Displaced civilians near Mosul, May 2017. (Maranie R. Staab)
Airwars began as an all-volunteer organisation in 2014 – and volunteers continue to play a vital role in our work. Our Board and Advisory Board give generously of their time and knowledge for example, comprising specialists from the conflict countries we monitor, along with experts in fields including munitions analysis, civilian casualty monitoring, geolocation and data journalism.
For more information about volunteering with Airwars, please email info@airwars.org
“The contribution of volunteers has always been crucial to the work of Airwars,” says conflict casualty expert Elizabeth Minor, herself the volunteer Chair of Airwars. “We started as a volunteer project, and we still rely on many committed people willing to give their time to help make our work a success, achieve our objectives, and strengthen our organisation”
Volunteers also play an important role in our daily activities – often working alongside other skilled team members on research, assessments and analysis. Abbie Cheeseman is a journalist based in Lebanon. As a volunteer previously with Airwars, she helped us process and evaluate US-led Coalition casualty assessments, as well as conducting casualty assessments. “There’s a significant problem with accountability for civilian harm in conflict zones and without projects such Airwars, militaries continue to get away with it,” says Abbie. “Being able to offer just a small amount of time, or the most basic of skillsets, eases the burden of an inspiring team who are working tirelessly to ensure that these militaries are held accountable.”
James Foley is an experienced healthcare consultant based in the western United States. James also assists Airwars pro bono with its own fundraising work – with a particular emphasis on US donors. “My motivation is simply a strong desire to support the primary mission of giving civilians a voice in the dysfunctional world of armed conflict,” says James. “This basic premise linked to the lack of awareness in the US of the Middle East conflicts and its peoples also provides ample incentive for my participation.”
Many of our employees began their time with Airwars as volunteers. Abdulwahab Tahhan, a refugee from Syria, first joined us as a volunteer in summer 2016 via the Refugee Journalism Project – and shortly afterward became one of our first full time team members. “As a Syrian myself, I was aware of the local monitors documenting the air strikes, however, there wasn’t any international body doing it. Airwars’ mission was a great match for me since I wanted to work in a place where we advocate on behalf of civilians killed and wounded due to international air strikes. I’ve been able to develop my research skills, and employ my expertise in monitoring and evaluation.”
Beth Heron originally joined as a volunteer while studying for her Masters, and went on to work for Airwars on several projects: “At the time I was conducting research on remote warfare, with a focus on lack of transparency on the part of belligerents. So Airwars’ work was in keeping with my research interests,” says Beth. “Through my time here I continued to be evermore inspired by the organisation’s reach, especially regarding military engagement and advocacy.”