People assume that an organization of our size, scope and impact must involve paid volunteers, but this is not true.

PTW is a 100% volunteer run and operated organization. Not a single person in PTW is being paid for their services. This includes our CEO, directors, managers, administrative team and all involved in delivering health and education outcomes to the world. Since its creation in 2010, PTW has led the world in bringing innovation and new ways of thinking to the volunteering space. Our team of dedicated volunteers have helped us rise and succeed in the challenge of making the impossible, possible

Responsible Volunteering:

In creating this model, we hold strong views on volunteering and its role in society, placing emphasis how we conduct ourselves in volunteering practise.

  • Being responsible for our actions when using skills-based volunteering only
  • Empowering communities by using volunteers who come from the community itself
  • Avoiding voluntourism and making volunteering eco-friendly
  • Advocating for a commitment to volunteering life-long, regularly and consistently
  • Make volunteering inclusive and accessible to all

Being responsible for our actions when using skills-based volunteering only

PTW recruits volunteers and only offers positions within the organization that match or directly suit their existing academic and professional qualifications. For example, volunteers who produce health promotion resources are professionals such as doctors, pharmacists, allied health professionals and other healthcare workers. They work closely with other types of professionals within PTW including graphic designers who help turn these resources into engaging and inspiring bodies of work. Just as a construction company would not hire a doctor to construct or build a house, PTW keeps the volunteering.

Empowering communities by using volunteers who come from the community itself

For our impact to be successful, the communities themselves need to be capable of supporting themselves. This is 1 reason why PTW only utilises volunteers to work on-site in project locations if they live in the location of our project. We believe that the people who lead, manage and inspire progress within our projects should come from the communities that our projects are supporting. This also allows us to be more considerate and supportive of the cultures, communities and language of the people we are helping, and build long-lasting trust in the support PTW provides, tailoring programs to the specific needs of the community, and make it practical to provide regular ongoing support.

Avoiding voluntourism and making volunteering eco-friendly

PTW does not have a model of ‘voluntourism’. For example, we don’t offer short term volunteering experiences for people to physically visit our grassroots projects not only due to enable us to empower communities from within, but also reduce our carbon footprint on the world by reducing unnecessary travel and expense of volunteers when capable volunteers exist within the communities we support 

Advocating for a commitment to volunteering life-long, regularly and consistently

Both health and education require a life-long commitment. This is both at the individual level and at a societal level. For example, going to the gym once won’t make you fit. You need to commit to exercise throughout your life to remain healthy throughout your life. The most efficient energy resources today won’t be the most efficient energy sources tomorrow. You need to commit to ongoing learning to understand the world and best solutions available. Therefore, PTW’s impact in improving health and education requires long-term commitment to seeing outcomes. 

Make volunteering inclusive and accessible to all

As a pillar of PTW, we want to make sure volunteering with us is possible for anyone and everyone life-long in a way that suits their lifestyle and capabilities. Our volunteers include doctors, lawyers, mothers, fathers, university students and people from all walks of life around the world. To do this, we work with individual volunteers to ensure their role is appropriate for their skills and is achievable in the time they can commit per week. Furthermore, PTW aim to have as many of our roles and activities online to enable volunteers to support remotely and make volunteering with PTW possible irrespective of the changes that can happen throughout life. 

Join the PTW family

PTW is always looking for passionate sponsors and volunteers to join our cause. If you would like to apply to become a sponsor, or if you would like to volunteer, please visit the links below.