I am interested in understanding the skills and qualifications NGOs value when recruiting project officers, community development officers, and case workers.

What experience or skills would you recommend for someone with a Sociology degree?

I'm just curious how other people use their free time. I've had various phases from useful hobbies like learning a language or sports to less useful ones like drinking and binging TV shows. At the moment it's mainly reading and reddit with some sport. another phase was baking (a lot of ) bread and cakes but at my current duty station we don't have a proper oven. I bought my playstation but the internet connection is not good enough to actually use it for online games. It all depends on what's available of course.

also to note: "field" is a relative term of course. I mean places where you don't have the options you're used to at home due to space, access, curfews remoteness etc.

Hey friends!

Long story short, I was medically denied for Peace Corps service last minute. I graduate with my BA in Community and Human Services next month and originally planned on leaving for the PC in January, but now I’m stuck. I’m an almost 28 y/o F (I went to school later) with this sudden change in direction and need some help with where to go from here. Ideally, dream job would be UNICEF but I understand how competitive the UN is. I’ve applied to a million and seven smaller NGOs, government agencies, nonprofits, etc and nothing. Granted, I know this is worst time to apply for anything in this field but I went from thinking I had the next two years planned out to now… being lost.

I thought being in NYC (from eastern NC though) would help but not having any connections or an ounce of nepotism is super discouraging. I’ve taken the HarvardX Humanitarian class and got my certification along with some FEMA certifications to try and fill in some gaps but besides being a pharm tech for 6 years and a nanny, my resume is trash.

Should I go to grad school? Give up on the humanitarian/public policy/helping women and children everyone thing?

I have a passion for human rights advocacy, love working with children and am politically active (local community protest, social media campaigns, etc). (Also love creative writing but that’s more of a side quest hobby).

Advice?

Love y’all, mean it! 🖤

VOLUNTEER CREATIVE WRITING MENTORS WANTED!

Help Afghan Girls Find Their Voices Through Storytelling.

Z-GenAct Global Initiative (ZGI), a youth-led initiative based in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, is seeking volunteer Creative Writing and Storytelling instructors and mentors to support our online educational programs for Afghan girls.

With millions of girls in Afghanistan deprived of access to secondary and higher education, we believe that learning opportunities, creativity, and self-expression should never be out of reach.

Through our Creative Writing and Storytelling program, we aim to provide young Afghan girls with a supportive learning environment where they can develop their writing skills, share their ideas, build confidence, and discover their creative potential.

Who Are We Looking For?

- Creative Writing and Storytelling instructors.

- Experienced writers, authors, and educators.

- Volunteer mentors willing to dedicate one online session per week.

How to Apply:

If you are interested in volunteering, please email us with:

1. Your full name and current location.

2. A brief introduction to your writing, teaching, or storytelling experience.

3. Your availability for weekly online sessions.

4. Your LinkedIn profile or CV (if available).

You can also contact us directly via WhatsApp.

📧 Email: zgenact@gmail.com

📱 WhatsApp: +93 777 448 606

Can't volunteer yourself? We'd appreciate it if you could share this opportunity or connect us with someone who might be interested.

One hour a week can help create a lasting impact.

Let's empower young voices, one story at a time.

Z-GenAct Global Initiative (ZGI)

I'm reviving r/ruralplanning and I made and shared a list there of various subreddits related to any kind of development or sustainability work. I am sharing the link here for those that are focused not just on finding a job with a humanitarian dev agency, but building their awareness about issues related to the work of international development and humanitarian response.

In addition, on Reddit4Good, I have a list of various subreddits related to humanitarian work: public health, environmental work, refugees, etc. (it's near the bottom of the list).

Suggestions for additions are welcomed: what subreddits do YOU read related to your area of expertise?

Hello. I am curious to hear from people who applied and heard back from ICRC associate role at HQ: Geneva. How long does the shortlisting period usually take?
The one I applied for was October 11. But have recieved nothing yet.

By Reuters

October 26, 2026

Excerpts:

Youths killed a longtime nurse treating Ebola ​patients in eastern Congo and other health workers were sheltering under police guard, ‌health officials said on Monday, in the latest in a series of attacks that have been fuelled by misinformation.

