International Volunteer Day

By ChiYoWo

International Volunteers Day was created in 1985 for organizations, communities, and individual volunteers to celebrate and make visible their contributions at local, national, and international levels. It is now observed every year on December 5^th.

Volunteering is defined as, “a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or undertaking.”

Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa with an estimated 170 million people, but despite being the largest economy, poverty rates are still climbing with 65% said to be living in extreme poverty. These conditions breed discontent and disaffection amongst youth. It also becomes an entry way for corruption, Islamic extremism and ineffective governance. VSO International says Nigeria needs to create at least 2.5 million jobs every year for the next decade to meet the needs of its growing workforce, and with 10.5 million children currently out of school, something needs to be done.

That is where volunteering comes in. There are many great benefits to volunteering. It can help

• fight poverty
• improve education
• by making sure that everyone gets the skills they need to live a full, exciting, and dignified life.
• volunteering can also help contribute to the delivery and enhancement of education. Baker, Gersten and Keating (2000) showed that volunteers can have a direct impact on students such as helping them to learn how to read.
• improve health
• by making sure people have access to better quality healthcare.
• improve livelihoods
• Giving people the freedom to live with independence and dignity by offering secure and reliable access to food and income.

It also has positive effects on the volunteers themselves, bot intrinsically and extrinsically. It can help with self-esteem, open and expand career paths and allow them to get proper training, along with helping with mental and physical health.  They are also able to build up their resumes, develop leadership skills, and develop long lasting relationships with people in their communities and community leaders.

There are many things for today’s youth to volunteer with. Things like working in a foodbank, volunteering for administrative tasks, working with children, and working with the homeless are just a few.

If you are interested in volunteering there are numerous volunteering projects available.

A few for you to look at are:

• http://www.icyenigeria.org/projects.html
• http://www.opportunitiesforafricans.com/category/volunteering/
• https://www.chiyowo.org

Let’s all start coming together and becoming a cohesive community. Let’s make sure everyone has the access to healthcare, education, and a chance for great livelihoods! Help us observe International Volunteers Day and show appreciation for our volunteers all around the world!

Sources:

Points Of Light – http://www.pointsoflight.org/sites/default/files/site-content/files/social_impact_of_volunteerism_pdf.pdf

UNDP – http://www.ng.undp.org/content/nigeria/en/home/library/human_development/undp-nigeria-annual-report-2015.html

VSO International – https://www.vsointernational.org/volunteering/ICS-youth-volunteering

VSO International – https://www.vsointernational.org/sites/default/files/the_role_of_volunteering_in_sustainable_development_2015_vso_ids.pdf

USAID – https://www.usaid.gov/nigeria

Stand Up For Someone’s Rights Today

By ChiYoWo

On December 10, 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document set out fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Human Rights Day is now observed every year on December 10^th to commemorate this huge milestone in human rights history.

Many feel that this year’s Human Rights Day is an especially important one because of the way the world is currently heading. People are fearful. Fearful for their lives and the lives of others. All over the globe there is disrespect for the most basic of human rights. There are senseless killings surrounded by messages of hate and intolerance. People come face to face with horrific violence from extremist movements. People are scared to be themselves, and we must put a stop to it.

This year’s theme is Stand Up For Someone’s Rights Today. United Nations states, “We must reaffirm our common humanity. Wherever we are, we can make a real difference. In the street, in school, at work, in public transport; in the voting booth, on social media.”

Ways to stand up for rights:

• Read and share the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Stand up for someone that you see is being bullied or harassed. It doesn’t matter if you see it online, at the mall, or at school.
• Donate to organizations that help those affected by human rights abuse.
• Combat myths with facts. Challenge those harmful stereotypes.
• Educate your children about human rights. Show them positive and diverse role models.

Though only a few are listed, there are many things you can do to stand up for human rights not just on Human Rights Day, but every day of the year. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home — so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. […] Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.”

If we want the world to change, it must start within ourselves first.

Source:

United Nations – http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/background.shtml

United Nations – http://www.un.org/en/events/humanrightsday/

United Nations Office of the High Commissioner – http://www.ohchr.org/EN/AboutUs/Pages/HumanRightsDay.aspx