Volunteer Opportunities

Families of the Missing has a variety of volunteer opportunities available for those who would like to help us in our work on behalf of the missing and their families. We welcome military spouses and families, law students and attorneys, historians, and anyone interested in peacemaking and the issues of the missing, women’s rights, and family rights. If you would like to volunteer, please contact us at [email protected] and include “Volunteer” in the subject line.

Grant Researchers and Drafters
Volunteers are needed to help Families of the Missing identify funding opportunities from a variety of sources: foundations, state and federal government; the United Nations; corporations; professional organizations, charitable organizations; and religious organizations.

Grants are needed for technology assistance, printing charges, marketing, costs, salaries, travel, communications needs, etc. In-kind contributions are also sought.

In-country Coordinators
To establish and maintain a vital local presence, Families of the Missing needs volunteers in countries that have been, or are currently affected by armed conflicts, to identify existing family associations, organize new family associations, and coordinate activities with other NGOs to help family associations on an on-going basis. Preferably, volunteers will already be residents of those countries.

Once the family associations are organized, then further assistance is needed for Families of the Missing to assess the particular needs of the family organization to Families of the Missings mission. The number of hours per week is flexible, and can be discussed with Families of the Missing.

Cultural Specialists
Volunteers are needed to assist in-country coordinators. Persons in this group of volunteers do not have to live in the country whose family associations they help, but it is desirable that the volunteer have personal ties to the country and first-hand knowledge of the cultures and customs specific to that country or geographic region.

Translators
People who speak and write French, Russian, Swiss, Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, and other languages are needed to translate Families of the Missing’s publications and web site into other languages.

Public Relations Specialists
Volunteers with experience or interest in journalism or writing are needed to help with Families of the Missing’s public and media relations projects. Volunteers will help write articles, develop newsletters, establish contacts with reporters and editors, and help secure media placement. They will also seek from supportive individuals and organizations letters of support that can be used for grant applications and in promotional literature.

Researchers
Families of the Missing is seeking volunteers to help with two research projects. The first project is a history project. (For more information on this project click here.) The purpose of the “Family Association History Project” is to help Families of the Missing trace and document the origins and development of organized efforts by individuals, religious groups, and civic and community groups around the world that have sought answers to identify, return, or protect the missing from armed conflicts and helped their families in the aftermath of their disappearance.

Historians and research institutions who have documented related issues as well as researched military, religious, and women’s history can be of great assistance. The focus
of the project is not what governments have done to account for missing persons on their own initiatives; rather it is a focus on what individuals or groups have done to identify,
recover, account for, or further the release of the missing taken during armed conflicts.

We expect this to be a continuing project and no end date has been set. Information may be gathered from a variety of sources, some of which may be found on the World Wide
Web and some which may be found only in local archives and libraries, or even in personal letters and diaries. Volunteers from around the world are welcome to participate.
We would like to know how people in various nations and countries addressed the problem of the missing.

The second project is to research laws relating to issues of the missing for a new international convention to be introduced to the United Nations. This project is in the initial stages. We would like to form a working group to complete the work.

Web and Multimedia Developers
People with multimedia, computer programming, and technical skills are needed to help maintain and support Families of the Missing’s website, database, and multimedia projects.

Web Researchers
Volunteers are needed to research other NGO web sites, international list serves, and family association sites to communicate with the organizations to link to Families of the Missing’s web site. Other government information concerning the missing as posted on their sites need to be linked to our site as well as information for family members to research cases of interest.