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Volunteer Work Abroad?
MKalus asks: "Looking at what is going on in the world right now and realizing that computers are not everything (yes, there is more than that) I was considering for quite some time now volunteering in an international project. I was looking at institutions like Casa Alianza and Doctors Without Borders but the problem I am facing is that all of these organizations mainly seem to search for volunteers in medical fields and not so much in High Tech Areas. This is, of course, understandable as I don't really think anybody needs a server farm if they don't have enough to eat at the end of the day." Update: 12/03 15:19 GMT by C :MKalus has been reading the comments sent in so far, but had this bit to add: "I am NOT from the US, I am german living in Canada, as such things like the Peace Corps for example are not a viable option."
"Now I am aware of several organisations where you can go for two weeks in a developing country and help on a farm etc. I also remember the Geekcorps but as nice as it sounds to bring the internet in parts of the world who don't have it I don't quite see the sense in it when at the same time thousands of people die everyday.
So here's the question: Is there a geek out there who managed to volunteer for a longer period (6 months to a year or maybe even longer) in a project abroad, something along the lines of those I've mentioned abobe?"
First of all, props to the guys who can just pick up and leave for six monts at a time, but for the majority of working shmoes such as myself, it is an impossibility. Good intentions don't put food on the table, and I don't know of one employer who would let a person leave for a year, then graciously welcome him back.
If I had a company and somebody came to me with a resume showing he took off for a year to do goodwill work in some other country, all I'd see is a guy who needs retraining on a years worth of technology changes. You want to help out, donate money. Let the out of work hippies donate months of their lives.
AWG
It's a classic problem with foreign aid organizations. What they get are young people with the wrong skills. What they need are experienced blue-collar leaders: farmers who've successfully farmed tough land, experienced truck mechanics, construction foremen, and pipeline field bosses.
I worked as an intern for Doctor's Without Borders a few years ago at their office in New York. As one of only a handful of people in the office who knew much of anything about computers, I did a lot of work on their website, mostly in the form of putting a lot of their fieldwork online. From this experiencem, I have found that NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations) need a lot of help in this arena. Since IT workers are in relatively short supply, and since we want to get paid for our services rendered, it's hard to find IT services for free, which is what NGO's really need.
I think that as more of the fundraising comes from online sources (paypal, et al) these organizations will need people like us to set up the infrastructure to do these kinds of things. Sure, it won't be as "hands on" as picking up a shovel or suturing a wound, but volunteerism takes on many forms, and we as savants can be of great service if we put our knowledge to use in this regard.
I don't really understand why you need to work for a non-profit organisation abroad. I am currently living in my third country, and in a few months I moving to my fourth. I don't work for a non-profit organisation, instead, I work for a company that gives me a good salary.
How is this good and how does it help anyone in a third world country?
I give away approx. 300 dollars a month to two different organisations.
The amount of money I give away isn't really noticable to me (I mean, I can pay my rent and drink my beers), and if I believe the adverts from one of these organisation, I am getting clean water to 1500 or so children.
My suggestion to you, get a good job in the country of your choice (if your anything close to good in the IT field, this shouldn't be too hard), earn money and DONATE! I think you will help more this way.
I've just finished doing a project for a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Services Management this year. Developed countries can cope with disasters much better than developing countries, and one aspect of this is because developed countries can throw more IT at the problem in stages of preparation, mitigation, response and recovery. I feel there is a growing need for open source and free software developed by an international community, with a view to providing software services for managing information and resources in a disaster, or aid program. There is SUMA a SUpply MAnagement program that is used for the transfer of aid and supply. There is commercial software available for emergency management, but once again only the rich countries can afford it. Learn GIS and offer your skills to governments and help in the preparation and mitigation stages by planning for natural and manmade disasters. There are plenty of opportunities for those involved in IT that want to help! :)
Cheers Gav
It is not necessary to go abroad to make something useful for the world.
As you live in a democracy, you can encourage the people you voted for to change some politics that the USA have and that are the source of a lot of pain in the poor countries.
