by Chiponda Chimbelu

28 October 2010

Bonn, Germany: International volunteering is increasing, and the implications for the volunteers and beneficiaries are evolving. Benjamin Lough, a researcher on international volunteering at Washington University in Saint Louis, met with United Nations Volunteers(UNV) programme staff to discuss international volunteering as part of his work for the State of the World Volunteerism Report (SWVR). The report is a UNV initiative that is set to be released onInternational Volunteer Day (December 5) in 2011.

According to Lough, published research on effective practices in international volunteering is pretty scant, but most practitioners working in this area, including those within UNV, have ample anecdotal evidence based on their knowledge and experience in the field. One purpose of the discussion was to inform research on effective practices in this area.

One of the issues that Lough addressed is how volunteers are perceived; many people do not see volunteers as highly specialised professionals:  “There is a big misconception that equates volunteers with incompetence,” said UNV Executive Coordinator, Ms Flavia Pansieri. UNV volunteers who are highly qualified and educated are often not seen as volunteers because of the high level of competence and technical expertise that they bring to development work.
Most of the UNV volunteers remain where they serve for about two years. But just how long does a volunteer have to serve in order to make a difference? Most participants in the discussion felt that more than a few weeks or months are needed for the volunteers to make a substantial impact. They agreed that length is important because continuity is important for development programming. And international volunteers can be more effective if they have a better understanding of the local culture and language.

“It has to be long enough for the volunteer to set an idea in motion,” said UNV Deputy Executive Coordinator, Ms Naheed Haque. And Oliver Wittershagen, Southeast Asia Portfolio Manager agreed, adding that trust needs to be built over a period of time.

At the same time, most of those attending also believe that the length of time can depend on the activity. For example, volunteers who stay for a short duration of time can make a difference in disaster relief efforts or when contributing a specialized skill. 

“Short-term volunteers can also bring a change of attitude, especially in social services,” said Dr Lough. Sometimes, the enthusiasm and idealism of volunteers is in itself a contribution especially in a context where morale is really low.

The discussion also brought about other issues such as reciprocity, how UNV determines when, how and where its volunteers are sent, as well as the direction-flow of volunteers – north-south, south-south, or south-north. Participants felt that the Internet is challenging the traditional flow of international volunteering (from Northern countries). Today, opportunities on the Internet allow volunteers around the world to contribute to initiatives in the whole world.

Dr. Lough is working at UNV as a consultant for the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR). SWVR will present an alternative vision to the one widely prevailing today as to what volunteerism is and why it is important. It will emphasize the unique ways that international volunteerism and other forms of volunteer action contribute to global challenges—highlighting areas where volunteerism is particularly well suited to meet these challenges.