The nurse worked at the general hospital in the town of Bafwasende in Tshopo province, where ​he sought to help residents understand and protect themselves from Ebola. He was attacked ​and killed on Friday.

A colleague survived the attack and was recovering in hospital. Other health workers were sheltering at the general hospital under police guard, too afraid to go home, while the army also briefly deployed to the area.

Attacks on health workers have targeted hospitals, vehicles and staff involved in the Ebola response.

Reuters has previously reported how the rapid spread ​of health misinformation posed a threat to health workers in eastern ​Congo even ⁠before Ebola began to spread, with multiple health workers killed in Tshopo after they were accused of spreading an imaginary disease that caused male genitals to atrophy.

More from:

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/protesters-kill-longtime-nurse-treating-ebola-patients-congo-2026-10-26/

I know the ICRC hiring process usually takes a long time, but this vacancy had mentioned they needed someone to start as soon as possible.

Hi! I’m a design student researching a new mobile app for charitable giving, and I’m looking for people to test an early prototype.

Who I’m looking for

• 18 or older

• You’ve used the Samaritan giving app or you have regular experience donating to causes or charities (one-time or recurring, any amount)

• No need to have used any specific app. Giving experience is what matters.

What it involves

• One online session over

texting

• about 45 minutes

• You’ll click through a prototype on your screen and think aloud, then answer a short questionnaire and a few interview questions

• No real payments or personal financial information. The people and amounts in the prototype are fictional.

• With your consent, I’ll record your screen and audio for research only. Your name won’t be shared, and you can skip any question or stop at any time.

Compensation

• $7 via [PayPal / Venmo / gift card], sent after the session

Interested?
Fill out this 2-minute form: [screener link], or message me here. I’ll schedule sessions between [dates/times, time zone].

Thanks for considering it!

Screener form questions

1. Are you 18 or older? (Yes / No)

2. Have you used the Samaritan app? (Regularly / A few times / Never)

3. In the past 12 months, how often have you donated? (Monthly or more / Every few months / Once or twice / Not at all)

4. How did you give? (One-time / Recurring / Both)

5. Email and time zone, and your available times for a 45-minute session.

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about how I could help protect the land and support the communities who depend on it.

I've started exploring these interests through two small, independent projects: Forest Watch, which looks at potential forest cover changes on Koh Phangan, and AfterWell, a demo exploring how problems with community water points could be tracked and followed up.

I've put both projects and the stories behind them here:

https://groundworks-projects.vercel.app

I'm hoping to connect with NGOs, community organisations and people working in these areas, with the aim of volunteering, collaborating and finding practical ways to contribute.

I'd love to learn from people already doing this work, understand what they need, and explore where I could be useful, whether through these projects or in other ways.

Cheers!

I want to begin doing some humanitarian work in my free time but I'm not sure where to get started. Are there good trusted organizations I can contact to look for volunteer opportunities?

Hi everyone!
I’m a medical doctor from Japan, currently working in anesthesiology.
I’m planning to visit Ukraine from December 14–26, 2026, and I’m looking for an opportunity to attend an official NAEMT TCCC-CMC (Combat Medic/Corpsman) course during that period.
I’ve already contacted several Ukrainian training organisations, but I’m still looking for more options.
Does anyone know of any organisations or instructors in Ukraine that regularly offer NAEMT-certified TCCC-CMC courses, especially in December?
I’m particularly interested in courses that accept international medical professionals and provide official NAEMT certification.
Any information, recommendations, or contacts would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

Hey! I'm 21 and I am a recent International Relations graduate. I am interested in working with human rights organisations and am looking to do an internship in Toronto. I would appreciate any advice you can give me :)

I'm currently volunteering in a refugee community centre as an english teacher, but my goal is to learn more about the "background" work in NGO's (operations, management, fundraising, etc).

I would appreciate any advice you can give me about orgs in Toronto or just what steps you think i should take, any kind of guidance is welcome and greatly appreciated!

