other ways to help | kham aid ho

other ways to help | kham aid home

Kham Aid Foundation

Volunteer/Intern Opportunities

See this list of Frequently Asked Questions for Volunteers and China Development Brief's Advice for NGO job-seekers. You can find out more about volunteering by attending one of our public EVENTS. Interested in a volunteer or intern position? Fill out and return this questionnaire along with a resume and a cover note that explains which job you're applying for.

NEW: Read about our art conservation program. Click here for details.

Notice: due to recent restrictions on foreigners traveling in Ganzi
Prefecture, in 2008 we can consider only those volunteers for field
work (i.e. work in Kham) who are citizens of mainland China. Sorry,
people from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao are also considered
"foreign" for purposes of the restrictions. Volunteers of all
nationalities are welcome to apply at any time for work located in
Chengdu, Beijing, or the U.S., or for positions in Kham during 2009
and after. We cannot now confirm the availability of field positions
in future years to non-Chinese, but we will keep your application in
our files and contact you if an opening becomes available that fits
your skills.

Current open positions

Nonfield (work at home)

Travel BBS Webmaster

Video Editor (Insert Subtitles)
Education Newsletter Graphic Designer
Chinese-English Translator for Video Production
Chinese/Tibetan Webmaster

Field (work in Kham):

Microsoft Access Trainer

           Photography Instructor
           Wheelchair Fitter or Doctor
           English Teacher
           Computer Trainer

Field work applicants - please see this important information

Non-field volunteer positions

Even without leaving home, you can make a real difference for the people of Kham.

Job title	Travel BBS Webmaster
Dates of need	Start anytime. Work is part-time and ongoing
Project name	Kham Travel Bulletin Board
Skills required	Knowledge of BBS software installation, implementation, and maintenance.
Duties	Find a suitable BBS software package, adapt it for use as the Kham Travel BBS, and implement it on the existing site www.travelkham.com or on www.khamaid.org. The system should have features that dependably prevent spam and hacking. After the system goes live, continue to monitor it and maintain it.
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	ISP costs, domain registration, etc. We hope that we don’t have to pay for the software itself, since so many packages are available for free, but if necessary will consider a modestly priced product.
Opportunities for Tourism and Side-trips	No travel required. It is helpful but not necessary
Contact	pam(at)khamaid(dot)org

Job title	Video Editor (Insert Subtitles)
Dates of need	Any time.
Project name	We have 10-15 minutes of tape which can be supplied on a DVD or some other digital media, in which, we need someone to write English subtitles on this Chinese language interview.
Skills required	Knowledge of Video editing software. Fluent in both English and Chinese.
Duties	Insert English subtitles into Chinese language interview.
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	It would be helpful if you have video-editing software such as Windows Movie Maker or Roxio that you can use to insert the subtitles. If you don't have that, we can probably figure out a work-around; just tell us what software/equipment you do have.
Opportunities for Tourism and Side-trips	No travel is needed; this work can be done from home anywhere in the world.
Contact	volunteer@khamaid.org

Job title	Education Newsletter Graphic Designer
Dates of need	Start anytime. Work should take about 15 hours per issue spread out over a couple of weeks, four times a year. The first issue may take longer because you will need to design the overall ‘look’ of the newsletter.
Project name	Education program.
Skills required	Ability to use graphic design software such as InDesign. You will need your own computer. Ability to speak Chinese is an asset but not required. You should know English well enough to format it in a document.
Duties	Work with the education program director (based in Chengdu) and other Kham Aid staff to lay out the newsletter, format article text and insert photos, so that the result is an attractive 4-6 page pdf document.
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	As long as you have your own computer and software, there shouldn’t be any expenses.
Location	Prefer someone based in Chengdu but can accept people at other locations in China.
Contact	Volunteer(at)khamaid(dot)org

Job title	Chinese-English translator for video production
Dates of need	Start anytime. Work should take 1 or 2 days to complete.
Project name	Cultural heritage preservation Program.
Skills required	Excellent Chinese (putonghua) listening comprehension, reasonable English writing skills.
Duties	Listen to the audio track of a video and write English subtitles to go with Chinese dialog.
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	As long as you already own a computer with a high-speed internet connection and a sound card, there should be no costs at all. Ability to play back digital video files on your computer is helpful but not necessary.
Opportunities for Tourism and Side-trips	Work from home; no travel required.
Contact	volunteer(at)khamaid(dot)org

Job title	Chinese/Tibetan Webmaster
Dates of need	Start anytime. Work is part-time and ongoing
Project name	Tibetan/Chinese language outreach
Skills required	Knowledge of a basic webpage development tool such as FrontPage, ability to write and edit in Tibetan and/or Chinese.
Duties	Develop Chinese or Tibetan language content for our website.
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	There should be no expenses but if you anticipate having to purchase software let us know; we can discuss it.
Opportunities for Tourism and Side-trips	No travel required.
Contact	khamaid@khamaid.org

Field volunteer positions

Due to the demanding nature of field work, the difficult conditions experienced by field workers, and the high visibility of field teams, the process of choosing field volunteers is very selective. Please read the following carefully before applying.

