A Volunteer's Handbook.

1. WHAT ABOUT VOLUNTEERING?
Many people have asked these questions constantly, what is volunteering, why do I need to volunteer, where can I volunteer, what’s in it for me if I volunteer, would I get paid for volunteering? Volunteering in very simple terms is giving your time, resource and skill towards serving and adding value in the community and environment without expecting any financial gain in return; although some organizations may choose to give stipends. This may sound very strange to understand especially since you are not getting paid for your efforts. The benefits that come with volunteering are immense. The US secretary of labor Hilda Solis has this to say about volunteering “volunteerism can be a way to help unemployed workers expand their network of contacts, improve their résumés, and make a positive impression in a competitive job market.” I understand that the economic situation in the country makes volunteering very difficult, in all sincerity the pros that come with volunteering outweigh the cons. I also didn’t find it very easy when I started volunteering but passion kept me going. A lot of people want to volunteer but they need to see reasons why and they need to also understand what’s in it for them. The impact volunteers make in communities is so enormous that the international community celebrates volunteers with a special volunteer day on the 5th of December every year.

2. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING?

• It creates opportunities

Thanks to volunteering you come in contact with lots of people in the community, many of them highly placed people. I tell you volunteering opens doors and creates opportunities. For instance thanks to my volunteering experience I have become a volunteer with the African Union (AU) under the African Union Youth Volunteer Corp (AU-YVC) awaiting deployment with the corp. The AY-YVC is a yearly volunteer program by the African Union where you work with the AU for a year as a volunteer in another part of Africa.
When applying for opportunities they usually request for community activity and these are things that count for community participation because you have taken up responsibility in your community.

• It is “work experience”

Many people graduate from school without the requisite work experience especially in our society where you need a minimum of 2 years work experience. Through volunteering you get to be under authority and work with other people in teams, handle assigned tasks and take up responsibility. These are the core attributes organizations want

• It is added value

Volunteering isn’t just about giving time, it is adding value. You not only give value, you also get value. You build capacity, you develop your skills.

• It creates a platform for networking

Thanks to volunteering you get to meet a lot of people from several spheres of life. Many of them professional people with excellent careers. Through volunteering you meet passionate young people who are change maker and development leaders

• You build friendships

This is one of the easiest ways to build friendships especially outside your circle of friends and community. You make friends from different backgrounds who share similar interests and goals

• You develop life skills

There is so much the classroom cannot teach you; especially life skills like the ability to work in teams, respect the opinions of others, make friends, handle pressure etc. through volunteering you build life skills that are essential for your personal and career development.

• It is fun

I remember the first time I got on a canoe to makoko with slum to school Africa, singing education education is my friend. That trip lasted maybe about an hour till we got to the floating school very close to third mainland bridge. It was an amazing experience I tell you. Volunteering is a lot of fun.

3. VOLUNTEERING DOS AND DONTS

•    Do not allow anyone take advantage of you because you are a volunteer

•   Do not go to volatile places where your safety is not guaranteed

•   Have a clear understanding and agreement of the volunteer agreement before embarking on the volunteer role

•   After your community also put yourself next because while you add value to the community you add value to yourself

•   Volunteering is not a platform for eye-service for the world to know you are serving it is a platform for community service

•   If you are going to volunteer think of sustainability

•   Value yourself, don’t let anyone treat you like you mean nothing

•   Socialize!!!! Don’t stay in your shell, come out and socialize

•   Develop new skills

 

4. HOW DO YOU SUSTAIN YOURSELF FINANCIALLY WHEN VOLUNTEERING? Sustaining yourself financially can be challenging sometimes. It is advisable to take on volunteering either as a part time role and not full time. There are also a few other organizations that provide stipends for volunteers. However, this is largely dependent on the policy of the organization. Before you choose to volunteer with any organization, please understand what the policy regarding volunteers in that organization is about.

5. HOW DO YOU WRITE GOOD APPLICATIONS?
Writing a good application requires time, patience, understanding and research. You need to understand the concept and context of the opening, job, role, conference etc. before applying. This would help guide your application. You do not start an application and finish it once. You will need to have several drafts that you can review severally. Research on the topic of discussion or program and apply your findings to your application. It would help greatly. Properly construct your sentences, avoid using a lot of “I” and “my”. Ask someone else to help you review your applications as well.

6. HOW AND WHERE DO YOU FIND OPPORTUNITIES?
 

• There are several sites that you can search for opportunities. These are a few of them

www.pro-volunteer.com
Www.opportunitydesk.org
Www.opportunitiesforafricans.com
Youthhubafrica.org
Mladiinfo.eu
Heysuccess.com
Youthop.com
Chances4.me
aisec.org
Officialchange.com
Peacechild.org
Idealist.org
Polscijobs.info
Tigweb.org
Voicesofyouth.org
Peacerevolution.net
Aeyco.com
Youthpolicy.org
Scholars4dev.com

• For free online courses

Usip.com
Edx.org
Coursera.org
Alison.com

• Examples of Organizations.

A. Mercy corp
B. VSO Nigeria
C. United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
D. Slum2School Africa
E. StayInSchoolNg
F. HOPE
G. One African Child
H. Dreams from the slum
I. Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AreaI)
J. Beyond The Classroom
K. Atlas corp
7. PLEASE RECOMMEND PLACES TO VOLUNTEER IN ABUJA
At the moment I don’t know any opportunity in Abuja, the options listed above may however, provide you with information as to volunteering opportunities in Abuja.
8. HOW DO I KNOW WHAT OPPORTUNITIES TO APPLY FOR?
Your interests would help to guide the kind of opportunities you apply for. The opportunities span through different areas of our lives, education, health, justice, information , technology and so on. Carefully study the available opportunities and pick based on your interest or willingness to try new things which is very important.
 9. ARE ALL VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES UNPAID?Not necessarily. You can find some that are paid.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DETAILS PROVIDED ABOVE ARE  BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND ARE NOT CAST IN STONE OR AN ENDORSEMENT OF ANY OF THE ORGANIZATIONS LISTED ABOVE. PLEASE BE GUIDED. 

We look forward to seeing your volunteering testimonies on the blog. 
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