Today is International Volunteer Day – a day dedicated to giving service. Service is the ultimate religion of our life, and dedicating it towards community and social development with our time and expertise without any financial gain in return is called volunteerism. The driving force behind volunteerism is the eagerness to resolve a persisting social problem around us by taking bold steps and contributing for the country in the long run.
As a nation, Bangladeshis have a unique love and dedication for the country and this patriotism has given birth to various volunteer acts long before the country’s birth.The biggest example of volunteerism is our Language Movement of 1952, and our hard-earned independence in 1971. Thousands of people gave their lives out of sheer love and respect for their country and gave us our pride – the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
Our forefathers have laid the foundation and we have stepped into their shoes from time to time. At the time of the Savar Rana Plaza tragedy, we witnessed many people voluntarily joining the rescue operation. We see examples of dedicated voluntary service in the face of any national crisis/tragedy.
Volunteering is first and foremost an altruistic activity, and the mere reflection of working together for the benefit of human life. Bangladesh is blessed with a huge population, and if we can encourage its citizens to get involved in voluntary services, our country will advance miles ahead by this collective effort.
Anyone can get involved in numerous voluntary activities based on his/her own expertise. Volunteering does not have to be an extravagant affair; it can be a trifling effort according to a person’s capability.
An act of volunteerism does not necessarily have to be physical, it can also be virtual. A small-scale initiative such as planting a tree is volunteer work. Contributing actively to recover during a tsunami, flood, hurricane, or any other natural disaster is also an example of voluntary service.
Volunteering does not require a fixed location. One can be a volunteer while studying in school, college, or university, or can group up with neighbours, friends, or colleagues to resolve any enduring or potential problem in the community. For example, a village-side road can be fixed by its people, or they can install a proper waste disposal system if the village lacks it.
Many countries have been developing their community, society, and country through volunteerism and are still continuing this practice. In 2010, 12 million (45%) Canadians were involved in voluntary activities which is equivalent to 2 million hours and 1 million full time office hours. On average, a Canadian denotes 168 hours to voluntary work throughout the year.
In the United States, 64.5 million people did volunteer work for their country. In numerous countries, volunteers are given recognition through awards and other rewards. Even the President of the United States shows respect to the volunteers by presenting “the President Volunteer Service Award.”
The Bangladesh government also encourages the youth by honouring them with the Youth Award every year. The staggering number of volunteers in developing countries is impressive. Unfortunately, in our country, the number is negligible according to the database of the bureau.
However, a lot of non-profit organisations have erupted in the past few years, and they have been doing outstanding development work through volunteerism alongside the government.
Not only for patriotism or the development of the country, volunteerism has many other benefits as well. You can get to meet a lot of new people, expose yourself to a huge network, and gain mind-boggling experiences and knowledge. Volunteerism creates joy, self-satisfaction, and respect, which lasts for a long time.
A few of the organisations who are involved in volunteerism are: United Nations Volunteers Bangladesh, Volunteer for Bangladesh, Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.
