Opportunities
Chapter Volunteers
All international volunteer opportunities are arranged through
your local chapter — the American Red Cross national
headquarters is unable to match volunteers with international
assignments. Please contact the Portage County Chapter 715-344-4052.
Overseas Delegates
American Red Cross international staff, also called delegates,
serve on foreign assignments in many far reaching corners
of the globe. Currently, about 70 delegates are working in
more than 20 foreign countries, including Macedonia, Cambodia,
Kenya, Nicaragua, South Africa, Venezuela, Russia, El Salvador,
Bangladesh and Turkey.
Serving as an international delegate is not for everyone:
delegates are highly educated specialists working for one
year in very difficult and stressful environments. As one
delegate observes, "You're not going to get too many
assignments that are Club Med . . . you've got to go where
people need you the most." But for those who are suited
to serve, being an international delegate is both rewarding
and challenging. "It has tremendous compensations,"
reports one delegate, "but is the hardest working environment
one could imagine — physically, emotionally and mentally."
Delegates report a great deal of personal satisfaction from
their international relief and development assignments. "I
would not hesitate to relive my Kosovo experience," said
one returning delegate, "If it weren't for the Red Cross
societies, people in the world would be suffering more than
they are now." Many delegates feel that their work enhances
the humanitarian image of their local chapters, strengthens
chapter dialogue with corporations that are active internationally
and draws interest and support from local citizens.
The American Red Cross usually requires delegates to have
high-level skills that meet specific needs and who can help
during natural disasters and armed conflict. People with experience
in water and sanitation engineering, capacity building, accounting,
prosthetics, disaster relief and logistics are frequently
recruited, as are medical coordinators, fundraisers, community
developers and managers.
It is preferred that international delegates have all or
most of the following background and experience:
Highly qualified in the technical fields
of health, food security and capacity building.
Knowledge of the Red Cross.
Two or more years of working experience in a developing
country.
Good physical health.
Commitment to a temporary assignment, usually a minimum
of one-year and often non-family accompanied.
Language skills, especially in French and
Spanish, are a plus.
Recruitment for American Red Cross international delegates
is a continuous process. If you have the right stuff and
are interested, check out currently open international delegate
positions on the Job
Opportunity Bulletin. To find out more about American
Red Cross job opportunities in foreign countries write to:
American Red Cross International Field Personnel, 431 18th
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006.
International Response Team
Our International Services assures that the American Red Cross
is ready to respond at a moment's notice when crisis strikes,
helping the survivors of war, upheaval and natural disasters
around the world. In these times of desperate need, the American
Red Cross brings assistance to those who have lost their homes
and are without food to eat and clean water to drink. If you
would like to be part of the International Response Team,
please read
about us and our training requirements.
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