United Nations Development Programme

Evaluation Office

ESSENTIALS No. 12 October 2003

UNDP Practice Area: Cross-cutting

Synthesis of Lessons Learned

Volunteerism and Development

Introduction ordinary people, channelled through
volunteerism, are key to achieving the
In 2000, ten million people volunteered to Millennium Development Goals. To
support the immunization of 550 million harness this resource development
children as part of the Global Polio practitioners need to understand, recognize
Eradication Initiative. The vast majority were and support volunteerism – and factor this
concerned local citizens, volunteering in knowledge and action into their
their own communities. They gave their development planning in order to enrich
time to ensure that children reported to their policies and programmes.
immunization stations, were properly
documented, and received the oral vaccine. Volunteerism delivers impressive social
The total value of the support provided by benefits. Through voluntary action people
volunteers was estimated at $10 billion, well create groupings that can cement social
beyond the reach of either governments or norms and inculcate a sense of civic
international organizations.1 responsibility and belonging.3 Research
suggests that when networks of voluntary
Antipersonnel landmines are weapons organizations are created which link
which maim long after the original conflict different interest groups, the increased
has ceased. Their cheapness – some interaction leads to improved understanding
versions cost as little as US$3 – and ease and increased tolerance of diversity.4 The
of distribution has led them to be widely participatory aspect of volunteerism can
used in conflict zones across the world. contribute to a heightened understanding of
The primary victims of antipersonnel the forces which shape governments and
landmines are civilians. It is appropriate societies, leading to greater transparency,
therefore that it has been the activism of accountability and improved governance.
volunteers and civic coalitions that has led
these weapons to be regarded as morally Volunteerism also has an important
unacceptable. The campaign to ban economic impact. In countries where
antipersonnel landmines relied upon the empirical studies exist, the contribution of
support of over 300 million volunteers volunteering is estimated to be between 8%
across 100 countries2 and led to the and 14% of Gross Domestic Product. On an
achievement of the Mine Ban Treaty signed individual level, volunteerism contributes to
in Ottawa in December 1997 by 122 states. capacity building processes by helping the
individual volunteer to develop marketable
The above examples of service and skills, providing access to workplace
activism illustrate how the ingenuity, networks and boosting confidence and self-
solidarity, and creativity of millions of esteem.5
Concept Volunteers bring different skills and
strengths depending on the nature of their
Volunteerism has common roots, but involvement. The competencies and
manifests itself with enormous diversity. responsibilities of a volunteer working in
This ranges from the highly organized another country (often as part of a formal
operations of the Red Cross and Red service volunteering organization) may be
Crescent Societies around the world aimed different from those of a community
at improving the conditions of vulnerable volunteer who sits on a village water
people by mobilizing the power of humanity, management committee. A volunteer who
to the self-help voluntary activities of leaves a community to work in another part
community burial societies in rural Zambia. of the country will most likely offer a skills-
However, some key universal principles of set with differing strengths and insights to
volunteerism emerge from this diversity: someone working in their own community.
Getting the balance right is important.
• actions are carried out freely and Development practitioners need to consider
without coercion the most effective mix of volunteer
contributions based on a careful
• financial gain is not the main motivating
assessment of objectives and desired
principle
outcomes.
• there is a beneficiary other than the
volunteer
A range of motivations around the desire to
help others and, in the process, often to
Using these principles6 as a guide, four
help themselves, drives volunteers. As with
main aspects of volunteerism predominate:
salaried workers, volunteers operate most
effectively with a clear objective in mind.
• Mutual aid or self-help However financial gain is not paramount in
• Philanthropy or service to others the freely made decision of the volunteer to
• Participation give of his or her time. The element of
• Advocacy or campaigning altruism adds value to what volunteers do
and their work is often characterized by a
These aspects are not mutually exclusive desire to integrate closely with the
and in practice often overlap.7 A voluntary community served. These characteristics
organization that provides reproductive lend volunteers a sense of freedom that
health advice to women may also play a allows them to challenge perceived
campaigning role in lobbying for changes to inequalities and non-democratic power
restrictive laws, which inhibit women’s structures.
choices.
The first three lessons which follow offer
Volunteering can be carried out by insights into cross-cutting themes which
everyone. It is reciprocal in nature: the emerge from a number of sectors and
benefits of volunteering accrue to both predominately concerned with process
beneficiary and volunteer alike. issues: empowerment, information
Recognizing this, the 2001 International brokerage and management. Two
Year of Volunteers led to an international additional lessons look at specific sectors in
consensus that “opportunities for more detail. The lesson on HIV/AIDS
volunteering be open both to men and displays the richness and creativity of the
women, given their different levels of practical volunteer response to the
participation in different areas, and pandemic. The crisis prevention and
recognizing the potential positive effect of recovery lesson highlights the higher-level
volunteering on the empowerment of strengths of volunteerism in promoting
women”.8 humanitarian ideals. All lessons are drawn

