I would like to contribute to the betterment of, well, everyone – and maybe learn something about strange and forgotten parts of the world in the process. Where do I start?
I’m an experienced software developer, and although I’m certainly not opposed to doing menial work, I imagine I’m more qualified for working with what I do best – and that people with such technical qualifications may perhaps be than more sought after. However, I’m not sure if any organizations need that kind of help.
I have an acquaintance who’s seeking a position as an aid worker in Brazil, for example, but I have no idea in what capacity or through which organization, and I’m not really in a position to ask her at the moment.
I’m thinking of calling up the likes of Amnesty and Red Cross and whoever represents the UN in my country, but before I do that I’d like to hear some thoughts, maybe from people who have done this sort of thing before.
Oh, and is there some sort of registry of international aid organizations or similar that accept volunteers?
It’s not as easy to get a job in that field as people seem to think. You need to have some skills and experience that are useful to the organization (imagine!), even for unpaid positions. International aid organizations are not in the business of software development, so it’s hard to imagine what kind of position you would be qualified for. The bigger organizations do need administrative support, so there are jobs that someone from the private sector is qualified for. However, I have a feeling those jobs are not what you’re hoping for. You wouldn’t be out in the field helping poor children, for example. Do you have language skills? Those will be fundamental if you’re looking to work abroad. Do you have experience working with poor, marginalized communities? If you’re looking for the feel-good factor and you don’t have any experience in the field, there are volunteer programs that are fairly expensive. There’s nothing wrong with participating in those volunteer programs, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that you’re working for anyone’s benefit other than your own. I mean, it can be a great experience for a person to go see how the rest of the world lives and I encourage it, but what people need is food and health care and the freedom to live dignified lives. Few of us can offer help with those things.
By the way, Amnesty International advocates for human rights, whereas Red Cross provides humanitarian relief - very different things. The links I provided focus on humanitarian aid and development work, because I’m guessing that’s really what you’re interested in. If you can give a better sense of your skills and what you’re looking for, I might be able to provide more specific advice.
What Chula said. Also, it would be useful to get some idea what sort of role you want to play and what country you are in now.
Also don’t define yourself and your skills too narrowly and don’t think that you’re not doing anything worthwhile unless you’re digging wells and planting crops. My sister in law went to East Timor with CareAustralia (she applied after she saw an ad in the newspaper). She had previously worked as a secretary and office manager. In East Timor she ended up providing Personal Assistant support to the wife of the President and setting up a women’s refuge.
As Chula said, paid roles with the UN are pretty hard to come by and, even if you get one, there’s no guarrantee that you will be re-assigned once your first contract expires. My SIL got a job in East timor with the UN after she finished the role with Care Australia but she’s now waiting for another job that suits- she’s been offered roles in Afghanistan and Iraq but she prefers to stay alive.
One thing to note is that paid roles with organisations other than the UN aren’t as scarce as you might think, however, the pay is pretty bad. My SIL was paid $16,000 per year (Australian) while working for CareAustralia (compared to about 4 times that back home). However, living costs in East Timor are much higher than in Australia and this was not enough to cover her very basic requirements and she drew a fair bit on her savings. Several other people I know who have worked for international aid agencies (Solomon Islands, East Timor, Papua New Guinea) have found themselves in similar situations.
If you’re a public servant there’s another avenue open to you: Many Government’s have exchange programs with Government’s in developing countries. In Australia, at least, Government exchange program jobs are regularly advertised within the public service. the advantage of these is that you will actually get paid a decent salary.
As for a registry of international aid agencies, I’d start with the Yellow Pages. you’ll also find that many of these jobs are advertised in the weekend papers along with other employment positions.
People with computer skills are always in demand. IT types can usually demand higher salaries than the aid industry can afford, so people willing to sacrifice some pay for working at a job they love have a good chance of finding work.
Don’t be discouraged, it is kind of hard to break in to the field, but once you develop a network you can find work pretty easily.
If you are in the DC area, I’m always happy to have lunch with anyone who wants some tips on working in the field. I’m in Iraq right now, but I should be back in DC next week. Let me know and we can set up lunch
Many, many thanks, all. Lots of leads, lots to research.
madmonk28: I’m in Oslo, Norway. Definitely a long way from DC.
Moderators: Sorry about that. However, this was a fact-related question, as expressed in the subject. No more or less opinion-oriented than a discussion about how you get rid of cockroaches from your own, imho.
When I was posted to Bamako, Mali, the first Internet hub was established there. It was several years ago, and memory fades, but it was either USAID, USIS or Peace Corps that was the frontrunner with that. Many African countries are still in the stone age computer-wise and help is always needed. If you want to do the basics of helping other countries and people, there are always the various missionary groups for energetic people who don’t mind living in less-than-adequate accommodations.
People with computer skills are always in demand and language is not necessary. As Chefguy said most of the countries where we work have little infrastructure so we need people who can set up systems from little or nothing.
A couple of examples:
In Kosovo we needed to build a tally center for elections from scratch. That included networking computers and creating a database for counting votes.
We are also always looking for people who can set up office networks and communications systems in the developing world.
Believe me, you have skills aid workers needs. Any operation of any scale needs computer people to track refugees, allocate supplies and grants. Good luck.