Seeking a Press & Media Professional – Volunteer at the Helping Hands Academy

Helping Hands Academy e.V. is committed to creating sustainable opportunities in The Gambia. Our projects combine education, health, clean water, vocational training, and international cooperation.

To ensure that this work gains greater visibility beyond our own channels, we would like to further expand our traditional press and media relations efforts. To this end, we are seeking an experienced press and media professional who will work with us to identify interesting topics, craft stories for publication, and build and maintain relationships with editorial offices and media outlets.

This role explicitly focuses on traditional public relations—not social media—including press releases, media contacts, story placement, interviews, and professional communication with journalists.

This is intended to be a long-term collaboration and can be conducted entirely remotely and on a flexible basis.

- Identify and develop press topics and interesting stories from our projects

- Draft press releases, background articles, and other media materials 
- Research, establish, and maintain contacts with media outlets and editorial teams 

- Target specific topics to relevant editorial teams and journalists 

- Respond to press inquiries or coordinate them with our team 

- Prepare for and facilitate interviews and media discussions 

- Build and maintain a structured press distribution list 

- Advise our team on matters related to traditional press and media relations

Several years—ideally many years—of professional experience in public relations, journalism, editorial work, corporate communications, or media relations is desirable. A keen sense for relevant topics and stories, excellent written communication skills, and a solid understanding of how editorial departments operate and how to professionally pitch stories are essential. Experience in building and maintaining media contacts is an asset. We also look for candidates who work independently, in an organized and reliable manner, and who enjoy contributing their professional experience to a nonprofit, internationally active organization. 

 The time commitment can be tailored to individual needs. What matters most to us is not a set number of hours per week, but a reliable working relationship. Even just a few hours a week can be very valuable. 

 We focus exclusively on traditional press and media relations, not social media. We place great importance on respectful, objective, and sensitive communication—especially when it comes to topics such as health, poverty, migration, or personal stories. Experience with The Gambia or development cooperation is not required; an interest in our topics and a willingness to learn the ropes are all that’s needed.