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 2

from evaluative evidence amassed since volunteer activity support desired
1998. objectives. Be aware that official
engagement with volunteers is not
Lessons Learned always controllable. Activism is a
powerful and vital force, an expression
1. Volunteerism can reduce of a desire for change generated when
like-minded people come together to
dependency and promote achieve a common goal. Remember
empowerment that while many grassroots issues have
been championed by charismatic
With globalization comes new risks as well leadership, the bulk of action around
as opportunities. It can lead to the such issues lacks visibility. Vibrant
marginalisation of traditional cultural and leadership does not always guarantee
social norms and, in the vacuum created, strong constituency support.
many people feel a loss of control or
influence over their lives. This Example:
powerlessness can be compounded by When the former Soviet Union dissolved
development interventions that fail to take many newly independent states faced a
account of local knowledge and norms. collapse in social safety nets and the
When outsiders alone seem to possess the disappearance of markets for goods and
wisdom to navigate a route through the new services within the USSR. The Republic of
reality, dependency on knowledge which Kyrgyzstan was left with an antiquated
comes from outside the community is command and control structure which
created. Empowerment begins with a placed little power in the hands of its
rediscovery that the seeds of a solution lie predominately rural people.
within. This creates confidence which, in
turn, leads to a recognition that self-help is A decentralization project initiated by the
not only possible but essential. Voluntary Government of Kyrgyzstan, UNDP and
action by individuals and groups is therefore UNV, placed mixed teams of national and
an integral part of this learning and international volunteers at the heart of
awareness process. efforts to improve the ability of local people
in rural areas to shape their lives. The
What to Do? teams used their combined local knowledge
and international expertise to engage local
• Consider the demonstration effect of communities. The approach relied heavily
volunteerism as a catalyst for change. on supporting the ability of the volunteers to
Observing the efforts of local, national act as change agents to stimulate local
and international volunteers stimulates ownership of the project. Through their
increased interest, discussion and inclusive working style, volunteers sent a
ultimately, practice of volunteerism. clear message to the communities that local
opinions and ideas were valuable, breaking
• Provide support to mutual interaction down the belief that help could only come
among community volunteer groups as from a desperately overstretched central
a strategy for fostering social cohesion. government. By the conclusion of the
This can help cultivate inclusiveness project the villagers spoke of their hope and
and break down prejudice, especially in their energy for the future saying, “We were
societies undergoing rapid economic or in a state of shock after the collapse of the
social change. Soviet Union…We were in despair and
waiting for people to come and fix things.
• Scan the national political context to We had no hope” - “Now we are awake –
ensure that strategies developed for and clear about what we need to do”. 9