1. Review the list of field positions listed below. Please apply only for positions for which you are demonstrably qualified. Complete the questionnaire, write a cover letter explaining which position you're applying for. Give references. Send these items along with your resume to the contact person indicated.

2. If you seem suitable for the position, we will telephone you or arrange a meeting for an in-person interview. Our programs are constantly evolving and our needs may be changing, so we may not get back to you immediately.

3. If the interview goes well, we will offer you a contract stating the terms of service, just as if you were a paid employee. In this contract you will be asked to commit to the agreed-upon service dates.

4. You will need to fill out and sign our standard field worker information form, waiver of liability, medical disclosure, and field worker rules. Some volunteers will also need to buy medi-evac insurance; for others, we will provide it to you.

5. One month prior to start of service, we will need to see evidence that you have paid for your travel to the project starting point. Basically, this is proof of your commitment to working for Kham Aid.

Field

Job title	Microsoft Access Trainer
Dates of need	Anytime - Ideally this work would be done during several two hour sessions over the course of a week or more, but if necessary the work could be compressed into a one-day marathon.
Project name	(all projects)
Skills required	Skilled in using Microsoft Access, ability to speak and read Chinese and English.
Duties	Volunteer needed to coach Kham Aid staff in Microsoft Access. You will teach one or two people in how to use and modify an existing database, including Query skills. If time permits, teach how to design a new database. The software will be Chinese language although the database itself is in English. The staff who will receive training know both English and Chinese. If time permits then it would be helpful to also coach on how do a computer checkup as well, scanning for viruses, doing backups, etc.
Location	Our office in Chengdu or Kangding.
Contact	volunteer@khamaid.org

Job title	Photography instructor
Dates of need	2-3 days, anytime after November 1, 2007, except Chinese national holidays. Please contact us at least one month before your planned visit to give us time to coordinate the training dates with other field activities.
Project name	(all projects)
Skills required	Skilled in indoor and outdoor digital photography, and PhotoShop.
Duties	Train Kham Aid field staff in digital photography with particular emphasis on use of flash in conditions of poor or difficult lighting. Additional desired subjects include: framing and composition, portraiture, and best use of camera features. Also desirable: how to use PhotoShop to correct problems in photos
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	Housing and meals will be provided in our Kangding office during the training.
Opportunities for Tourism and Side-trips	You can travel in Kham as much as you like before or after your period of volunteering.
Contact	volunteer@khamaid.org

Job title	Wheelchair Fitter or Doctor
Dates of need	3-4 people for two weeks some time in 2008.
Project name	Wheelchair program
Skills required	Professional qualifications and experience in physical therapy, occupational therapy, or an M.D.
Duties	Evaluate disabilities, treat medical problems, and/or determine the wheelchair size, settings, and accessories will best suit the needs of individual disabled people who receive our chairs.
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	Each volunteer is expected to raise $500 for the project; this will be used to buy five wheelchairs. Kham Aid covers ground cost from Chengdu to the project site(s) and back, food and lodging. (this last may change depending on our budget situation. Please check with the program director)
Opportunities for Tourism and Side-trips	You can travel around Kham before or after your stint of volunteering.
Contact	eunice(at)khamaid(dot)org

Job title	English Teacher
Dates of need	You must be available for at least three months during the fall semester: (August-January) or the spring semester (March-June). Preference is given to volunteers who can stay a full academic year. NOTE: schools close during the summer and there are no teaching positions available then.
Project name	Volunteer English teachers
Skills required	Some positions require an ESL certificate or qualification as a teacher. Others require only that you know English and are willing to teach young children in a rural setting. Positions are in Shangrila (Zhongdian) and other locations in Yunnan Province.
Duties	Teach English to primary or middle school students.
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	Generally, volunteers pay their own travel and living costs, though some schools can provide food. Housing is provided for free by the school.
Opportunities for Tourism and Side-trips	You can travel around Kham before or after your stint of volunteering, and during school holidays.
Contact	ute@khamaid.org

Job title	Computer Trainer
Dates of need	3-14 days anytime except during Chinese national holidays.
Project name	Administration
Skills required	Fluent Chinese language, familiarity with Chinese Windows operating system, basic computer knowledge.
Duties	Teach computer skills to Kham Aid program staff, including file management, Microsoft Office, and use of security features such as backup and anti-virus.
Expenses that will be covered by Kham Aid	Depending on availability, we may be able to put you up in our Kangding office during your period of volunteering.
Opportunities for Tourism and Side-trips	You can travel around Kham before, during, or after your stint of volunteering.
Contact	wubangfu (at) khamaid (dot)org