The first things that come to my mind are the number of international treaties that the USA have not signed :
1. the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
2. the Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC). All countries except for the United States and Somalia have ratified it.
3. the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
4. the ban on antipersonnel landmines (the Ottawa Treaty)
5. the Kyoto Protocol
6. the Law of the Sea Treaty
All those treaties, if signed and applied, can make the world a better place for poor citizens of poor countries.
There are also a number of treaties thatthe US has stripped to signe them.
NOTE : Don't get me wrong, I am not your basic anti-US socialist european. In the numerous talks I had with people after the 11th september, I was always blaming those who said "It's their fault ! Good for them". I was (am) also defending the action against the taliban (except for the use of some nasty bombs).
But, being a supporter of the US must not hide that it's a BIG SHAME to have not signed, ratified and applied those treaties at least !
PS : sorry if some info is outdated, do not hesitate to notify me.
Men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education. Bertrand Russel
From 1987 to 1989, I was in the Peace Corps in Malawi. For two years, I taught high school, but during my third year I taught computer classes at a government training center, mostly to civil servants. I girlfriend (who became my wife), had a job developing database systems for an organization called Malawi Against Polio.
By the way, there are a lot of things I disliked about the Peace Corps, but for the most part,the good outweighed the bad. And what an experience. Those were three of the most interesting and wonderful years of my life, despite some real hardships.
...about working in the IT industry and making a decent money. You can always DONATE money to any volunteer organisation. And they can do something with it. When you are volunteering you are pretty useless for decent 3. world development projects. However, your money can make much use from such projects.
Think about it: 100 $ make may supply several people with food/medication for some days. These are 1-3 hours of work for IT people.
What useful could you do in 1-3 hours in a 3 world country ?
Volunteering might make you feel good, but DONATIONS do something good.
Decide for yourself what you really want.
Owner of a Mensa membership card.
If I were fluent in Urdu, I like to think I would be on the next plane to Peshawar, Pakistan, to create a non-religious school. I think that, if successful, that plan would give one of the highest bangs for the buck that an individual could get right now in nonprofit work.
Poor Pakistanis put their sons into madrassahs for several reasons. It's free to them (sponsored by rich Islamists abroad), the boys are clothed and fed, they learn the *rudiments* of a normal education, and it allows them to serve their religion. Parents have no other options, since the Pakistan government fails to provide real money for public schools (and the other social services the madrassahs provide).
If you were to create a free school oriented around math and science, that offered kids some chance of getting a real job somewhere down the line, I think you'd get plenty of willing students. (Remember, Pakistanis and Afghans do not hate Western technology, just because some of them hate the culture it comes from.)
You simply don't talk about Islam. And you don't teach Arabic. Arabic isn't the language of business in Pakistan, Urdu is. So you teach Urdu and English (the global language of business and science). You don't discredit or analyze Islam; you simply say it's the business of a family and its mosque to teach religion, not the business of a technical school. (Besides, there really isn't time, given all the other stuff you need to teach them.) You could also teach girls, which madrassahs never do (although you might decide it's culturally easier to teach them in separate classes or schools).
Each student you take in potentially represents a family lifted out of poverty, and a life turned away from violence and terrorism.
Last year, I spent 8 months working for a couple NGO's INSIDE of Afghanistan. believe me, the need for workers in the IT industry is great for these orgs. i didn't get paid while i was there, had to raise my own money. Howerver, it was a completely fulfilling time. just shop around i suppose; there are many organizations out there, and many need computer help. me? i did a lot of networking inside offices, general PC maintenance, and radio system setup and maintenance. despite harsh conditions, harsh taliban, and language bariers, i made it, and came out a better and more rounded person.
doensn't mean you have to go to Afghanistan, but it shows that even in the worst place on earth, there was a need.
many religious groups work in these kind of places in the world, and are your easiest link to this kind of work, but many government sponsored programs also exist, and need help.
the UN offered me a salary of over $100,000 if i would work for them.. so the opportunities are there.. just keep your eyes open and do your research.