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 3

 knowledge and international campaign
experience.
Example:
On the occasion of the 16th Biennial World The pilot was a success: 3,200 young
Volunteer Conference the links between Azeris applied to take part of whom 421
social action and volunteering were were selected to volunteer for six months
stressed by the World Alliance for Citizen on a total of 51 projects. The mini-projects
Participation (CIVICUS): “Social activists ranged from translating and publishing the
are engaged every day in voluntary efforts. European Convention on Human Right and
Volunteers working in their community are protocols in Azeri, to eco-tourism activities
raising their voice on policies that impact on and the restoration and rehabilitation of
society, speaking from their practical residential areas for Internally Displaced
experience in the field”.10 People. The intervention demonstrated that
there was in fact (contrary to initial
The Narmada Dam became a watchword skepticism) a strong desire amongst the
for community activism throughout the youth of Baku to engage in community-
1980s and 1990s. The protest against the building projects and the structured
construction of a series of dams along the volunteering opportunities offered allowed
Narmada river, spanning three of India’s young people to express and channel their
largest states, was led by Medha Patkar enthusiasm.11
and other unsalaried activists and employed
non-violent tactics to raise awareness of
their resistance to the proposals. Despite 2. Volunteers are valuable knowledge
receiving no funds from outside India, the brokers, linking know-how with
movement entitled ‘Narmada Bachao community needs
Andolan’ succeeded in achieving
international publicity and support and was Information empowers people. Accessing
a founder member of the National Allliance and transmitting information are vital
of People’s Movements. The latter elements in promoting democratic principles
organization is an alliance of autonomous in civil society as well as greater
groups and movements which aims to bring accountability and transparency. Strategies
a people-oriented development approach to to achieve this need to address the creation
public life and politics with an emphasis on of policy environments where information
ecologically sustainable policies. can flow freely. They also have to ensure
that civil society has access to relevant
Example: information and that people have an
In Azerbaijan, where 18 – 30 year olds opportunity to feed their views into the
comprise 20% of the population, the development and implementation of
Ministry of Youth, Sport and Tourism along processes and policies that affect them.
with UNDP and UN joined forces to Local or national volunteers form the
address the dangers of youth disaffection in backbone of most civil society networks – in
a context of high youth unemployment. The South Africa a survey estimated that
ability of volunteerism to advance a sense volunteers composed 47% of the non-profit
of civic engagement amongst the young workforce.12 Given the importance of
was a strategic aspect of the approach. volunteers to civil society organizations, any
The project called for young Azeri information strategy needs to look closely at
volunteers to take part in community how volunteers have been integrated and
nominated civic projects and was how their efforts can be engaged and
coordinated by a youth volunteer multiplied.
management team, staffed by national and
international volunteers who brought local

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 4

Whether working with old technologies or recognized, let alone formally exploited
new, volunteers have demonstrated that in projects.
their roots within communities position them • Involve volunteers in projects that
as brokers of information. employ information communication
technology to help forge community
Volunteers have been active in promoting level linkages and increase the
ways to use new information technologies. involvement of disadvantaged
Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the Web and population groups in knowledge
coordinator of the World Wide Web benefits. Volunteer involvement should
Consortium, has paid tribute to the role begin at the project design stage to help
volunteers have played in developing the ensure that information needs of the
computer systems, network protocols and disadvantaged groups are fully
internet applications that form the basic understood and factored in.
technological pillars of the information
society. A high profile example of this is the • Think creatively about how volunteers
Linux operating system created by Linus and new technologies together can
Torvalds with assistance from volunteer assist projects to reach desired
systems developers and programmers all objectives. There is vast potential for
over the world. Countless online or “virtual” voluntary action through digital
volunteers have also played a part in technology, yet this resource tends to be
disseminating information and promoting under-exploited.
development. Online opportunities have
facilitated the involvement of individuals Example:
who might not otherwise have been A project in cooperation with the
available to assist organizations. Online Government, UNDP, UNV, and the private
volunteering has also created space for the sector to establish a network of Technology
involvement of people who find it difficult to Access Community Centres (TACCs) in
engage in on-site volunteering such as rural communities in Egypt demonstrated
those with home-based obligations, people how mixed teams of national and
with disabilities, and people living in remote international volunteers were able to act as
areas. knowledge brokers, ensuring that project
aims were readjusted in the light of
What to Do? community needs.

