Urolink does not have a specific, volunteering policy. Individuals are encouraged to work as part of a team when travelling to the developing world in order to maximise benefit to the centre being visited and to minimise risk to the individual. You can advertise your availability on the Urolink website as described below. Other organisations do, however, have volunteer programmes, some of which may be of interest to you.
Volunteer to work within a Urolink team
If you want to work within a Urolink team but don't know who is going where or when, you can post an interest in volunteering by sending an e-mail to the Urolink office.
Organisations with volunteer programmes
 | International Volunteers in Urology (IVUmed), a US organisation based in Salt Lake City, do take volunteers although they tend to come from North American residency programmes. They have a different sphere of activity from Urolink, with many connections in South America. If you wish to know more about volunteering through IVUmed, please visit their website. |
 | RedR is an international charity that improves the effectiveness of disaster relief, helping rebuild the lives of those affected. They aim to relieve suffering from disasters by selecting, training and providing competent and committed personnel to humanitarian programmes worldwide. Health Exchange was developed by International Health Exchange (which has since merged with RedR) and originally published between 1990 and 2006. Health Exchange is a forum for practitioners and front-line health workers to share experiences and lessons from the field. It is a quarterly on-line and print magazine designed to have a practical focus on important health topics. |
 | Merlin is an organisation that specialises in providing disaster relief. It is worth looking at the medical section in its job tab to see if their are any relevant positions. Vacancies may be found on their website. |
 | If you want to help in specific disaster situations you would be best advised to visit the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) site. Remember that MSF does not usually accept volunteers who cannot commit to 6-12 months in the field. Donations are their prefered method of dealing with those who have limited time to spend abroad. An interview with Rowan Gillies, President of MSF, in August 2004 can be found in this BMJ Career Focus link. |
 | The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence, and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC recruits people, signs a contract with them and gives them special training before they head off to a conflict zone. If you would like to work for the ICRC, either as a field delegate or at headquarters, please visit the Human resources section of their website. |
 | Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) can be a useful way of utilising your expertise in a less-medical way and your help may be employed in a number of different ways. For information about volunteering with VSO please visit their website, which will introduce the concept of the three-level mechanism of application, looking for opportunties, what those opportunities may bring and an on-line application form. |
 | Providing portable water and basic sanitation is something we all take for granted in the UK but which is often in very short supply in less developed parts of the world. WaterAid transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities. They work with partners and influence decision-makers to maximise their impact. |
