Volunteer at IWDA

Women traditionally carry out the bulk of volunteer work. Women and girl volunteers around the world contribute significantly to household and community welfare and economic advancement through work done in the home, such as caring for children and housework, as well as work done in the community and informal sectors. This work is typically seen as an extension of the traditional role of women and is often undervalued and unrecognised – not considered ‘real work’.

IWDA’s volunteer program expresses the agency’s commitment to non-exploitation of paid and unpaid workers by challenging the traditional privileging of paid work and making visible and valuable women’s labour.

IWDA aims to make volunteering a positive experience and Volunteers are invited to attend various events with staff and supporters and their activities are celebrated annually through International Volunteer Week and Volunteer’s Day.

For more information or to apply to be a volunteer, click here

Latika Maskey-Pradhan

Nepalese National Latika Maskey-Pradhan came to Australia with her husband and children in January 2005 on an AusAID Scholarship. Whilst completing a Masters in Gender and Development at the University of Melbourne, Latika worked as an intern at IWDA on E-Gender (our monthly electronic gender newsletter).

Working on E-Gender was great, it really gave me insight into having access to information. These are the processes that are really useful in [the Nepalese] context, that we can use to transfer knowledge from a bigger level to the organisational level and to the community level as well.

Jasmine-Kim Westendorf, IWDA programs volunteer

“IWDA, to me, shows how women working together can make a real difference to the lives and opportunities of people worldwide. It offers a powerful example of how a focus on gender in development work can benefit whole communities and lead to sustainable change. Working on research for IWDA has given me the opportunity to engage in this work, and has inspired me to become more involved in supporting this vibrant organisation.”

Anne Mellino, IWDA library volunteer

“Working at IWDA, I feel connected to the larger group of women of the region, women from quite different backgrounds and circumstances, but bonded together by the basic needs of family and community. The ability of disadvantaged women to find ways of improving their circumstances is inspiring, and the local programs supported by IWDA have far-reaching and enduring benefits for the entire community. I enjoy the positive and supportive environment in the IWDA office and know that this translates to the work that the Program Managers do in the field.”