• Include volunteers as equals in the The project found that whilst many initiatives
information sharing process so that they such as translation of WebPages failed to
are empowered to use their knowledge, reach a wide audience, alternatives not
creativity, and potential to the full. originally envisaged were eagerly received.
Community volunteers in particular are For example, health and hygiene
often not fully briefed about the aims of information available on to the Internet to
development interventions. Ensure they young women was accessed and provided
have the opportunity to feed back their in alternative, more accessible formats.
expertise and opinions. Women were initially hesitant when faced
with the new technology. With the
• Harness the capacity of volunteers, assistance of volunteers they knew and
particularly local volunteers, to act as trusted, they were soon searching the Web
knowledge brokers between independently and discovering the
communities and their needs and the resources available to them. The young
wider possibilities inherent in the women - who had previously been unable
knowledge economy. The role of to access the new technology and had been
information brokering is often little unaware where they could find relevant

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 5

health information - explained that they felt planning volunteer inputs whilst thinking
more comfortable attending the volunteer predominately in terms of the money
supported environment of the TACCs than involved diminishes the true value of
they did in private cyber cafes.13 volunteer endeavour. It can undermine
strategic thinking and expected results. The
Example: role of volunteerism in development should
NetAid is a non-profit organization set up in be viewed as a worthy approach that can
1999 and is supported by UN agencies and bring high returns in many different
the private sector. Through a combination contexts. The collective action of volunteers,
of tools, activities and campaigns, NetAid though often composed of many small scale
heightens awareness of global poverty and acts, can cumulatively lead to enormous
promotes creative ways people can get change, as the Mine Ban Treaty illustrates.
involved in reducing extreme poverty. One
of the tools it uses to do this is the NetAid What to Do?
online volunteering service, developed and
administered by UNV. ƒ Decide at the outset the most
appropriate mix of volunteers for the
World Computer Exchange (WCE) offers an task in hand, based on the strengths
example of how a development organization which volunteers from different
with limited capital and human resources backgrounds (local, national or
can maximize its resources and global international) bring and plan on the
reach through volunteers. WCE is linked up basis of desired results rather than just
to the NetAid online volunteering service budgetary considerations.
and relies on the knowledge, expertise,
and ideas of community volunteers around
ƒ Provide effective support and clear
the world. This has enabled them to
direction for volunteers and consider
expand their operations and help in their
providing management training for those
goal to get the youth of Africa, Latin
with volunteer oversight responsibilities.
America, Asia and the Middle East online
Performance reviews and feedback help
through the collection and redistribution of
volunteers to feel part of a team with
donated computers, networking equipment,
common goals.
and software. Tim Anderson, head of the
organization has commented that “Many of
ƒ Assess the need for training and provide
the volunteers …serve as the eyes and ears
it where necessary. As with salaried
of our organization. They help us find out
employees, training increases the ability
about local partners and other services that
of volunteers to perform effectively and
are necessary for helping us reach our
boosts their impact. Training is also a
goals”.14 Four of WCE’s 11 offices around
tangible way of recognizing and showing
the world have been set up by online
appreciation for volunteers.
volunteers – these volunteers in turn have
sourced volunteers to help run operations.
Example:
The Local Development Programmes
3. Thinking about volunteers in terms (LDPs) of the United Nations Capital
of their cost reduces their value Development Fund (UNCDF) aim to
support the democratization process in least
developed countries by opening up planning
Utilizing community self-help groups and
processes to increased community
unsalaried individuals, or integrating
participation. The LDPs include a
personnel from volunteer service agencies
participatory approach to the provision of
is often seen as an effective way to achieve
infrastructure services to communities.
development results at low cost. However,
Their experience in the operation and

