Armchair Development Program
Providing
A World of Volunteers To Central Asian Women’s Rights Groups
The Alliance
currently works with women’s rights organizations in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan. We refer to these organizations as our partner
organizations. The Alliance’s partner organizations sometimes need assistance with
projects that can be accomplished completely through e-mail contact with a
volunteer. Although projects can vary greatly in subject matter, many of the
projects fall within the categories of communications and research. The
projects also can vary greatly in length and complexity. Some projects might
take half an hour while others require several hours or even days of work. The
following are just some examples:
Communications projects
Armchair
Volunteers often assist the Alliance’s Central Asian partners with writing and editing
documents that have been translated into English, such as grant proposals,
website materials, articles, letters, and reports. For example, Armchair
Volunteers have assisted partners by editing quarterly reports to donors,
editing and revising grant proposals, and editing correspondence with
international organizations. By having Alliance Armchair Volunteers assist with
editing and writing, the partner organizations are able to improve their
standing and communication with the international community and donors.
Research projects
Armchair Volunteers
with particular technical skills (such as lawyers, professors or fundraisers)
can help by conducting research for the Alliance’s partner organizations,
including compiling examples of laws from other countries that relate to
women's rights issues; providing examples of fund raising techniques or
business expertise; researching experts and organizations in specific areas of
women's rights issues, such as trafficking, domestic violence or sexual
harassment, and helping the partner organization make contacts with the expert
or organization.
Interested
individuals should complete the Armchair Volunteer Application, found on the
Apply page (http://www.aiwr.org/armchair/apply),
and e-mail it to lisaherb@aiwr.org.
The Alliance will review each application and will work with the
volunteer to try to match an appropriate project with the volunteer's skills
and availability.