Partnerships and collaboration

UNITeS draws support and collaboration from a growing, loose network of collaborating organizations. These organizations come from all development stakeholder groups: governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society organizations (CSOs), development and volunteer-sending agencies, academia and the private sector. Some of these institutions have proven expertise on the use and applications of different ICTs for solving problems or expanding choices in development processes; NGO networks, ICT companies and universities come to mind. Others have significant experience in managing volunteers, and these could include volunteer-sending agencies (VSAs) or NGOs that involve volunteers in much of their work.

The common thread among all UNITeS collaborating organizations is that they are interested in taking action to narrow the digital divide. Collectively, and using the UNITeS mechanism, they will endeavor to allow the maximum possible number of volunteers to be productive in serving real needs expressed in developing countries, and to do so with good personal/working conditions and under a well-managed initiative.

Types of institutions that typically become hosts of ICT volunteers affiliated with UNITeS include:

• Health and medical institutions
  
• Civil societies including NGOs
  
• Schools and Universities
  
• Farmers and Agricultural cooperatives
  
• Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and private sector associations (like chambers of commerce)
  
• Communities - in particular via community telecenters
  
• Environmental protection agencies
  
• Governments

If you have read through the UNITeS web site and are interested in collaborating in some way with UNITeS, please send an email to partnerships@unites.org with:

• Your name,
• Your organization's name,
• Your organization's mission statement,
• A list of activities your organization is currently engaged in regarding volunteering in general, or ICT for development,
• How you found out about UNITeS (e.g. what led you to our web site?),
• What specific UNITeS activity or project interest you most (see "Assignment Opportunities") and why.

We are particularly interested in working with organizations who already place volunteers in developing countries (to share information and leverage resources with our own efforts), organizations who have an interest in placing their members as ICT volunteers in developing countries, organizations who can help UNITeS recruit female candidates and people from developing countries as ICT Volunteers, and organizations with volunteers, staff or members interested in helping to support and maintain the UNITeS Knowledge Base. You can see a list of projects for which we are currently seeking funding and collaboration here.

If you are interested in submitting a project proposal that would involve ICT Volunteers, please see our guidelines for submitting proposals.