Celebrating the Spirit of Volunteerism

Dili, Timor-Leste, 7 December 2010- “Volunteering is important because you need people to do things not just for financial reasons, but because they want to help. If it wasn’t for volunteers, many things wouldn’t get done”.

This is the view of Tessa Koppert at UNDP, one of the many UNVs (United Nations Volunteers) who participated in this year’s International Volunteer Day celebrations in Timor-Leste.

Events to mark International Volunteer Day took place in Dili, Baucau and Oecussi, focusing on young people and promoting the Millennium Development

Goals (MDGs). Educational games, tree-planting and an art competition were just some of the activities organised. There were also public-speaking competitions on the subject of volunteerism, for students and members of Timor-Leste’s Youth Parliament.

UNVs' involvement in Timor-Leste began in the lead up to the popular consultation for independence in August 1999. Since then over 3,000 UNVs, made up of more than 100 nationalities, have served in the country.

Timor-Leste is one of the top host countries for UNVs. Josephine Calag is from The Philippines and has been a UNV in Timor-Leste for one year. She works as a training officer for UNMIT. She explained why she was inspired to volunteer:

“When you volunteer you go beyond what is required in a normal job. The sincerity that goes with volunteering fosters a strong connection with the people who you are trying to help. This attitude starts with your friends and family and then extends globally.”

Currently there are 127 International UNVs working for UNMIT, and a further 27 employed by the UN Agencies. Since 2004, many Timorese nationals have also served as International UNVs, in countries such as Afghanistan, Burundi, Haiti and Liberia.

“The spirit of volunteerism encourages communities to work together, looking after the weak and the old. I am proud of what I have achieved as a volunteer here in Timor-Leste” says Afrianto Kurniawan, who is from Indonesia and works as a water and sanitation engineer for UNICEF.

Other organisations in Timor-Leste also run sizeable volunteer programmes, and took part in the weekend’s celebrations. The Red Cross in Timor-Leste (Cruz Vermelha de Timor-Leste or CVTL), has around 100 active volunteers in the country. Agapito da Silva, from the Dili Branch of CVTL, says that these national volunteers are crucial to his organisation: “All CVTL’s implementation work on the ground is done by the volunteers.

They are the ones working in the districts, increasing access to information on subjects such as education and health. These volunteers are helping to improve the lives of their communities.”

The UNV programme was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1970. Since then tens of thousands of volunteers have contributed to the United Nations mission worldwide. In his message for International Volunteer Day the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, stated:

“Volunteerism helps bring us together as individuals and societies. It is a powerful means of mobilizing all segments of society as active partners in building a better world. Let us honour volunteering as an expression of our common humanity and a way to promote mutual respect, solidarity and reciprocity.”

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