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 6

maintenance of such services suggests the Pastoral da Criança – which are now
that management of installations by local being reproduced across Latin American,
community volunteers is a good Asia and Africa – relied on the mobilization
sustainable, cost-effective option for some and rigorous training of teams of community
small-scale facilities which increases volunteers, who in turn trained other
community ownership. However UNCDF volunteers. The technique revolves around
advise that provision be made for training three main activities - monthly house visits,
and capacity building of volunteer Weigh Days, and community education. It is
community groups. The additional small firmly rooted in a community context amd
investment involved helps to secure and draws heavily on ties of solidarity and
maintain the value of the infrastructure support. Without consistent volunteer
assets. training and follow-up the Pastoral would
have been unable to deliver its impressive
Example: results, including strong community
More than 200,000 people in Texas, USA ownership.
help support local government through
volunteer programmes whose value,
according to a recent study by the RGK 4. Harnessing volunteerism to fight
Philanthropy and Community Service HIV/AIDS is critical in mitigating
Center, is in excess of US$35 million.15 This the spread and the effect of the
level of contribution is made possible by pandemic
employing highly structured volunteer
management models that include support The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a development
and training for volunteers and managers. problem that requires a multi-sectoral,
Centralized models of management are holistic response. One of the core strategies
used for delivering initiatives which rely on underpinning the global fight against the
large-scale volunteer participation and disease is support for community action.
employ dedicated volunteer management This depends on the efforts of large
staff. Decentralized models of volunteer numbers of volunteers including community
management are used for discrete projects activists, counsellors, peer educators, and
whilst community-based interventions rely to people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
a large extend on collaboration with the The national response in many countries
volunteers of independent non-profit with high prevalence rates relies, in the
organizations. Hybrid models also exist absence of widespread state funded health
which combine elements of all three care programmes, on volunteers to supply
strategies. Investment in volunteer support critical inputs such as home-based care and
and management is dramatically repaid not support to people who have developed full-
only through the monetary boost which blown AIDS. As the disease erodes national
volunteers bring to the state budget but also capacity in critical areas, volunteerism has
through the increase in civic awareness and demonstrated ways in which that erosion
engagement. can be halted and skills rebuilt.
Example:
What to do?
In 1983 as a result of consultations in
Geneva between UNICEF and a
representative of the city of São Paulo, an • Support volunteering roles in prevention
organization called the Pastoral da Criança activities. Local and international
started up in Brazil under the leadership of volunteers in host communities build up
Dr Zilda Arns Neumann. The work of the relations of trust and understanding that
Pastoral led to a drop in child mortality of facilitate the dissemination of sensitive
60%.16 The ground-breaking methods of information. Volunteers who are not

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 7

 from the host society can successfully HBC volunteers, who often live in
challenge stigma and discrimination. poverty themselves, is one way of
They are perceived to a large extent to recognizing their contributions. This can
be outside the cultural norms, yet are involve, for example, providing training
trusted interlocutors. to allow volunteers to develop
marketable skills, and distributing non-
ƒ Promote the greater involvement of financial incentives such as food
people living with HIV/AIDS in volunteer parcels.
initiatives which address HIV/AIDS and,
through a process of facilitated self- Example:
reflection, ensure that they are prepared By the early 1990s the district of Mae Chan
for the hostility they may encounter. In in Thailand had the highest infection rate in
turn, provide support and training to the country. By 2000 however, Mae
supervisors of PLWHA volunteers to Chan’s success in rolling back the disease
enable them to respond effectively. was being hailed as a model for good
practice throughout the region. Community
• Encourage capable and motivated local, mobilization and volunteer response lay at
national and international volunteers the heart of the turn-around as Lee Hah
working in non-HIV/AIDS related Hsu, Manager of UNDP’s SE Asian HIV and
placements or roles to act as change Development Project comments, “What
agents by mainstreaming HIV/AIDS makes Mae Chan special is that it is the first
awareness activities throughout their time in the history of the epidemic that so
work. This approach works most many sectors of a community have banded
effectively if suitable entry points can be together to fight against HV/AIDS”. 17
established at the outset. Effective
training and screening are needed to The response was kick-started by the head
ensure that volunteers are both willing of the local hospital who mobilized the
and empowered to carry out this task. community and coordinated the response
through voluntary networks of patients,
ƒ Focus on the ability of volunteer families, youth groups, religious
capacity-building placements within organizations and hospital staff. Self-help
AIDS service organizations (ASOs) to groups were established to promote income
produce a multiplier effect. Volunteers generation and community education
who provide organizational development meetings were held to raise awareness.
advice or management assistance (e.g.
improving finance systems or redefining Example:
business strategies) not only heighten In 2001, the UK Department for
the efficiency of an organization but International Development (DfID) in
also, through their interventions, allow association with the UK Community Fund
the ASO to operate more efficiently and and Dutch PSO funded a ₤2 million project
to have an impact on the services implemented by Voluntary Service
offered to clients. Overseas (VSO) in order to put international
volunteers at the heart of innovative ways to
• Support and sustain the carers. Most tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the high
home based care (HBC) for patients in prevalence countries of Southern Africa.
the final stages of the disease is
provided by unpaid and unrecognized The VSO Regional AIDS Initiative of
volunteers, generally women. When Southern Africa (VSO-RAISA) has placed
traditional coping mechanisms begin to flexibility and responsiveness at its core,
fail, the burden of care can become working with partners ranging from
intolerable. Supporting and motivating community-based organizations, faith-based

