Everyone who applies to become a volunteer at FMHI must fill out the Become a Volunteer form. Any individual over the age of 18 can apply, provided he/she is physically, mentally, and emotionally fit, willing to give of him/herself, and willing to collaborate. There is no age limit, depending on the nature of the humanitarian or emergency response. For new collaborators, after evaluating the form, we contact you by email to initiate a dialogue, get to know each other, and provide clarification according to your availability – a minimum of 90 days per year. If the dialogue progresses, we schedule a videoconference.

The allocation to humanitarian missions follows a detailed action plan, programs, and projects developed with local partners to efficiently deliver and assist the scenario and the affected population. For the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions the most important is the practice of principles such as fraternity, constructive and non-competitive dialogue, listening and building together with the affected populations, seeking integrated solutions, and complementary actions so that the social and humanitarian response can meet the unusual pace of emergencies with efficiency, humanity, respect for human rights and duties implicit in social integration. The humanitarian principles of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions are derived from the fundamental principles that, since 1987, guide its activities, namely neutrality, impartiality, independence, and humanity, endorsed by the General Assembly and stated in the Sphere Handbook, including voluntary service, unity, and universality, in addition to a gradual building of principles of self-sustainability.  Its values are expressed exclusively in service to the needs of the people and communities it services, collaborating in the reconstruction of their lives. Its neutral, genuine, and transparent action, combined with continuous learning and sharing, based on empirical knowledge and training in international humanitarian standards (Sphere, INEE, CCCM, and CCHN frontline negotiation) applied in humanitarian responses, social and environmental disasters, raise commitment in humanitarian service fronts at national and international levels. Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions develops projects with local communities and humanitarian actors who already play a role in local, social, and humanitarian responses.  It acts in different phases of humanitarian crises, focusing on negotiation and dialogue to improve minimum conditions, and assist affected populations, including lasting solutions in the medium and long term in the following sectors of intervention:

• Education in emergency situations and humanitarian responses;
• First aid in emergency psychology and trauma;
• Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM);
• Articulation in humanitarian management, dialogue, and negotiation aimed at solutions and strategy development;
• Humanitarian capacity building;
• Joint construction of lasting solutions and livelihoods.

To read a little more about some of these principles, go here.

The Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions is a non-profit institution whose purpose is voluntary and selfless service. It is maintained by donations. Depending on the action plan and projects of each mission, the minimum commitment to such service is of 90 days a year and you bear the cost of travel.

Once you have gone through the preliminary steps illustrated here, and together, including with the technical coordination of the humanitarian mission, duly signed documentation, medical certificate, and health insurance when mandatory; depending on the project, we will present a plan and schedule of online training of the International Humanitarian Sphere Standards, evaluation of achievement and perhaps specific to the scenario in question, additional training will be coordinated with the sector of Training and Development (T&D). They will complete terms of responsibility, code of ethics and conduct (compliance), and others according to the action plan and potential exposure to be duly discussed and mutually agreed upon.

When a humanitarian volunteer is on a mission, his or her focus and priority is to serve the project and the needs of the people and assisted communities.   The Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions also practices “care for the caregivers”, making possible, whenever necessary and possible, moments of restoration. However, these moments are not understood as tourism.