Volunteering Opportunities in Boston

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at PIH. If you are interested in volunteering at our Boston office but do not see an opportunity listed below that matches your skills, interests, and availability, you may still wish to download and complete our Volunteer Application form [MS Word, 60 KB] [PDF, 16 KB]. Due to the volume of inquiries we receive, we are not always able to acknowledge receipt of your application. We will contact you only if your application is selected for additional review.

Professional French Translator (Volunteer or reduced rate): Seeking a professional translator who is willing to translate several health documents related to perioperative nursing care from English to French on a voluntary basis or a reduced rate. This translation will need to be done between April 1 – May 15, 2008. The material to be translated consists of course syllabi, class presentations, journal articles and text book selections. To apply, please send an informal cover note indicating dates of availability, along with your resume, two or three professional references, and an example of a document you have translated from English into French. Send these items to Lauren Spahn at lspahn@pih.org.

Professional French Interpreter (Volunteer or reduced rate): PIH seeks a professional interpreter to interpret from English to French during classes on perioperative nursing care. The course will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from May 19 – June 26. Please send cover note, resume and 3 professional references to Lauren Spahn at lspahn@pih.org. 

Office Volunteers – Boston: PIH is looking for several volunteers to help in the Boston offices with regular administrative responsibilities. Volunteers need to be available during regular business hours for a minimum of 15 hours per week and should be able to commit for three months. Interested applicants should complete the volunteer application form and send it to volunteer@pih.org.

Data Entry Volunteers – Boston: Partners In Health is seeking several detail-oriented volunteers to help with data entry for an important research project regarding AIDS treatment in Haiti. Depending on time and interest, volunteers are also welcome to help with other research and office tasks. Patience and attention to detail are mandatory for this position. Familiarity with Microsoft Access, French, and medical terminology helpful but not required. Volunteers will receive training on using Access. Scheduling can be flexible, but we strongly prefer someone who can commit a minimum of 5-10 hours a week for at least a month. This project will begin in March 2008 and continue until data entry is complete. To apply, please submit a resume and the Volunteer application form to volunteer@pih.org with “Data entry volunteer” in the subject line. Thank you in advance for your interest.

Translators – Boston: Partners In Health is seeking volunteers with translation experience to support our office in Boston, MA.  Candidates must be fluent in English and be proficient in speaking and writing at least one of the following languages: Spanish, French, Russian, or Haitian Creole. Volunteers must be able to commit to either: 1) ongoing volunteer work for at least 10 hours a week, or 2) a short-term intensive project during specified dates. Interested applicants should complete the Volunteer application form and submit it along with a sample of previous translation work to volunteer@pih.org.  In the application question about specific skills and talents, please list each language for which you are applying and evaluate your proficiency in speaking and writing using the following terms: beginner, intermediate, advanced, fluent.

English-to-Spanish translators – via email: Volunteers are urgently needed to translate various PIH articles and presentations from English to Spanish. Some knowledge of medical vocabulary is helpful but not essential. Work can be done from home and will be sent via email. Please send a brief (approx 1 page) writing sample in Spanish to rross@pih.org. The sample can be on any topic—it does not have to pertain to health or PIH.

International Opportunities

Aside from the postings below, we generally do not recruit volunteers for overseas work. Local medical professionals and community health workers at our partner projects carry out the bulk of the work, and language barriers and our limited resources for supervision and training also prevent us from accommodating volunteers. While on occasion we do engage volunteer medical and technical specialists, we’re committed to working with the members of the communities we serve in order to expand local skills and knowledge, build up local infrastructure, and ensure sustainability.

If you are interested in overseas work, we encourage you to explore opportunities at other organizations; Idealist.org , The International Volunteer Programs Association, and The International Medical Volunteers Association are three of many excellent web and print resources.

Surgeon – Zanmi Lasante, Haiti: Partners In Health/Zanmi Lasante is looking for a volunteer general surgeon to work with the Zanmi Lasante surgical team in Haiti. This volunteer will report to PIH's Boston-based Medical Director and Zanmi Lasante's Director of Surgical Services, based in Haiti. The volunteer will be posted initially in Cange, Haiti and then possibly at one of our two other surgical sites in the Central Plateau. The caseload would include routine general surgery as well as management of surgical emergencies, trauma, and emergency caesarian sections. The individual must have completed residency training and be proficient in general surgery and caesarian sections. Experience working in a developing country is helpful, and a strong commitment to social justice is essential. Fluency in either French or Haitian Creole is preferred. A minimum commitment of 6-12 months is necessary. Interested candidates should send resume and letter to volunteer@pih.org.

Socios En Salud Volunteers – Peru: There are currently openings for eight volunteers to work for periods of 2 months to a year on a variety of projects, ranging from research to graphic design and assisting with program design and management. Download this PDF file for all the details. All positions are available immediately. Please send a cover letter specifying the position in which you are interested and when you are available to start as well as a resume to Rachel Ross, Peru Project Manager at rross@pih.org.