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 8

groups, international NGOs, and conflict often creates a deep sense of
governments. By emphasizing volunteer powerlessness. Supporting initiatives that
based capacity building initiatives within contribute to empowering local people to
national institutions and groups, RAISA resume control of their communities through
focuses on enhancing the national and voluntary engagement and action is a way
regional response at all levels and aims to to redress this situation.
generate a multiplier effect in order to What to do?
maximize the impact of individual volunteer
assignments. The programme has • Support volunteers as agents for
institutionalized mainstreaming, requiring all constructive change. International
volunteers who wish to take up posts in the volunteers are regarded as impartial
region to be first committed to finding ways and, by virtue of the trust they enjoy,
to tackle the pandemic, no matter what can help nurture community peace
their particular technical expertise might be. initiatives and forge horizontal ties
amongst such groups. Their
contributions are enhanced when they
5. Volunteerism in post-conflict and work alongside local and national
crisis situations offers a powerful volunteers who possess contextual
way to aid the building of trust knowledge and whose presence is vital
within and between communities for sustainability and capacity
development.
In order to reach the Millennium
• Promote the involvement of volunteers
Development Declaration goal of halving the
who can act as information conduits to
number of people living in poverty by 2015,
ensure that reconstruction initiatives at
the international community needs to
the community level are brought to the
address the issues of crisis prevention and
attention of actors who work at higher
recovery. Intra and inter state conflict
decision-making levels. Such channels
produces millions of internally displaced
of information need to be
people and refugees, drastically reduces
institutionalized for them to function at
previous development gains, and exacts a
their full potential.
toll in terms of human misery and loss which
is impossible to measure.
• Advance volunteerism as a way of
working with people who possess the
Peace can be agreed by high-level leaders
process skills that are often crucial in
gathered around negotiating tables, but
peace-building. Communities emerging
such accords must be matched by initiatives
from conflict are sensitive to the values
which promote the ability of society to deal
which organizations and individuals
with and overcome conflict in the short,
bring. Volunteers are well-placed to be
intermediate and long term. Peace building
ambassadors of peace-promoting
requires that communities learn to both
values of participation, respect, mutual
address the past, adjust to the present, and
learning, and celebration of cultural
plan for the future. Networks must be
diversity.
fostered within society that re-broker
community relations and reconnect the
• Ensure that volunteers working with
fibres of trust and reliance.
community peace-promoting activities
are given the financial and material
In this context, voluntary activity provides a
resources to carry these out in a timely
practical demonstration of the survival of
and effective manner. In the dynamic
humanitarian ideals and it can play an
and fluid environment that prevails in
important role in reconnecting people who
crisis and post-crisis countries, time-
have been divided. For communities,

