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UN Volunteers Policy Paper ‘Caring Cities’ Volunteering in Urban Development and the role of the United Nations Volunteer Programme PART II – THE UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMME Thematic view and illustrations PART II – THE UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMME Thematic view and illustrations Page 46 Volunteer organisations Volunteer organisations are surely of major importance in UNV’s urban agenda. A large part of the first component of this agenda – support and promotion of the different forms of volunteerism – is realised through working with such organisations, e.g. selfhelp groups, advocacy groups, service-to-other groups and others. The work of many UN Volunteers (second component of the agenda) also entails support to such types of groups. This publication highlighted that volunteer organisations based in urban areas have problems of their own, therefore benefiting from UNV support in areas such as institutional strengthening, capacity building, resource mobilisation and technical assistance. The outputs of the activities are enhanced because they benefit from the increased synergy accruing from volunteer-tovolunteer co-operation. Text F, G and H below exemplify different types of projects. In the first one UNV supports urban grassroots communities to strengthen their skills in the self-help and participation types of volunteerism. Text G describes a project in which UNV supports the creation of a university volunteer scheme to work on the reconstruction of settlements. Text H illustrates the assistance to volunteer groups which are formally involved in local government. F -------------------------------------------- Volunteer support to strengthen urban communities in Costa Rica and Honduras ----------------------------------------------- This project entails supporting the implementation of urban community centres which were established with the support of UNCHS (Habitat). The centres are owned and managed by a local community-based organization, and aim at providing lowincome people better access to services/resources such as advice to local businesses, promotion of local products, job information, community loans. The implementation of the centres entails in-depth and long-term work with and within local communities. This implies not only co-ordinating the activities, but also setting in motion a process of capacity building and community strengthening, which ultimately guarantees the sustainability of the actions. Consequently the need for establishing the centres has been identified as an appropriate niche for UNV to intervene. UNV is constituted in such a way as to be able to carry out in-depth, outreach and capacity-building activities at the grassroots level, working with(in) local communities for long periods of time. G -------------------------------------------- The establishment of a university volunteers service to Page 47 support the reconstruction of settlements in Nicaragua ----------------------------------------------- This project is linked to a UNDP/UNCHS (Habitat) programme, which supports the development of outreach settlements in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch. The UNV project contributes to anchoring the overall programme at the local level. The project builds upon the cooperation between UNV and two national universities in the context of a University Volunteer Service (UVS). Nicaraguan graduates support the field activities of the aforementioned programme and therefore not only contribute to the development of outreach settlements but also receive practical training. Their experiences are documented and used as learning material in the universities. In order to strengthen and formalise existing experiments of university volunteering, one UN Volunteer works directly with the universities, thus ensuring the sustainable design of the scheme. Altogether, the project promotes volunteerism among recently graduated professionals and community members in Nicaragua through activities related to urban areas. Ultimately, the inhabitants of the selected outreach settlements will benefit from this initiative and at the same time, the new professionals will profit from it in terms of personal and professional development. H -------------------------------------------- Volunteerism as a pillar of urban management in Bhutan ----------------------------------------------- Starting in June 2000, a Volunteer Action Group (VAG) in each ward of Phuentsholing City in Bhutan meets at least once a month. Composed of residents and business owners interested in the welfare of their community and dedicated to improving overall life in Phuentsholing, the VAG can bring up any issue, from parking problems to waste disposal, with the PCC (Phuentsholing City Council). By creating pressure groups out of volunteers, PCC hopes to make its operations more accountable and responsive. The VAG depends on concerned residents who receive no compensation, yet are willing to give up their time for the welfare of their community. The scheme is supported by UNV and by VSO (the British volunteer-sending agency). Using a map devised by the surveyors, PCC has divided Phuentsholing into 15 wards, each of which has a VAG composed of 5–10 community volunteers nominated by the Ward Community. The volunteers, according to PCC VAG Guidelines, ‘should be driven by the desire to improve the environment of the Community as a whole. ‘ A PCC employee in each ward serves as a Ward in Charge, a liaison between the ward and PCC. The Ward-in-Charge relays the concerns brought up in the VAG meetings to PCC and ensures that PCC responds with some type of action. For example, the VAG may complain that residents repeatedly litter the community areas. The Ward in Charge informs PCC, which decides to authorize the VAG to issue fines to persistent litterbugs. Or the VAG may decide to act on its own and initiate an anti-littering campaign. Or PCC may decide to empty rubbish pits more often. The options are unlimited. The immediate purpose is communication and participation, mainly regarding sanitation, but the VAG can bring up any issue they like. School crossings, safety, and security – there’s no limit. By encouraging volunteers throughout Phuentsholing to participate in city planning, the VAG will give every resident and business a stake in the future of the city. The forging of a communal spirit can also improve the social cohesion of Phuentsholing.
