Volunteer

If you are an educator, health care professional, videographer, photographer or journalist, peacebuilding or community development agent, or a student still searching and not sure yet of your future professional life and yet you feel you have a gift you would like to share with others in Africa or the Central Joaquin Valley of California, contact us.

Following below are some of the ways you can participate in the ministries of Mama Makeka House of Hope.

Conditions

In keeping with Mama Makeka Rebecca's ethos of there is always room for one more, we at Mama Makeka House of Hope do not discriminate on the basis of gender, ethnic, racial, economic status, and religious affiliation. We expect our volunteers to be committed to the mission, vision, guiding principles of Mama Makeka House of Hope, and must be respectful and sensitive to other cultures.

Although Mama Makeka House of Hope is not affiliated with any church denomination, however, we expect all our volunteers to be respectful of the faith tradition of its founders, board members and other volunteers.

In some case we might ask the volunteer to participate in fundraising for a specific project with which the volunteer will be involved with in Africa.

Contacting us

If you want to join us as a volunteer but you still have a specific question, please do not hesitate to write us. Go to Contact us and drop us a note and we will be happy to hear from you. You can download a get acquainted form to indicate your interest in volunteering and for what opportunities. If you decide to join us then we will send you a more detailed Personal and Confidential Information form to fill out for our processing and filing.

Opportunities for Volunteers

1. Administrative Assistant (Fresno) - The person will assist the Executive Director with basic office management work (filing, correspondence, paying bills, etc.), prepare for board meetings and attend certain number of meetings organized in Fresno. There might be some out of town meetings but they will be rare.
   
   Time required will be either two mornings or two afternoons a week depending on the availability of the volunteer. We encourage university students to consider the position because it offers great opportunity for involvement with the Non Profit Organization world that combines the local and the global.
2. Social Networking Manager (Fresno) - The Volunteer will be responsible to manage, update, and monitor the social networking tools being developed for Mama Makeka House of Hope. The volunteer must therefore be familiar with Facebook, Blog, Twitter, and You Tube. Time required is flexible.
3. Drivers (Fresno) - Due to his mobility issues, we are looking for volunteers willing to drive the Executive Director to meetings and other places as needed. Most of the driving will be local. There might be some rare cases when the Executive Director will need to be in Southern California or the Bay Area for meetings or conferences and where he will need someone to drive him.
   
   The volunteers will need to have a car in good conditions, valid driver's license, not have committed any felony, crime, or arrested for DUI. Mama Makeka House of Hope will cover the cost of the use of the vehicle by paying mileage.
4. Physicians and Hospital Administrators (Kajiji - DR Congo) - Starting in August 2010, we will be seeking for physicians willing to become mentors to three physicians serving in a small rural hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We are looking for specialists in surgery, family medicine, ophthalmology, and OBGYN, but several years of experience in general practice will also be appreciated.
   
   In addition, we will also be looking for Hospital Administrator willing to be a mentor to the administrative staff of the same hospital.
   
   Volunteers will need to commit no less than 3 weeks to be effective with the mentoring process. Mama Makeka House of hope will provide lodging in Kajiji and make arrangement for flight to and from Kajiji with MAF. The volunteers will cover the cost of travel and food. Some of the food will need to be purchased in Kinshasa and Kinshasa based staff will assist with all the arrangement and trips to store or to the market.
   
   As much as possible and when physician volunteers are ready to travel to Africa, we will raise money to purchase MAP's Travel Packs, each filled with about $12,500 of medication and supplies such as antibiotics, bandages and analgesics that they can use while in Africa. You can go to www.map.org for more details on this incredible tool for physicians traveling to developing countries.
5. Landscape Specialist (Kinshasa - DR Congo) - We are seeking for a volunteer or three with experience or passion for tropical landscaping that is environmental friendly to accompany the Executive Director to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and work with a local team in designing the landscape of the future site of the Mama Makeka House of Hope International Center for Professional Resourcing. The individual(s) will also assist in developing a large vegetable garden for the center. Travels to Congo planned for end of March and August 2010, and maybe December 2010 but time in country is very flexible depending on the volunteer(s)'s other commitment.
6. Quilter - We will be looking for someone skilled in quilt making to travel with the Executive Director in Kinshasa to teach a local team how to make quilts with local fabrics for the Kinshasa International Center for Professional Resourcing. While in Kinshasa, the volunteer (s) will also teach the team about ways of making school backpacks with used jeans. Time will be flexible but travel to Congo during the second half of 2010 or early 2011.