by Kwabena Asante-Ntiamoah and Richard Nyberg

02 August 2002

Bonn, Germany: Volunteers are adding their voices to fervent calls for increased efforts to bring sustainable development and revitalized economic activity to the African continent. As the Group of Eight (G8) leaders prepared to tackle challenges raised by the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), such as steps to reduce poverty and corruption as well as to increase investment and debt relief, a group of Southern Africans took a parallel track and appealed for pro-volunteer policies and legislation.

Meeting at a two-day regional Volunteer Vision Conference in Midrand, South Africa, from 16 to 17 May, some 250 participants from eight Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries explored ways volunteerism can be strengthened and further recognized at the national, subregional and continental levels.

Participants set out to consolidate a network of organizations that contributed to the success of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) 2001. They also entered into impassioned debate on a long-term vision for volunteerism in Africa, concentrating on ways to nurture local forms of volunteerism to address poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, peace building and training for indigenous groups. Through their hands-on approach, most notably at the community level, volunteers help to achieve truly sustainable development.

Of its many recommendations, one ambitious idea stands out - an African Volunteer Corps to enable Africans to share their skills and experience in neighbouring states or on other parts of the continent. The idea of forming an African Volunteer Corps was first discussed last October at a gathering of Francophone volunteer leaders in Dakar, Senegal, and a month later by delegates at the International Symposium on Volunteerism in Geneva, Switzerland.

In a final declaration to the Volunteer Vision Conference, participants also recommended that governments encourage research on volunteering service, support infrastructure and promote public sector volunteering. The private sector was also encouraged to invest in community development and corporate volunteering schemes. Southern African volunteers are aiming to put volunteering on the agenda of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.

"This conference could not have come at a better time," said Dr. Zola Skweyiya, South Africa's Minister of Social Development. "It comes at a time when Africa is reshaping her destiny and redefining her role and place in the world, specifically through the African Union and NEPAD." Reiterating South Africa's strong commitment to volunteering, the Minister added: "We must build, strengthen, reward and recognize volunteerism in all our communities." South African President Thabo Mbeki, a strong advocate of NEPAD and volunteerism, declared 2002 the National Year of Volunteers and also launched the letsema programme. Letsema, meaning "volunteerism" in the local Sotho language, is a programme to encourage individuals and the private sector to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country through volunteer action.

The participants, consisting of volunteers, volunteer programme managers, experts on volunteerism, academics, researchers, parliamentarians as well as civil and public servants, agreed that volunteerism is diverse and embedded in the cultures and traditions of Africans, most notably through mutual aid and self-help.The declaration also recalled the UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/56/38, on Recommendations for Supporting Volunteerism, and called for governments and the UN system to help create conditions for volunteerism to flourish. "Volunteerism does not imply that Government relieves itself of responsibility," said the Mayor of Johannesburg, Amos Masondo, calling on his Government to assist and pave the way for additional support to volunteer action.

According to Naheed Haque, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Deputy Representative in South Africa, volunteering "builds and strengthens trust and confidence…

In South Africa, the spirit of volunteerism already exists, and UNDP and its partners would like to tap into this core of volunteers for dealing with HIV/AIDS and poverty programme," she said, adding: "The United Nations also encourages civil servants and staff of corporate institutions to themselves take part in volunteer efforts in Africa." She also observed that many countries "continue to undervalue volunteerism and the work of volunteers in the calculation of gross domestic product". Noting the contribution of volunteers to the social and economic development of South Africa, she cited a study carried out by the School of Public Administration of the University of Witwatersrand: volunteers represent 43 per cent of the work in the non-profit sector, with a per annum contribution of 5.1 billion Rands (about US$ 492 million) to the national output.

The Volunteer Vision Conference was organized and assisted by several organizations, including Volunteer South Africa (South Africa's National IYV Committee), Visionaries in Action across Africa (VIA Africa) and the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV). It was sponsored by the South African Goverment. The Goverment of Japan also provided financial support to enable the participation of some delegates. Conference delegates came from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nambia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia.