7 Ways To Volunteer Your Skill or Time
By: Ferdinand Aguliash Attah
Tags: Volunteering, Community, Work, Employability

“Founded on the values of solidarity and mutual trust, volunteerism transcends all cultural, linguistic and geographical boundaries…By giving their time and skill without expectation of material reward, volunteers themselves are uplifted.” - Ban ki Moon.

Preface

The initial plan of putting together this piece was to help spread the gospel of volunteerism especially among young people in Nigeria. I have come to realize that due to a combination of harsh economic realities and an over “monetisation” of reward system in Nigeria, fewer and fewer young people see the need to volunteer. This comes at a point in time when more volunteers are required due to the number of of emergencies that we currently face.

The failures in our health care system, education, infrastructure and the huge burden of unemployment. All these problems in my opinion are great opportunities for those with a heart for volunteering to leave a mark.

In the end I hope this serves as a rallying call to all Africans, young and old to act, lending a hand in their various communities.

WHAT IS VOLUNTEERING?

According to the online encyclopedia www.wikipedia.org, “Volunteering is an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for non-financial gain”. All over the world, individuals and groups have performed tasks out of a desire to contribute positively to their communities without any financial motivation.

Although in its earliest usage “Volunteer” was to denote military service, over the years, organization such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Rotary International have helped change the understanding of the word to mean “helping out in communities especially during emergencies”.

Despite the absence of financial rewards, volunteering has many positive benefits for the volunteer as well as the person or community served.

WHY VOLUNTEER?

The process of volunteering has over the years created numerous opportunities for individuals to work together with others of different ethnicity, background, religious views thereby reducing stereotypes. Additionally, research shows that immersing ourselves in serving others helps to improve confidence, relational skills, improve team work and many more.

According to Steve Miller, “benefits of volunteering include;

a) Solve Staff Dearth in Organisations:

There are many organizations set up to help others: RED CROSS, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, YMCA are just a few. These organisations make huge contributions and impact to people’s lives. Many times, these organizations are under staffed, and they need staff to keep their work going. By volunteering with one or more of these organisations, you can help them to keep the legacy of giving strong.

b) Aids People in Need:

People in need is the reason these organisations exist. From natural disasters to homelessness, volunteering provides direct relief to people in need. When you help someone directly, you gain a feeling of deep satisfaction.

c) Meet New People:

As a volunteer, you naturally meet new people with similar goals and aspirations. These encounters can lead to lasting friendships (and collaboration.

d) Acquire New Skills:

When you volunteer, you learn new skills. Clerical skills like book keeping; event management which can help your personal life (or future job). Leadership skills can also be honed.

e) Volunteering Feels Good:

By volunteering, you get a major endorphin rush as you see how your help directly impacts others. It helps build self–confidence and gives a better sense of being.

Other Reasons You Should Volunteer Include:

· It creates opportunities to develop new skills on the job

· It helps to improve quality of life

· It creates opportunities for contact with would-be employers

· It creates opportunities for fresh graduates to get “years of experience”.

· Promotes the spirit of altruism/goodness

· It has positive benefits for your communities

WAYS TO VOLUNTEER…

Although there are no specific categorization of volunteer work. Here are some broad ways one can of volunteer.

a) Environmental volunteering:

These are individuals and organizations who contribute to their communities by participating in projects that have a bearing on the environment. Activities carried out by this group include; tree planting, cleaning and educating others about the environment.

Thought: I met a young man, Arinzechukwu Ezeobele who founded Generational Green Club during his National Youth Service year in Jos, Plateau State. The volunteer group was established to encourage sustainable use of natural resources. Students from primary and secondary schools have been inducted into the club to help spread the word on sustainability.

b) Volunteers in emergencies:

Over the years volunteers have played very important role in emergency response. All over the world, in the aftermath of natural or even man made disasters, volunteering individuals and organizations play pivotal role in recovery efforts.

Thought: Foodbank Nigeria is a Nigeria not-for-profit start-up helping to secure and distribute food to those with food needs nationwide. According to their website www.Foodbankng.com They need over 10,000 volunteers to fill various positions in Nigeria. This is a huge opportunity for dieticians, community workers as a matter of fact anyone with a heart to help.

c) Volunteering in schools:

Schools all over the world rely on efforts from volunteers and private donations to meet the needs of the less privileged. There are many opportunities for volunteers (including, teaching) in Nigerian schools especially primary and secondary schools.

d) International volunteering:

These groups of volunteers are those that include effort by international/multinational organizations to recruit individuals to participate in efforts outside their immediate communities. Some renown organizations include; United Nation Volunteers (UNV), African Union Volunteers Corp (AUVC), The American Peace Corps.

Usually these organization pay certain stipends to their volunteers to take care if living expenses.

You can check out www.unv.org and www.Au.int for more information on UNV and AUVC.

e) Community volunteering:

This group of volunteers work to help improve the local community. Most times this is done through religious organizations, Non Governmental Organisations to take care of local government issues, healthcare or education.

f) Virtual Volunteering:

Also known as e-volunteer. This refers to when individuals completes tasks without being physically present at the location of the organization. This group of individuals has shown the way volunteers are leveraging technology such as the internet to help raise awareness about issues and raise funds to assist in humanitarian efforts.

Some specific technologies being used include Telementoring, social media, crowd funding and more.

g) Skill based volunteering:

Although all volunteers bring to bare their skills to any volunteering effort; here individuals serve though their skills.

THOUGHT: National Youth Service Corps members who participate in election duties such as e-registration, volunteer their computer and IT skills.

VOLUNTEERING IN NIGERIA

I have heard some people argue that a “Volunteer Culture” doesn’t exist in Nigeria. I beg to differ. It is my belief that historically, individuals have participated in their various communities. In fact, volunteerism played a major role in the Nationalist movement before 1960. Our founding fathers, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe must have volunteered great amounts of time and talent for the growth of the various movements they where part of.

Even today, a lot of informal volunteering occurs in our various communities, in religious organisations, community development associations and the like. Non Governmental Organisations and Civil Society Organisations are also encouraging volunteerism in Nigeria through various initiatives.

Some Volunteering quotes:

“the assumptions we make in our youth that we have have a long time ahead of us is not even true….”

-Zaira Abbas

“Human beings are fragile….. One human being can have huge impact in others…”

-Zaira Abbas

“We have received so much, yet some of our actions show ungratefulness”

-Zaira Abbas

“When you help someone in need you gain the world.”

-F.A. Attah

“The best way not to feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen, if you go out and some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope you will fill yourself with hope”.

-Barack Obama

“The best antidote to worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge if helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or She who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served”

-Gordnon B. Hinckley

“Doing nothing for other is the undoing of ourselves”

-Horace Mann

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more”.

-H. Jackson Brown Jr.

“Service to humanity is service to God”

Lailah G. Akita

P.S. What is your experience of volunteering like? Please share in the comment space.