On the occasion of IVD 2017, UNV Sudan in partnership with the Sudanese Red Crescent, organized a one-day workshop in Khartoum, where 30 national volunteers from local volunteering organizations, NGOs and National Youth Forum were invited, along with UNV to participate in an emergency first aid training.
The UNV Field Unit Khartoum, and the Sudanese Red Crescent held a day-long emergency first aid workshop to commemorate the International Volunteer Day under the theme “Volunteers Act First. Here. Everywhere.”.
The activities included a workshop with 30 volunteers from the Sudanese Food Bank, the African Arab Youth Council, the Sudanese Red Crescent, Youth Forum and UN Volunteers. In her opening speech, UNHCR Sudan Representative Ms. Noriko Yoshida, stressed on the impact of over 500 UN Volunteers working with UNHCR worldwide, she added that there is a lot to learn from volunteers who put their enthusiasm and effort to make a difference in refugees’ lives.
A UN Volunteer speaking about his experience on IVD 2017.
The training came as a response to the need to better equipped Sudanese volunteers with the tools they need as they stand in the frontline of emergency response.
Sudanese volunteers are no strangers to emergency volunteering, whether it is the “Nafeer”, the call of action where members of a community come to action and contribute their time and or resources to fulfil the Nafeer. Or the “Fazaa”, where volunteers respond to pressing emergencies like fires and floods.
The emergency training introduced the volunteers to vital lifesaving skills such as CPR, how to stop bleeding, mend fractures and respond to emergency situations in accidents and disasters. The volunteers also learned how to act calmly and coordinate volunteers and by-standards to guarantee the safety of the injured persons.
Volunteers gained lifesaving skills during the emergency training.
In her closing speech, UNDP Deputy Country Director Ms. Hideko Hadzialic said that
The value of volunteering – helping each other – is deeply rooted in the hearts and minds of Sudanese people.” Ms. Hadzialic, who is a former UNV herself added “UN Volunteers are a practical example of the solidarity that binds the world together”.
Ms. Hideko Hadzialic, UNDP Deputy Country Director.
National UN Volunteers were also part of the training and worked hard during the day along with their colleagues to learn as much as they could in order to respond fast to emergencies.
UN Volunteers also participated in tree planting activities organized by the UNAMID Field Unit in El-Fasher, El-Geneina, El Daein, Zalingei and Nyala. The UNV Unit was glad to receive pictures and videos from Volunteers in South Kordofan in which they talked of what Volunteerism means to them.
International and National UN Volunteers from UNDP, UNV, UNICEF and UNHCR also joined three Radio shows, Hala96 FM, Vision FM and Capital Radio Sudan, and spoke about the importance of Volunteerism as an essential means to promote peace and development.