We send international volunteers to areas of conflict, providing protective accompaniment to human rights defenders threatened by political violence. We also facilitate other peace-building initiatives.
We provide protection, support and recognition to local human rights defenders who work in areas of repression and conflict and have requested our support. We believe that lasting transformation of conflicts cannot come from outside, but must be based on the capacity and desires of local people. We avoid imposing, interfering or getting directly involved in the work of the people we accompany. Our work is effective because we take an integrated approach, combining a presence alongside human rights defenders on the ground with an extensive network of international support.
Founded in 1981, PBI has many years of experience working alongside human rights defenders, opening and protecting space for peace, conflict transformation and the defence of human rights in 14 countries. We are a life-saving international presence in areas of conflict and repression, and a powerful global advocacy network protecting those on the ground. We have worked in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, North America, Haiti, Nepal and the Balkans as well as our current field projects in Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico and Nepal.
Volunteering with PBI
The volunteers of Peace Brigades International (PBI) come from many different countries and backgrounds. What these volunteers share is a strong commitment to nonviolence and a belief in the contribution that ordinary people can make to creating a more peaceful and just world.
When there is a conflict within a state or between communities or nations, certain actions are possible and appropriate for outsiders - others are not. A PBI team seeks to encourage, by means of an international, nonviolent, non partisan presence, a peaceful resolution of conflicts in the local area. To do this, PBI teams:
Offer support and protective accompaniment to human rights defenders, groups or individuals threatened with violence;
- Develop a thorough analysis of the political situation by listening to the widest possible range of viewpoints and experiences while respecting needs for confidentiality;
- Report to the outside world a non-partisan analysis of the situation as seen on the ground in the area;
- Meet regularly with local and national civil and military authorities and embassies to raise concerns regarding human rights abuses as they affect the organisations we accompany.
PBI is not a development organisation. We believe that communities need space to carry out their own development in ways that create self reliance rather than dependency. We refer requests for development projects to other organisations set up for such work.
Volunteer at the International Office in Brussels
If you are interested in volunteering with PBI at our International Office in Brussels, Belgium, please contact us. Volunteer opportunities are mainly focused on communications, administration and fundraising.
