Who we are

SWB volunteers are the organisation. There is no permanent field staff — what gets done is done by people who show up, stay as long as they can, and come back when they are able.

The work is varied because the crises are varied. Some of our volunteers are sailors who have spent weeks at sea conducting search-and-rescue operations in the Aegean and Mediterranean. Others are lawyers who have navigated asylum procedures on behalf of people who had no one else to ask. Translators have made it possible for refugees to be understood and heard. Psychologists have sat with people in temporary shelters in Poland and helped them find something resembling stability. Logistics volunteers have loaded and driven TIR trucks to Ukraine.

Not everyone can commit to a long deployment, and that is understood. SWB works with people who can give a week, a month, or a year — and with those who return again and again when something is needed, and they are available. What matters is not the length of the stay but the quality of the contribution.

Areas of work

Training and support

SWB organises basic training in safety, first aid, sailing, and legal procedures, in cooperation with partner organisations. Existing professional skills in these areas are highly valued and often shape where a volunteer is most needed.

• SWB assists in organising safe travel and accommodation for deployments. Volunteers with specific professional backgrounds — medical, legal, maritime, psychological — are encouraged to mention these in their application.