Would you like to invest your time as a humanitarian aid volunteer with Télécoms Sans Frontières?

• We are looking for volunteers - Central America - Mexico 

  (inhabitants of Guadalajara or nearby)

• 
  
• For more information, click here

FAQ:

- What does it mean to be a humanitarian aid volunteer?
- What qualities are we looking for in a volunteer?
- How does an emergency departure mission work and how is the team put together?
- How long do TSF missions last?

Membership of TSF is a personal, voluntary act which does not require any membership contributions. A volunteer is someone who works voluntarily, without receiving any remuneration for work which he/she is not obliged to do.
A volunteer is someone who has been temporarily transferred within the framework of a "volunteer’s agreement" with an association, who carries out a full-time activity, thus abandoning by this agreement all other social status with regard to labour law. The volunteer may not receive any salary or remuneration for the work carried out, no matter what its nature is, but may receive an allowance.
The volunteer undertakes to respect the ethics of TSF and the values of humanitarian aid: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality and Independence.
He undertakes to be ready to leave in the event of an emergency situation in less than three hours, for a duration of one month (passport and vaccination certificates up to date). TSF volunteers will receive training in the use of the equipment and in the development of the mission (its objectives, conditions of security, reports ...), and must undertake to keep themselves up to date on technical innovations and on the use of new equipment, the activities of TSF being linked to new technology. The organisation is responsible for all the costs linked to the mission for these logisticians as mentioned above.
Between missions, the volunteers agree to work as a volunteer in the heart of the organisation and thus become involved in the day-to-day running of TSF (administration, accountancy, communications, preparation and maintenance of equipment...). Return to the list of questions

What qualities are we looking for in a volunteer?
TSF uses state-of-the-art satellite equipment which requires specific technical knowledge in the areas of computing, networks and telecommunications.
We are looking for people who are totally bilingual (French - English) and have reached the following minimum standard: Degree in Engineering, Telecoms and Networks, as well as logisticians highly qualified in computing and totally bilingual also.
The volunteer must live sufficiently close to PAU (Pyrénees-Atlantiques) to enable him/her to be regularly involved in the work of the Head Office.
From our experience, we consider that someone who lives within a 50km radius from Pau, Managua or Bangkok, would be suitable.
To volunteer at our regional offices please contact us directly:
TSF’s Americas and Caribbean base located in Managua: americas@tsfi.org
TSF’s Asia and Pacific base located in Bangkok: asia@tsfi.org
Return to the list of questions

How does an emergency departure mission work and how is the team put together?
After a natural disaster resulting from an earthquake, a cyclone or severe flooding, both communication land lines and mobile networks are often damaged or totally destroyed. During armed conflict, the means of communications may be equally important (notably in the case of massive population displacements) and therefore TSF’s intervention is required.
The TSF emergency committee which makes the decision to intervene meets very quickly. We cannot intervene, however, if unfortunately the country where the disaster has occurred refuses international assistance.
Within 3 hours, the teams must be assembled, the equipment ready to leave and contacts made with local authorities on the ground in order to put in place the emergency plan as quickly as possible.
Our teams are transported on site by commercial flights or by government flights whenever possible. Local authorities will generally make transport to the disaster area as easy as possible.
The installation of a communication centre for NGOs working in the disaster area is our priority and should be installed within 20 minutes after the arrival. Once the first objective of the TSF mission has been achieved - to assist rescue teams in saving lives - our teams evaluate the immediate needs of victims and can rapidly install our mobile telephone equipment in call centres for humanitarian aid. TSF offers 3 minutes of communication time to each family affected by the disaster. Return to the list of questions

How long do TSF missions last?
Our role is not to be a substitute for local operators nor to re-establish the communication networks, but to provide temporary communications for the needs of NGOs, rescue teams, local authorities and populations.
After a natural disaster which leads to the disruption of the means of communications, the initial emergency phase lasts for 1 month. Local operators will have been able to re-establish the network by then.
In certain instances, due to the intensity of the disaster or the large number of people displaced following a war situation, TSF’s mission could be prolonged, as was the case in Iraq in 2003, in Sri Lanka in 2009 and more recently in Libya (2011). Return to the list of questions