07 November 2005

Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Viet Nam and the non-governmental organization Education for Development (EFD) are partnering to involve more volunteers in efforts to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and youth in Viet Nam’s largest city.

Through a UNV grant of US $45,800, EFD will encourage and empower youth-focused organizations to fully utilize volunteers in support of their activities framed around Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1, 2 and 3: eradicate extreme poverty, achieve universal primary education, and promote gender equality and empower women, respectively.

The UNV Programme Officer in Viet Nam, Mr. Koen Van Acoleyen, said the joint initiative will raise awareness of volunteers and the support volunteers should be provided with to contribute to an organization’s objectives.

To achieve this, Mr. Van Acoleyen said, workshops and training seminars are planned with interested organizations to offer practical advice and assistance on how to recruit and manage volunteers. Part of the grant will be used to update and distribute a manual developed by EFD on volunteer management, with additional funds going to local partners to support their volunteer-based initiatives that provide disadvantaged children and youth with access to social services, basic education, vocational training, and employment opportunities. Through these activities, it is hoped the participating organizations will gain the capacity to be more effective as volunteer involving organizations.

He said EFD’s own experience in involving volunteers in its youth projects since its inception in 1996 serves as a best practice to other organizations wanting to involve volunteers or increase voluntary action. “EFD was founded by a group of Vietnamese and European volunteers and continues to grow based on that support,” said Mr. Van Acoleyen. “Volunteers are the backbone of EFD’s activities in providing lasting solutions to the challenges faced by Ho Chi Minh City's disadvantaged children and youth.”

Speaking for EFD, Ms. Ruth Frans said that volunteers are central to the organization’s mission. “Volunteers from around the world – in very diverse ways and with very diverse backgrounds – continue to play an indispensable role in achieving the mission of EFD.” She added, “Recognizing the great contribution that volunteers can make for development, EFD with the support of UNV will play an active role in promoting volunteerism among local social organizations to build their capacity, in order to step up the efforts towards achieving the MDGs.”

At the announcement of the partnership in Ho Chi Minh City on 4 November, UNV Senior Programme Specialist, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thuan, stressed the importance of volunteers in helping reach the development targets by 2015. “For UNV, it is clear that making the Goals a reality will require the involvement of many millions of ordinary citizens around the world. By supporting the work of organizations such as EFD we are helping maximize the contribution of volunteerism to development.”