Promoting Volunteerism for Peace and Development

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 21UN Volunteers in Burundi helped torehabilitate a paediatric ward in RoiKhaled Hospital in Bujumbura, butaccording to Iram Batool, UNVProgramme Manager in Burundi,what they did went far beyond ‘justpainting‘. The UN Volunteersinvolved local associations and NGOsin the rehabilitation project, and triedto build their awareness aboutvolunteerism and how they couldwork together to help vulnerablegroups within Burundi. In this way,they expressed the volunteer spiritand demonstrated the benefits thatvolunteerism can bring.Volunteer ContributionsVolunteers, their organizations andnetworks have at least three channels forcontribution:■ Philanthropy and service to others;■ Mutual aid and self-help; and■ Advocacy and campaigning.provide necessary services. Localvolunteers outside the immediatebeneficiaries of your initiative might alsohelp deliver or amplify the services.Broader and more inclusive servicedelivery has greater likelihood of resultingin successful and sustainabledevelopment.“I have organized several activitieswhere many local volunteersparticipated. Despite the difficultiesthese volunteers have (such as lack offinancial and institutional support, norecognition of volunteerism orvolunteer actions), they are soenthusiastic to volunteer in theircommunity… I keep thinking, how can Icommunicate more effectively withpeople; by using whichexpressions/language can I convincepeople to be more interested involunteering and accept it as apotential starting point for communitydevelopment efforts in their own world.“Kanako Terui, UNV Programme Officer inKosovoConsider how your initiative could bemore effective if you harnessed localvolunteer potential. Does your initiativeaim to help a clearly defined group ofpeople? If so, there might be members ofthat group who would volunteer to help