UN Volunteers Policy Paper ‘Caring Cities’ Volunteering in Urban Development and the role of the United Nations Volunteer Programme PART II – THE UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMME Thematic view and illustrations PART II – THE UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMME Thematic view and illustrations Page 48 Page 49 4.2. The social domain There is a whole set of social problems, which occur predominantly in urban areas. Largely they are derived from stressors related to urbanisation such as overcrowding, pollution, longdistance commuting in precarious circumstances, lack of sociocultural bonds, lack of access to basic services, etc. A selected number of social problems related to urbanization are discussed below. Abandoned children While this is an overwhelming – and continuously expanding – problem in urban settlements throughout the developing world, it seldom happens in rural areas. It is clearly connected to the urbanization process, and often takes place due to the breakdown of family bonds (associated with the loss of ethniccultural bonds in cities and/or to other effects of the pressures of urban living). Even when (low-income) families do not fall apart, the adults cannot frequently take proper care of the children — again due to urban pressures: stress and/or need to stay away from home to make a living (e.g. Werna et al., 1999). Solving this problem clearly requires preventive action, which in turn entails direct, long-term work with low-income families and communities, and with children at risk. This shows the advantages of UNV’s roles in tasks such as community animation and orientation, participatory work, income generation and grassroots technical assistance (psychologists, councillors and social assistants). In parallel to the above, curative actions are also necessary to assist the large numbers of children who are already on the streets. Again, direct, long-term work — in this case with the abandoned children themselves — is absolutely required to help this particular group which consists of often psychologically traumatized individuals, who are exposed to problems such as discrimination, homelessness, malnutrition, drug-taking, infections diseases, prostitution, crime and violence. Thus, UNV’s grassroots technical assistance is of primary importance (i.e. professionals working directly with the children). It is worth re-emphasising the importance of UNV’s volunteer ethos. The spirit of solidarity transmitted through voluntary work is crucial to build trust and confidence in such children in especially difficult circumstances. I -------------------------------------------- Volunteer support to street children in Latin America ----------------------------------------------- Street children in Tegucigalpa, Honduras and Managua, Nicaragua have been piloting their own solutions to problems of exclusion, glue-sniffing and precarious income earning for themselves and their families with the help of UN Volunteers whose assignments were funded by the Government of Belgium. In other countries such as Ecuador and Brazil, UN Volunteers helped street children by providing training in handicrafts, introducing teenagers to potential employers and teaching language skills. In addition to the above ‘handson’ activities, street children in Latin America have also been supported through broader initiatives. For example, UNV is currently supporting the governments of Central American countries to address issues about sexual exploitation, child labour and unemployment. Since early 1999, 21 UN Volunteers have been working on such regional activities, focusing their efforts mainly at the legislative level. The UN Volunteers have helped to draft laws and train judges, lawyers and government officials on how to apply the Convention on the Rights of the Child. J -------------------------------------------- Volunteer support to adolescents involved in law violations in Central America ----------------------------------------------- It is a known fact that many adolescents who commit minor offences are brutally treated by law enforcement officers. This often contributes not to prevent them from repeating the offences, but actually force them to climb the crime-ladder – as the youngsters feel mistreated by the official system, and feel that the only option is to immerse themselves in crime. Considering this, within the framework of the project related to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (see text I), UNV has provided support to youngsters in trouble with the law. In parallel, in El Salvador and in other Central American countries, UN Volunteers go to detention centers and meet with hardened teenage criminals who have been denied their childhood. They bring with them their UNV can also use the ‘mirror volunteer’ approach to enhance the effectiveness of the curative actions. This means using ex-street children as UN Volunteers. As highlighted before, this approach provides a unique added value that can only be achieved through the personal interaction between people who have experienced the same problem or need. UNV is currently implementing a Child-friendly Cities initiative in Port Harcourt, Nigeria (presented in text J). It also implemented a similar activity in the Palestine. In addition, UNV has supported street children through other types of projects. Text I provides examples from Latin America. Violence and crime High rates of violence already constitute a crucial problem in many urban areas in developing countries, and the problem is continuously spreading to other cities and towns. The specific condition of urban violence is associated with urban features such as: – Intra-urban differentials: cities and towns are relatively small geographical areas, which concentrate high disparities in income and standard of living. There is a growing body of research which shows how the day-to-day/constant cognitive perception of the poor as worse-off than other members of society generate behaviour patters which lead to violence and crime (see, for instance, Wilkinson 1996 for a review). – Lack of social-cultural/family bonds: this already noted problem also has an effect on violence and crime (e.g. adolescents and young adults who grow up without proper family and communitarian support). – Anonymity and lack of social control: the fact that everyone virtually knows everyone else in a given rural village constitutes a deterrent to violent and criminal behaviour, as the culprit is easily identifiable. This is not the case in urban settlements, due to their much larger populations. – Economic vulnerability: as noted before, the urban poor are often extremely vulnerable to high prices and changes in income; and they do not have the option to fall back to an agrarian support system. Therefore, even when a given lowincome individual (or group) is not affected by the above
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