Volunteer Guide

The WiderNet Project provides a meaningful volunteer experience that utilizes your skills or trains you in new ones, offering a flexible schedule and a thriving social environment.  As a volunteer with WiderNet, you will have a chance to engage in finding creative solutions that help bridge the digital divide, bringing much-needed educational materials to people in developing countries.  We need YOUR help to bridge the digital divide!

Some of the volunteer opportunities that we offer are a series of teams aimed at developing particular areas of the project:

 

Computer Tech Team: The core of WiderNet, you will work with and receive training from expert technicians with highly developed skills in computer technology: Test and prepare donated computer equipment for shipment to our partner universities, Program our databases or the eGranary Digital Library, or Work on systems management.   NEW!  The eGranary Digital Library is being expanded to 500 GB!  We need computer tech volunteers more than even as we work on this exciting project.

Administrative Management Team:  Assist our administrators with: Volunteer organizing Maintaining databases Staffing our office.

Public Relations Team:  Help publicize The WiderNet Project's efforts.  Write press releases and articles for our newsletter, Do graphic design, or Assist with grass-roots publicity efforts.

    The eGranary Digital Library delivers millions of Internet resources and other educational materials to institutions lacking adequate Internet access.  Here's how you can help with this important aspect of The WiderNet Project.

eGranary Content Team: Help expand and organize the eGranary Digital Library.  You can help: Identify educational resources in specific knowledge areas or languages, Organize the library's resources to be user-friendly, and Develop course curricula. NEW!  One of our staff members recently spent the summer in Uganda meeting with educators.  They are excited about using eGranary resources, and we are creating a page with links to resources within the eGranary that are directly relevant to their classes.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

Special Projects: As WiderNet gains recognition and grows in scope, many new possibilities have opened for the project's expansion.  We need volunteers with special interest in these programs to help us make them happen.

Worldwide Volunteers: Many of our volunteer opportunities can be done anywhere in the world, as long as the volunteer has access to a reliable internet connection.  Additionally, volunteers throughout the world have been excellent resources to help us form partnerships with educational institutions in need of our services.  If you're interested in off-site volunteering, please contact us at [email protected].

AmeriCorps Volunteer Positions: We currently have two openings for AmeriCorps volunteers.  Please contact us if you are interested in this exciting opportunity!  For more information about the AmeriCorps program, see http://www.americorps.org/.

Other Ways You Can Help:

Suggest resources for the eGranary Digital Library. Host African visitors to the WiderNet Project at your home or office. Secure donations of hardware, software, and books for our partners in the developing world. Conduct training at African universities in network management, computer repair, and/or database systems.

Please call 319-335-2200 or email [email protected] to explore how you can help. Information about monthly workdays can be found here.

 Sign Up to volunteer at the WiderNet Project.

  Check out our Volunteer Photo Gallery! 

See pictures from loading our 2nd cargo container April 2004!

Check out some pictures from a Workday in March 2003!