Volunteers

GlobalHAND

Rotary Related Links

Rotary Volunteers This link will take you to the Rotary Volunteers section of the Rotary International Web Site, where you will find extensive information about this program. This site includes a searchable database on Sites needing Volunteers and a database of Volunteers Available. Both of these are searchable by five categories of experience, language capabilities and country.

Rotary Foundation Humanitarian Grants Program - This link will take you to the Rotary Foundation Grants section of the Rotary International Web Site, where you will find extensive information on how projects can be funded.

Sweden Rotary Doctor Bank- Contact: Bo Leuf, This volunteer resource was formed in 1988 in Sweden and over 150 Swedish doctors and dentists participate annually. There are similar banks in other parts of the world and it is estimated over 500 Rotarians participate annually through this program. Of course, there are many other NGO programs that utilize Rotarian doctors, but this one is sponsored by Rotary Districts in Sweden.

German Rotary Volunteer Doctors - Contact: Jörg Bahr - This doctor bank was formed in 1999 and has over 150 German Doctors available for projects.

Finland Doctor Bank - Contact: Jukka Porras - This doctor bank provides Finish Doctors for projects

Netherlands Doctor Bank - This doctor bank provides Dutch Doctors for projects.

RIBI Doctor Bank - Contact: Peter Clarke - This doctor bank provides Doctors from the British Isles and Ireland for projects.

International Fellowship of Flying RotariansContact: Sam Bishop - The RRVF has a long history of providing private airplane flights for humanitarian and disaster relief efforts.

Non-Rotary Organizations

Airline Ambassadors International Contact: Nancy Rivard, President - Airline Ambassadors International is a non-profit organization affiliated with the United Nations and recognized by the US Congress. It is a network of airline employees and others who volunteer as "Ambassadors of Goodwill" in their home communities and abroad. Members share their unique skills and talents to care for others and bring compassion into action. They escort children in need, hand-deliver humanitarian aid to orphanages, clinics, and remote communities, assist at special events and involve youth in humanitarian efforts around the world.

Alliance of European Volunteer Service Organizations - Contact: Secretariat - The Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations is an International Non-Governmental Youth Organization (INGYO) that represents national organizations running international voluntary service projects. Each organization promotes community development, intercultural education, understanding and peace through voluntary service. The common aim of all international work camps is to provide a resource and support to local communities, at the same time giving individuals from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to meet others and live an intercultural experience.

America's Promise Although this is a United States effort directed at youth, there are fundamentals that are also applicable to international humanitarian programs. The program's objective is "To mobilize people from every sector of American life to build the character and competence of our nation's youth by fulfilling five promises: 1. Caring Adults, 2. Safe Places, 3. Healthy Start, 4. Marketable Skills, 5. Opportunities to Serve.

CIVICUS - This organization is an international alliance dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society throughout the world. They partner will many other organizations but it does not appear that they do humanitarian aid projects except as they apply to the strengthening of the local society.

Council of International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Contact: Charles PingSince 1947, the Council on International Educational Exchange has been in pursuit of its mission, "to help people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world." CIEE's International Volunteer projects offers anyone at least 18 years of age the chance to volunteer in one of over 30 countries. As part of a group of 10-20 international volunteers, you'll spend 2-4 weeks working, living and having fun together while helping a community in need.

Doctors Without Borders, aka, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF),Contact: Joelle Tanguy - Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an independent international medical relief agency aiding victims of armed conflict, epidemics, and natural and man-made disasters, and others who lack health care due to geographic remoteness or ethnic marginalization. Annually, more than 2,000 volunteers representing 45 nationalities work in over 80 countries in front-line hospitals, refugee camps, disaster sites, towns, and villages. Doctors Without Borders teams provide primary health care, perform surgery, vaccinate children, rehabilitate hospitals, operate emergency nutrition and sanitation programs, and train local medical staff.

Explorations in Travel - Contact: Debbie Jacobs - Explorations in Travel provides volunteer work placements for students and adults from all over the world. People looking to spend an extended amount of time in an area, working on a foreign language, developing or using skills that will help in future employment, or who just want a new, challenging experience, will find a volunteer placement an invaluable opportunity. Structured language classes can be incorporated into a placement.

Global Children’s Organization - Contact: Judith Jenya, Executive Director - Global Children's Organization brings together children who've suffered the horrors of war, community violence, hatred, or intolerance, and with the help of multinational volunteers, develops peace and reconciliation. Since 1992, GCO has reached out to children caught in the crossfire of war and helped them to develop friendships and build trust across cultural boundaries. Even in the face of violence, children's spirits and hearts can be restored and they can again have hope.

Global Routes - This organization promotes cross cultural exchange by arranging for North American high school and college students to perform international service.

Global Volunteers Global Volunteers strives to wage peace worldwide by helping establish mutual understanding between people of diverse cultures. Each year Global Volunteers coordinates more than 150 teams of short-term volunteers who contribute to human and economic development projects across the globe

Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) () Contact: Staff HVO is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian volunteer organization headquartered in the USA. HVO is dedicated to improving the availability and quality of health care in developing countries through training and education.

