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Taken from
www.relief.org:
The lesser developed parts of our world are plagued by famine,
malnutrition, poor water quality, and poor sanitation, as well as AIDS, TB,
malaria, and other deadly diseases. These problems frequently overlap,
particularly in the poorest regions of Africa, India, and South America.
Extreme weather conditions greatly harm the global poor. A region with
drought or flood conditions will be unable to effectively grow crops and
oftentimes the starving citizens will even resort to eating their seed stocks –
hurting the next year’s planting season, and reinforcing the cycle of poverty
and suffering. Weak educational
systems also greatly contribute to suffering. The Western world for the most
part only reads about or sees these horrific humanitarian situations on TV – but
they are an everyday reality for many millions of our fellow humans.
Humanitarian relief is an extraordinarily complex subject.
There are organizations that are in the field every day saving current or
at-risk hungry people, diseased people, war victims, and/or the uneducated
masses. Humanitarian aid and relief is necessary to bring life-saving skills and
technologies to Third World countries and to refugees and displaced people due
to natural disasters or war both domestically and around the world.
Career Paths and Entry Salaries There are close to a million non-profit, state and federal government agencies, and organizations locally and internationally, who minister to the needy. Salaries are traditionally lower for positions in humanitarian fields. Search on the following salary web sites for specific information: Qualifications Necessary to Enter the Field
Those wishing to enter this field should earn a master’s degree in Public
Administration or in International Development and feel a strong dedication to
change the world to make it a better place to live and a desire to serve others
by doing good works. These are the
people who become experts in helping desperately poor people in underdeveloped
countries find permanent solutions to hunger and poverty, as well as helping
domestically when disaster occurs.
Candidates must demonstrate business acumen, personal diplomacy and basic
toughness. Other necessary qualifications for some positions include two or
three years of experience in the developing world and the requisite foreign
language skills. Sample Group of Employers
·
Adventist
Development and Relief Agency International [ADRA]
- changing the world one life at a time.
·
Africare - dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural Africa.
·
Alpha
Charitable Foundation - raising funds to help the less fortunate. First project is the
building of a 500 bed hospital in Kerala, India.
·
American
Red Cross –24 hour a day assistance wherever disaster strikes.
Helping victims of flood, hurricane, earthquake or home fires; teach
health and safety courses; offer emergency communication; as well as collect and
distribute blood.
·
AmeriCares - non-profit organization responding to disasters and providing long
term medical relief.
·
Amy Biehl
Foundation - primary purpose is to fund South African community projects to help
those burdened by the lingering effects of Apartheid.
·
Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund
Deutschland e.V. - ASB: national and international relief, rescue
and charity activities.
·
Asociación de Solidaridad y Ayuda al Pueblo Saharaui - SMARA
tiene como objetivo procesar y transmitir información nacional e internacional
sobre los problemas del pueblo saharaui.
·
Association François-Xavier Bagnoud - dedicated to international humanitarian action,
especially regarding HIV and children.
·
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - South African Relief Organization of the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
·
CARE (Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere) : one of the world’s
largest nonprofit, nonsectarian, independent relief and development
organizations
·
Catholic
Relief Services - information on emergency relief services and development programs
addressing health, human rights, and poverty in countries throughout Africa,
Asia, Europe and Latin America.
·
Center
for Humanitarian Outreach and Intercultural Exchange
- C.H.O.I.C.E coordinates volunteer expeditions to initiate self-sustaining
humanitarian projects in developing nations.
·
Central
Index of Appointments Overseas (CIAO)
- CIAO provides information those seeking work or volunteer opportunities with
development organizations, principally in Latin America.
·
Church
World Service - Protestant, Anglican, and Orthodox communions in the U.S. cooperating
worldwide in programs of long-term development, emergency response, and
assistance to refugees.
·
Cross-Cultural Solutions
Cross-Cultural Solutions is one of the leading international volunteer
organizations in the United States and sends over 1,000 volunteers overseas
every year.
·
Dakshinayan - provides basic education and health care to tribals and other rural
communities.
·
Direct
Relief International - non-sectarian medical relief organization. Information on health
programs, disaster services, and "Vitamin Angels".
·
Eugene
Bell Centennial Foundation - promotes educational, humanitarian, and religious
programs primarily in North Korea. Activities include food programs, medical
work, greenhouses, and a special focus on tuberculosis.
·
Global
Development Center - non-profit organization dedicated to providing development and relief
assistance wherever it is needed.
·
Global
Volunteer Network Global Volunteer Network, a non profit organization. Volunteers can be
involved in teaching English, environmental work, health and sanitation, and
cultural home stays,
·
Goodwill
Industries of America- world’s largest provider of employment for
individuals with special needs
·
Healing
Hands International, Inc. - humanitarian aid organization specializing in
free medical relief to countries in need outside the USA.
·
Himalayan
HealthCare, Inc. - provides volunteer opportunities in rural Nepal to provide health and
medical relief.
·
Holy Land
Foundation - non-profit, charitable organization operating relief and development
projects nationally and internationally.
·
Hospital
Sans Frontiere - created by Rotary International, it is a humanitarian association for
medical and hospital care; (in English, Dutch, and French).
·
Humanitarian Village
Global site for humanitarian aid charities and information
·
InterAction- a coalition of 150 U.S. based nonprofit organizations working to
promote human dignity and development in 165 countries around the world.
In the United States these groups are called POVs, private and voluntary
organizations.
·
International Medical Corps (IMC) - humanitarian emergency relief organization
established to save lives and relieve suffering while providing the critical
knowledge and skills to help people help themselves.
·
Light of
the World Missions - medical missions in Belize for the Southern part Mayan villages
working with the Ministry of Health in training and supplying these villages
with much needed resources..
·
Lucien
Englemajer Association - international humanitarian organization focusing
on drug treatment, youth programs, agricultural projects, disaster/famine relief
and housing construction.
·
Medical
Project OSVITA - medical education program whose goal is to improve the health of
mothers and children in Ukraine.
·
Nishkam
Sikh Welfare Council - organization serving the human race irrespective of color, religion,
sex, caste or creed. Primarily based in India, with members and clients
worldwide.
·
Ophthalmic Aid Group - friends charity dedicated to fight against blindness in the Third
World.
·
PATH - the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health focuses on
reproductive health, immunization, AIDS, STDs, contraception, safe birth, and
men's, women's and children's health.
·
Peace
Corps-volunteers share their skills with people in developing countries
·
Project
Contact - provide health care and disease prevention to poverty-stricken East
Africa by supplying medical care to its people.
·
Project
HOPE - information on the organization's health education, policy research
and humanitarian assistance programs around the world.
·
Satellife
a non-profit organization based in Watertown, MA, USA whose mission is to
build healthier communities in the developing world through the power of
information technology.
·
Section
for Tropical Medicine - organization of medical students from Slovenia
which organizes a humanitarian action in developing countries.
·
UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)-meets refugee needs for
food, housing, medical care, education as well as local integration,
resettlement or repatriation
·
United
Way - community-based national movement that
activates community resources to make the greatest possible human impact. The
United Way system includes approximately 1,400 community-based United Way
organizations. Each is independent, separately incorporated and governed by
local volunteers.
·
U.S.-Latin American Medical Aid Foundation - non-profit organization which provides medical
supplies and humanitarian aid to the people of Cuba and Latin America.
·
USAID-strive to reduce poverty, ignorance and malnutrition in developing
countries.
·
Vida - providing assistance to health institutions and development projects
which support people in need in Latin America; operations concentrated in Peru
and Central America.
·
Volunteers of America-large on-profit, Christian social service organization that implements
humanitarian objectives with action programs. Demand and Future Challenges of Profession
Where there is poverty, hunger, disease, AIDS, drug and alcohol abuse,
epidemics, war and natural disasters, the world needs people who care, want to
make a difference, and want to help the sick, handicapped, poor, battered and
needy. There are positions for
administrators, fundraisers, grant writers, program organizers, teachers,
researchers, policy analysts and others. There are always new issues in
public health, such as the recent SARS epidemic, and challenges to overcoming
poverty and disease. Resources For More Information
Associations/Websites
Save the Children,
http://www.savethechildren.org/
Intercristo
UNDP Recruitment Section Internet Resources The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) - www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/ - supports sustainable development in developing countries, and this site includes information on employment at CIDA and its related organizations. · DevNetJobs.org - www.devnetjobs.org/ - is a gateway to job listings in international development, environment, information technology for development, relief and reconstruction, and consultancy assignments. · GlobalCorps - www.globalcorps.com/index.html - matches development, humanitarian and disaster relief professionals with organizations looking for these individuals. The organization helps recruit for The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), the office within USAID that is responsible for providing non-food humanitarian assistance in response to international crises and disasters. · Idealist.org www.idealist.org - is a project of Action Without Borders and contains job listings in economic development, social services, human rights, environment and more. Users can search for jobs and internships by country, state and city. · Interaction - www.interaction.org/ - is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations, with more than 160 members operating in every developing country. · International Career Employment Weekly - www.internationaljobs.org - identifies international development jobs and internships in all sectors of the market around the world. · www.intjobs.org - A tool to assist job-seekers in their search for international employment at organizations such as the UN, International Criminal Court, International Labour Organization, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, World Bank and World Health Organization. · UNDP - www.jobs.undp.org - UN Development Programme employment website · Public Health Jobs Worldwide - www.jobspublichealth.com/ - lists most of its jobs and internships in the organization's newspaper, although some jobs are listed on their website. · OneWorld International Foundation - www.oneworld.net/ - offers job and internship listings at non-profit and international organizations dedicated to harnessing the democratic potential of the Internet to promote human rights and sustainable development. · Relief.org - www.relief.org - provides information on and links to humanitarian aid websites; it allows users to access the Idealist.org site to search for humanitarian jobs worldwide. · ReliefWeb - www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf - run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, provides international job listings at nonprofits dedicated to humanitarian relief, conflict resolution, health and more · US Department of State www.state.gov - lists the categories of State department employees and how to apply for these positions. · USAID - www.usaid.gov/careers/ - site features a list of vacancies and internships Directories
Guide to IGOs, NGOs, and the Military in Peace and
Relief Operations,
Washington, D.C. : United States Institute of Peace
Press (2000) Africa: Human Rights Directory & Bibliography,
Cambridge, MA, USA : Human Rights Internet (1989)
Directorio de Organizaciones de Derechos Humanos:
America Latina y el Caribe.
Cambridge, MA : Human Rights Internet (1990)
Directory of Human Rights Institutes in Member
States of the Council of Europe,
Strasbourg : Council of Europe (1994)
Human Rights Organizations and Periodicals Directory,
Berkeley, Calif., Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute (1973)
Human Rights, Refugees, Migrants & Development:
Directory of NGO's in OECD Countries.
North American Human Rights Directory, Washington, D.C. : Human Rights Internet (1984) Publications
Careers for Good Samaritans and Other Humanitarian Types,
Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler, VGM Careers for You Series (1998) In Career Library
Career Opportunities in Politics, Government and
Activism, Joan Axelrod-Contrada, Facts on File (2003).
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