Promoting Volunteerism for Peace and Development

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 17Building Individual CapacityYour UNV assignment involvesdeveloping local capacity, and yourcontribution should result in theenhancement of your hosts‘ knowledgeand skills. Bolstering the capacities ofboth the individuals and institutionalstructures you work with is crucial toensuring that your work will have anenduring impact. You are much morelikely to leave behind a lasting legacy ifyou invest in the personal andprofessional development of the peoplearound you.One way to do this is by finding coworkerswithin your host agency andcollaborating closely with them throughoutyour assignment to create conditions forthem to develop their capacity andbecome initiators of change. At the outsetof your assignment, they may advise andsupport you during your learning curve byhelping you to understand localinstitutions, practices and customs.During your assignment, you can helpbuild your co-workers‘ knowledge, skillsand expertise so that they will be able tocontinue your work upon your departure.Your efforts to build capacity will also bemore effective if you recognize localinsights and technical and organizationalskills and increase their visibility locally.Transcending BoundariesPoverty tends to reinforce pre-existingcultural, religious and political divisions. Insituations of violent conflict, such divisionsare often intentionally aggravated in orderto intensify hostilities.Volunteerism is one way to help transcendthese kinds of divisions, overcomemisconceptions and even find commonground among opposing groups. Togetherwith your host partners, you may be ableto tactfully explore and createopportunities to promote participation involunteerism by members of differentgroups who may not normally interact witheach other, or may even be hostile towardeach other.