Many of us remember their first day abroad as one of the most interesting yet challenging days in our lives; embarking on a new journey yet having tons of questions and concerns and above all the feel of being a stranger. Remembering the first days, we all wished that we had someone we can ask about the school we are heading to, about where to live, where to shop, how to move around, etc. Some of us were fortunate to have that person along their side from day 1, but many others had to figure things the hard way: on our own.
If you have been abroad for a while and you have already settled in and figured the answers for most of the questions you thought about on your first day, how about you be that person you wished you had on the first day and lend a hand for a new student? This is the aim of our new program at Kaffi, Kaffi Buddy, where we work on connecting new Lebanese students abroad to local student; i.e., buddies.
There is no commitment and no obligation, you can sign up by filling the form on our website and we will reach out to you if someone is heading to your city and has some questions. You can choose to connect with the new student if you have some time, and who knows you may become lifetime buddies!
Wanna be a Buddy today, sign up Today!
Information for Buddy Volunteers
How to become a Buddy?
You can register online at any time by filling the application form
Who can participate?
You have strong motivation to help Lebanese students integrate and know their way around in their new destination!
You have social skills to meet new people and make international contacts!
You are willing to volunteer and dedicate some of your time to mentor newcomers!
You love making friends!
What are Your Tasks as a Buddy Volunteer?
Orientation for new students including university facilities, classes, libraries, study rooms, etc.
Helping students settle in: registering address, applying for a permit, etc.
Providing advice & answering questions regarding booking flight, visa application, finding accommodation, etc.
Providing academic advice concerning registering for classes, exams, etc.
Connecting them with other students or friends and helping them integrate in the society
Information for Students
How to Submit a Request?
You can submit a request to be connected with a Buddy online at any time by filling the application form
How is the Matching Done?
Buddies complete an application to be included in our database; expressing their willingness to help
Student Seeking Buddies submit a request to be connected to a buddy
Advising committee matches the two parties based on their applications
After matching:
We send information about the buddy to the student, asking them to confirm they want to go with this buddy, and if they want us to contact the buddy on their behalf for first contact
If they don't like the buddy, we reassign
We will send an email to the buddy, and include the student in cc, to introduce them to each other, and they take it from there
If the match does not reply or the student does not like the match, he/she contacts us to assign a new buddy
Matching Basis
Based on the application, to choose the match:
Most important factors are: location, university, language and preferences if mentioned (age and gender preferences)
In case all of the above match for two candidates, the one with similar interests/hobbies is picked or (if no hobbies specified) the one closer to the student’s location