this with them along with what day they might be taking as their day off and  print this out for them and also email a copy to gro.enilnofhi@gniniartv    
  
  
• Please arrange for the children to dance or sing or greet all in some welcoming way and for them to learn about their country and culture and arts a bit from the children during this. Please arrange for the children to teach them basic culture dos and donts and words during this greeting session also. We always do a childrens greeting session. It means a lot and is very important for the children also so they teach about their tribes and country and culture and feel pride

• Please discuss with them how they can help  when they get home and give them our posters and brocheres they can pass out to hotels and sites they visit while traveling or use when back home by printing them out when we email them upon their return. Give them a copy of the goodbye survey they will be given before leaving and the back home and reflecting survey they will be given and explain we are always eager to improve and they can help us do this because we have so much work to do and yet all volunteer. So don't want to lose any good volunteers, and want to be sure they treasure this experience. 
  

• Let's make this time one of the best memories of their lives. Please explain again to them why we need their help on international teams if they are work study so we don't have complaints about the task they simply must do and will never change. Please be sure they understand the importance of the many tasks at the center as the other most frequent complaint is " we say seepind with no schedule and nothing to do and what we did do didn't seem important to the children or community so we felt we were wasting our time". It is so sad to read this comment when each center has so very very much work to be done always! make it clear to your new arrival the time table and all the tasks needing them and why they are important.

Q. The waiver of liability, isn't that just for volunteers and directors to fill out?  Or is it staff as well?
A.Waiver of liability for anyone who work/visit/volunteer at our center. There is not exception. Yes, the form is the same as for volunteer.

Q. What is the format for sending in report for volunteer money?
A. V$ Tracking Form Report

Center:
1. Name of the volunteer:
    Work study volunteer/ Voluntourist:
  (A)  Paid $ upon arrival ( date ) , receipt sent copying the volunteer, donated item, photo,  and receipt sent copying gifts donations team ( date )
  (B)  Carol gave written permission for money and donations usage ( date) 

Q. I don't understand this sentence Carol gave written permission for money and donations usage ( date), Do I assume that we have permission?
A.Yes, we should ask permission from Carol or DEC to use the donation money from volunteer. We can not use the money without the permission

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