Programs vary according to the needs of the countries in which they are located. However, there are certain principles that apply across all programs: Training focuses on local pathologies and medical problems; Practices and procedures taught are both relevant and realistic; Trainees are encouraged to make maximum use of locally available equipment and supplies; and The ultimate goal of all programs is to identify and train local personnel to assume the roles of educator and provider, thus continuing the process.

I-to-I Contact: Kevin O’Neill - I-to-I is a Britain’s volunteer organization. They develop people and share cultures with training and worthwhile volunteer projects. They also recruit international volunteers to teach English, work in conservation and community development, or gain experience in media, medicine or business. Programs run from 2 weeks to 6 months. They serve 15 countries in Latin America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. Projects are carefully chosen to give volunteers a meaningful project and a rich cultural experience. The volunteers are trained and supported by trained in-country staff.

Idealist -This site provides a capability of searching for a volunteer opportunity by interest, location or skill.

Impact Online - This site has useful advice for would-be volunteers, from picking an appropriate project to participating as a family. The database can locate projects up to six months in advance.

International Association for Volunteer Effort - Contact: Kathi Dennis, Executive Director - The International Association for Volunteer Effort was created in 1970 by a small group of women from throughout the world who shared a common vision of how volunteers can contribute to the solution of human and social problems and to the development of bridges of understanding among people of all nations. They recognized the importance of international exchange of information, best practices and mutual support as away of encouraging and strengthening volunteering worldwide.

Lifewater International - Contact: John Nadolski - Lifewater International is a relief and development organization of volunteer Christian water resource management specialists based in the USA. We have150+ volunteers currently serving; well drillers, hydro geologists, mechanical engineers, water company executives, environmental scientists and business persons. Lifewater's volunteers travel to developing countries and train nationals to improve their water resources. We leave all necessary equipment with a trained national crew and continue to provide technical and financial support until they are self-sufficient.

Miracle Flights for Kids - Contact:Kelly O'Shaughnessy - Miracle Flights is a nonprofit organization that provides air transportation for critically ill children and their families to specialized medical facilities. We coordinate our missions by utilizing our large network of private pilots, corporations who own private jets and commercial airlines. Each mission is scheduled according to the child's medical urgency and the location of the treatment center. Working with doctors and social workers, we coordinate the quickest and most cost-effective trip so children don't have to wait to get to treatment.

Netaid.org- Netaid.org uses the Internet to empower people to take action on extreme poverty around the world.

Northwest Medical Teams International - This organization provides volunteer dental and medical professionals, both in the USA and overseas for disaster relief and other humanitarian aid efforts. They can also supply food, medicines and supplies.

Overseas Express, Inc., Contact: Rita Tingle - This is a travel agency that books transportation for humanitarian aid projects. They can provide "First Class Privileges". That provides for no ticket change charge if the project start and stop dates are changed. Departure and return airports cannot be changed but dates and flights can. It does not include first class seating.

Peace Corps - This organization is one of the largest sources of volunteers. Over 7000 USA volunteers participate in projects in over 76 countries. The detailed information at this site covers information on expenses, health and safety. You can explore programs and then apply online. The site provides volunteer stories and resources for returned volunteers.

Physicians for Peace, Contact: Sam Hill , Description to be provided at a later date.

Points of Light Foundation This is a United States effort directed using volunteers to help solve serious social problems. The same fundamentals can often be used to help solve international problems. "The Foundation believes that, at the core of most social problems, lie disconnection and alienation. At the heart of this initiative is the idea that bringing people together through volunteer service is a powerful way of combating disconnection and alleviating social problems."

Remote Area Medical - Contact: Stan Brock - Remote Area Medical is a volunteer airborne medical relief corps serving remote areas of the world. Monthly expeditions of doctors and nurses are sent to these areas, using donated medical supplies to provide free health care to needy people.

SEE International e-mail - info@seeintl.org. SEE International (Surgical Eye Expeditions International, Inc.) coordinates and deploys volunteer ophthalmologists, nurses, and technicians to perform free, sight-restoring surgery throughout the developing world. During 1998 alone, more than 300,000 needy patients were examined and over 35,000 major eye surgeries performed in 41 countries. Rotary Clubs have had major involvements in many of these expeditions.

SERVEnet - SERVEnet is a program of Youth Service America (YSA) , a resource center and alliance of 200+ organizations committed to increasing the quantity and quality of opportunities for young Americans to serve locally, nationally, or globally.

United Nations Volunteers Programme - Netaid and the United Nations Volunteers Program have joined forces to enable volunteers to work internationally without having to leave home. You can search the database by region, specific skill or area of interest.

VolunteerMatch - Contact:Jay Backstrand, President - VolunteerMatch is the nonprofit, online service that helps interested volunteers get involved with community service organizations throughout the United States of America. Volunteers enter their ZIP code on the VolunteerMatch web site to quickly find local volunteer opportunities matching individual interests and schedules. This simple, effective service has already generated hundreds of thousands of volunteer referrals nationwide.