The New Program Fills a Need

To organize and help with the phenomenal growth of this international construction work, the special volunteer program was conceived and developed. “During a construction project, particular trades are needed at particular times,” one of the overseers of the program explained. “You don’t need a roofer when the foundation is being poured. So the international worker office was established in Brooklyn, New York, to coordinate matters.”

Thus, as requests for tradesmen come in, the Brooklyn office serves as a “matchmaker.” It matches the needs of the construction projects around the world with the appropriate workers to fill those construction needs.

Qualifying to Serve

To share in the international volunteer program, a worker needs first to qualify. Each volunteer must be a dedicated, baptized Witness of Jehovah. In the United States, the prospective volunteer must first serve at one of the New York facilities of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This provides an opportunity for his work habits and abilities to be evaluated. He may then be invited to submit an application for the program. Wives of prospective volunteers, although usually not invited to serve with their husbands in New York, can also qualify for the program and fill out an application.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in other countries can apply to participate in the program by requesting an application from their home branch. This application is forwarded to the office at the Brooklyn headquarters that supervises the international servants and other international volunteer workers. The applicant is then notified when his work skills are needed.