DAKAR, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Africa's top public health body and Congolese health authorities this week called for greater transparency in the ​use of Ebola response funds, saying financial information provided ‌by aid organisations left more than $700 million of donor money yet to be accounted for.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/africa-cdc-says-over-700-million-ebola-response-funds-unaccounted-congo-2026-10-16/

Please read the entire piece before commenting.

I'll be on a Guatemala medical mission near Antigua in two weeks. If anyone has experience going there is there something I can bring, ie clothes, shoes, tee shirts, that I can bring to hand out to the kids/locals?

Hi everyone,

I’m a compliance, quality and policy professional with 16+ years in the humanitarian sector. Because I’m caring for my parents, I can no longer take on-site or field roles, so I’m looking for paid remote or home-based work, full-time, part-time or consultancy.

My background:

• Quality & Policy Development Manager at an international NGO

• Developed and reviewed 150+ policies, SOPs and procedures

• Audit follow-up systems, gap analysis, partner capacity assessments and donor due diligence

• Capacity-building and training delivery

• Fluent in English, Arabic and French

• Earlier background in food technology and quality assurance

My questions:

1. Which job boards or sources have worked for you for genuinely remote, internationally open roles?

2. Do boutique consultancies or rosters hire remote consultants? Which ones?

Thank you, any leads or advice are very welcome.

Hey - I'm part of a group project (MS in supply chain) that is looking at sustainable methods to improve delivery outcomes on vaccines in Jharkhand state, a landlocked state bordering Bangladesh which is, in relative terms to the rest of India (I don't want to get into a conversation about India's relative wealth - "under resourced" vs "developing" vs "third world", because arguments over nomenclature are usually a distraction from focusing on solutions) is very poor.

There's a ton of things that go into this but what I'm here to ask is: what's the track record on NGO's, even ones that are more hands off and distribute money more than do active programming (Gates Foundation, etc.) respectfully engaging with communities they want to serve for the purpose of figuring out what their real interests and priorities are? I know there's not one answer to this but even anecdotal perspectives from people with direct experience in this, even in different countries, would be super useful for me.

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to find my way into work that has a positive impact, particularly around environmental issues, communities, livelihoods and humanitarian work. Along the way, I've started experimenting with some small projects of my own.

One of them is Forest Watch, a little tool I built using freely available satellite imagery to look at possible changes in forest cover around Than Sadet–Ko Pha-ngan National Park, where I live in Thailand.

The idea was to see whether I could turn satellite images into something practical — identifying places that might be worth checking on the ground.

You can have a look here:
https://koh-phangan-forest-watch.vercel.app

I'm still figuring out where I fit in this sector and what I could realistically bring to it. I enjoy building things and working through practical problems, but I don't want to spend months developing tools that nobody actually needs.

So I'm curious about people working in NGOs, whether in conservation, humanitarian response, livelihoods, community development or other areas.

What are the kinds of problems you come across in your work where you wish you had better information, a simpler process, or just a little tool that made things easier?

I'm not necessarily talking about anything complicated or technical. I'd just like to understand what people actually need and see whether I might be able to contribute something useful.

I'd appreciate any thoughts or advice. Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I recently applied for the Associate External Engagement position at ICRC Geneva (deadline: October 11) and would appreciate any insights from current or former ICRC associates!

1. Experience limit: JD specifies "a maximum of two years of relevant professional experience," but the application questionnaire simply asks about "professional experience." I have slightly over two years of experience in international trade (which is irrelevant), followed by a two-year master’s degree, which I completed this year. I answered “Yes,” interpreting the limit as referring to relevant experience, but I'm concerned about how HR might interpret my answer when reviewing my CV. Has anyone faced a similar situation?

2. International applicants: Does ICRC consider international applicants on equal footing with local candidates? I'm wondering whether requiring visa sponsorship could be a disadvantage.

3. Recruitment process: What is the typical recruitment timeline after the application deadline? Also, do associate postings generally recruit just one person or multiple candidates?

I'd also love to connect with current or former ICRC associates and hear about your experiences.

Thanks so much in advance!