Volunteer with Operation Ethiopia
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Apply for a life-changing volunteer experience with Operation Ethiopia
Are you looking for a life-changing experience and the opportunity to help some of the people who need it most in Ethiopia? Consider applying to help us do our work in Ethiopia!
We run two to three one-week medical missions per year, with cohorts of up to 14 people, including a mix of opthalmologists, optometrists, EMTs, and lay volunteers. Due to the ongoing war in Israel, the dates of our 2025 missions are not yet set. If you are interested in joining us on a future mission, please fill out the volunteer form below and we will be in touch.
Volunteering with Operation Ethiopia is a very hands-on experience with hard but incredibly fulfilling work. Past volunteers have found it to be a truly life-changing experience.
What You Need to Know
How much does it cost to join a volunteer trip?
Volunteers cover the cost of their airfare and visa (we book the flights thru our travel agent as one “group,”) plus $250 for other expenses for the week (food, lodging, and transportation). The only other expenses to account for are getting to and from the Israeli airport, getting vaccinations, and arranging travel health insurance. We DO have a limited number of scholarships for each mission, so if you need financial assistance, just let us know. The flight costs have risen sharply recently and are currently around $1300 including a domestic flight within Ethiopia.
What do Operation Ethiopia volunteers do?
The main activity of our volunteer trips are running our Mobile Eyecare clinics in rural villages (watch here for an example). Laypeople are trained to operate devices that screen for glaucoma and auto-refract for vision. They also check patients in, manage medication distribution, fit patients with reading glasses, and more. It is a very hands-on experience and we all work hard together.
We have a mandatory training session in Israel for all volunteers about a week before each mission.
EMTs, in addition to participating in our Mobile Eyecare Clinics, teach first aid and CPR to people in the areas we work.
What are we looking for in volunteers?
Requirements:
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At least 18 years of age (no exceptions, for legal reasons)
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Fluent in both Hebrew and English
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Flexible even in uncertain conditions and situations and must have no problem with physically challenging accommodations, surroundings, and with high altitude.
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Highly motivated, takes initiative, and pitches in where needed
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Leadership experience in youth groups, army, or other settings is preferred
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Works well as part of a team
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Can participate in the pre-training session we do in Israel a week before the mission to train volunteers how to work in our Mobile Eyecare Clinics
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Can 100% COMMIT to the dates of the trip — Our volunteer teams are small and carefully balanced among ages, skill set, and if people cancel after committing, it causes problems for the mission. If you are interested in a trip that is close to a family event, personal event, army enlistment, or if your workplace may not approve your leave, please do not apply
The areas we work are third world in every sense. The conditions of the trip are challenging. There are no public bathrooms, accommodations are on the level of a very simple youth hostel, there are times when the electricity is off, where running water is not available, WIFI and connectivity in general is never guaranteed, and we work long days in the field. Things often change at the last minute, and flexibility and resiliency are essential.
What are the accommodations and food like?
Lodging:
The places we stay are on the level of a very, very basic youth hostel. They have different standards for cleanliness and comfort than you might be used to. For example, there is often hot water available for showers but not always. Electricity and running water are not always available throughout the day.
Food:
In Addis Ababa our hotel has a kitchen with separate kosher dishes for vegetarian, non-dairy food. The kitchen serves both Kosher and non-Kosher food and the Kosher certification is overseen by Rabbi Menachem Waldman of Haifa, Israel, who has been the religious leader of the Ethiopian community for decades. In Mekelle we have made our own set up by supplying them with separate pots and pans, and we do our best but there is no mashgiach of official kashrut certificate or supervision.
We recommend bringing non-refrigerated foods and snacks as well, particularly for selective eaters.
Water can only be drunk from sealed bottles that you can purchase daily at the hotel or locally.
We do not recommend eating uncooked vegetables or fruits.
Can you share a sample Itinerary?
Of course! Each trip varies slightly but our current general itinerary is:
- Fly as a group from Israel to Addis Ababa on a Saturday night, arrive in the early hours Sunday
- Sunday: run Mobile Eyecare clinics in the Addis Ababa Jewish community , followed by home visits to members of the Jewish community
- Monday: Early morning option to attend services in the Jewish community. Run Mobile Eyecare Clinics in the Mother Teresa Mission of Charity. Dinner at Chabad.
- Tuesday: Consult at Eye Clinic at St. Paul’s Millinium Medical center, a fascinating inside view of an Ethiopian public hospital. Possible meeting with the Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia. Afternoon flight to Mekelle, Tigray region.
- Wednesday: Spend the early morning assisting in post-op care at Operation Ethiopia’s sight-restoring cataract campaign. Rest of the day running Mobile Eyecare Clinics in one of the IDP refugee camps.
- Thursday: Spend the early morning assisting in post-op care at Operation Ethiopia’s sight-restoring cataract campaign. Rest of the day running Mobile Eyecare Clinics in one of the IDP refugee camps. Evening flight back to Addis to connect to late night return flight to Israel.
- Land back in Israel early Friday morning.
What else do I need to know?
- We schedule an in-person training session in Israel with all of our volunteers a week or so before we fly. Attendance is required for working in our Mobile Eyecare Clinics.
- We ask all our volunteers to help us fundraise for the medical mission, medications, eyeglasses, equipment, etc.
- We take photos throughout the entire trip and by going with us you agree to us using photos from the mission on our website, social media, blog, emails and more.
- We have a post-trip get together with all our volunteers and their families a week or two after we return from our misison.
Apply to Volunteer with Operation Ethiopia
Hear from Past Volunteers
“I feel privileged I had the ability to visit Ethiopia and witness the country and the people who live there. I am humbled by my limited ability to help those I met. The images I witnessed will stay with me and I hope to use these images to raise awareness, and hopefully raise funds for those faces.”
“I would describe it as a uniquely special experience. Volunteering with Operation Ethiopia is a true opportunity to do good, and to learn with the exceptional group of people who make it possible.”
“The trip was a life changing experience. We always talk about helping out those in underserved communities, but rarely is there opportunity to do so. I came in not knowing much or expecting anything, but this trip completely exceeded all of my expectations and left me with memories and friends I’ll never forget.”