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 9

 sensitive responses are crucial. For support for orphans and vulnerable
communities divided by suspicion, children.19
relations of trust can be damaged if
promised inputs fail to materialize until Example:
they are too late. Australian Volunteers International (AVI)
places volunteers in both crisis and non-
Example: crisis developing countries. Their
Following civil conflict in Georgia, UNV experiences of working in Afghanistan,
supported a bridge building project which Bougainville, Cambodia and East Timor
employed national and international both during and after the conflict are
volunteers in Abkhazia, Javakheti, Western predicated on the belief that solidarity
Georgia and the capital, Tbilisi. The project expressed through volunteerism is a strong
promoted dialogue amongst the tool to build a peaceful and just world.
communities and built conflict resolution
skills amongst civil society organizations. From 2002 – 2003 AVI deployed Australian
Work with youth through a series of volunteers in Afghanistan in support of a
volunteer peace camps was particularly project to build the capacity of Afghan
successful. National volunteers played a NGOs. The evaluation noted the ability of
critical role in challenging perceptions and the international volunteers to act as
enabling communities to reflect on their networkers, linking local NGOs and CBOs
situational reality and adopt alternative with donors and hence contributing to the
behavioural strategies. Their partnership stabilization of their funding bases. Local
with international volunteers allowed each organizations which worked with the
other’s contributions to peace building to volunteers felt that the success of the
become a “mutually reinforcing assignments overall was strongly linked to
mechanism”.18 The volunteers were able, the additionality they brought due to their
by virtue of their community level focus and status as volunteers. The importance of
relations of trust, to work in areas where the way in which the volunteers worked was
more overt political involvement would have highlighted: “It was evident that an important
been impossible. In doing so their work also part of this contribution was embedded in
became entry points for later, higher-level the nuances and subtle negotiations
dialogue. involved in exchanging skills, knowledge
and attitudes across the boundaries of
Example: different cultural systems and practices”.20
UN Volunteers deployed in peacekeeping 1
UNV. ‘Volunteerism and the MDGs’. 2003.
missions formed Action Teams amongst 2
A/56/288, 14 August 2001, p3, para 11.
themselves in order to find new avenues for 3
The ESSENTIALS of October 2002 on the topic of
the expression of volunteerism. In the ‘Civic Engagement’ offers further analysis and
Democratic Republic of Congo, national and lessons specifically on interaction with civil society.
4
international volunteers serving with the UN UNV / Institute for Volunteering Research.
‘Volunteering and Social Development: A
Mission, MONUC, took their inspiration from Background Paper’. New York, 1999, p9-10.
a local Lingala word, ‘Basungi’, which 5
ATD Fourth World. ‘Volunteering & Social Inclusion’,
means “those who help others”. They 2000.
6
formed partnerships with local people and, 7
UNV / Institute for Volunteering Research, 1999.
using their contacts with UN agencies, UNV / Institute for Volunteering Research, 1999.
8
A/RES/56/38, p3, Annex 1, para7. For more
raised funds and official interest in information on the gender dimensions of participation
renovating schools in Manonu and Goma see I. Guijt & M.K. Shah, ‘The Myth of Community:
which were destroyed during the war and Gender Issues in Participatory Development’, 1998.
9
the volcanic eruption of 2002; and Evaluation Report KYR/98/V01 UNV’s Contribution
to the Decentralization Component’, 2003, p9.
organized fundraising events for local 10
Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General, CIVICUS, 6
HIV/AIDS awareness projects including February 2001.

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 10

11 16
UNDP / UNV. Promoting Youth Volunteer UNICEF, ‘State of the World’s Children 2001’, p17.
17
Contributions to Local Development in Azerbaijan, UNDP, Thailand Human Development Report 2003,
2003. p50.
12 18
Bev Russell. ‘The Contribution of South African UNV. Review of UNV’s Involvement in Conflict
Voluntary Sector to Sustainable Development’, 2002, Resolution and Confidence Building, 2000, Section
p2. 4.2.
13 19
UNV. Technology Access Community Centres UNV. ‘Report: UN Volunteers and the Basungi
EGY/99/V01, 2001. Projects in 2003’, 2003.
14 20
http://www.netaid.org/ov/stories/stories AVI. Afghanistan Capacity Building Project
15
RGK Center / University of Texas. ‘Investing in Evaluation, 2003, p33.
Volunteerism: The Impact of Service Initiatives in
Selected Texas State Agencies’, 2002, p1.

References

UNDP / UNV Sources

Evaluations
UNV. Country Review in Guatemala, 2002.
UNV. Decentralization in Kyrgyzstan KYR/98/V01, 2003.
UNDP. Evaluation of the Partners in Development Programme, 1998.
UNV. UNV Fieldworker Review, 1999.
UNV / UNAIDS. Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA), 2002.
UNDP / UNV. Highland Peoples Programme RAS/92/103, 1998.
UNDP / UNV. Highland Peoples Programme – Phase II RAS/99/V01, 2001.
UNDP. Outcome Evaluation Haiti: Rule of Law, Justice and Human Rights, 2003.
UNDP / UNV. