| Volunteering on the HIV/AIDS Epidemic |
Overseas Opportunities Canadian International Development Agency Global AIDS Alliance Institute for International Cooperation and Development Institute of International Education International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS Nyumbani Hospice Peace Corps Perinatal HIV Research Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto United Nations Development Programme Volunteers for Prosperity, USA Freedom Corps World Health Organization Young Women's Christian Association This issue module includes a wide range of opportunities for students interested in volunteering on the AIDS epidemic, but it is not an exhaustive list. If your organization sponsors an HIV-related internship or volunteer position that you would like to add to this list, please send an email to KaiserEDU@kff.org. Please note that the Kaiser Family Foundation does not endorse any of the sponsoring organizations or the positions they offer. If you are interested in applying for or learning more about a specific position, please contact the sponsoring organization.
Association of Schools of Public Health/CDC International Global AIDS Fellowship Program
Fellowship positions are available for graduate students in public health or early-career professionals. Fellows work full-time for one to two years on one of the Global AIDS Program (GAP) field offices in sub-Sahara Africa, Southeast Asia, India or the Caribbean. Fellows responsibilities will include activities that aim to prevent transmission of HIV and strengthen the host country's capacity to support and treat people living with HIV/AIDS.
CIDA's International Youth Internship program targets young Canadian graudtes (ages 19 to 30) who are interested in gaining hands on experience in international development work. CIDA helps place interns in service agencies abroad. Interns receive a stipend and work abroad for at least five months.
The Global AIDS Alliance website includes links to overseas volunteer programs around the world that range from 1 to 12 weeks in length. Program areas include HIV/AIDS education, health outreach and community support projects.
Global Service Corps
Global Service Corps is a nonprofit, international organization that coordinates and provides volunteer opportunities for people worldwide to live and work abroad in developing countries. Volunteers in the Tanzania Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Program provide health education seminars at local community meetings, schools, churches, and village forums. in Tanzania. Volunteers also collaborate with local health care workers and officials to provide further education and counseling, and to build a sustainable teaching and learning curriculum that delves into the heart of each community.
The IICD is a not-for-profit educational organization that trains and organizes teams of volunteers to work on local development projects throughout the world. Many of the IICD’s programs in Africa involve AIDS awareness education and/or community health programs.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a global higher education and professional exchange agency with the mission of broadening the outlook of future leaders through academic and professional exchange. IIE administers the Fullbright Grant program for students and scholars as well as coordinates and links to a broad range of international programs for students.
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access
The International Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA) is a non profit organization of healthcare professionals who volunteer their expertise on HIV care and infectious diseases to clinics in developing countries. ICEHA's volunteers equip local healthcare professionals with the skills needed to take care of their own patients and enable developing countries to fight the HIV epidemic from within. Volunteers work in two areas: field volunteers provide technical assistance to developing countries and operational volunteers provide support to the field volunteers.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is an international humanitarian agency that provides assistance to regions throughout the world. The Red Cross is engaged in a number of projects related to HIV/AIDS. Volunteers work on a range of projects that serve to meet the organization's goals of developing a country's internal competence and reducing communities' vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), is the United Nations agency charged with addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. UNAIDS has internship opportunities at the Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland for graduate students who are interested in learning more about international HIV/AIDS policy.
This orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya houses HIV + children and accepts volunteers on a year-round basis to care for the children and help with general upkeep on the facility. Volunteers must be 21 years of age, in good health and able to participate in physical activity. Volunteers must commit to a minimum of three months of consecutive service. Room and board is generally provided without cost.
The Peace Corps is a federal agency that sponsors students and post-graduates to perform a wide variety of service projects in underserved areas all over the world. Volunteers in HIV/AIDS education and prevention projects train youth as peer educators, collaborate with religious leaders to develop appropriate education strategies, provide support to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, and develop programs that provide support to families and communities affected by the disease. In May 2003 Peace Corps committed 1,000 new Volunteers to work on HIV/AIDS-related activities, as part of President Bush's Global AIDS Relief Package. Assignments are 2 years and volunteers receive a stipend.
The Perinatal HIV Research Unit (PHRU), one of the largest AIDS research centers in Africa, runs studies on HIV prevention, care and support. The PHRU is a research unit of the University of the Witwatersrand and is based at one of the world's largest hospitals, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa. Interns typically participate in health and HIV/AIDS education, grant development and coordination, and research studies.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' largest provider of grant funding for development activity, and the main body for coordinating UN development assistance. The Internship Programme offers a limited number of graduate-level students the opportunity to acquire direct exposure to UNDP's work. Interns may work in the UN headquarters in New York or abroad, depending on the specific assignment. Responsibilities vary widely, but interns are normally involved in some aspect of the design, implementation and evaluation of UNDP-supported programmes and projects.
Volunteers for Prosperity is a U.S.-based federal initiative to encourage young Americans to participate in community-based volunteer projects in the U.S. and internationally. Volunteers for Prosperity maintains an ongoing databank of numerous international agencies in search of volunteers of all ages and experience levels who are interested in working on the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) offers a limited number of internships for graduate or post-graduate university students, generally in health-related programs. Interns participate in a range of WHO projects that vary depending on site of assignment and interest. Internships last 6 to 12 weeks.
The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) has committed resources to developing women leaders throughout the world. Volunteers can perform a wide range of functions from health education to leadership training to translation services to legal services.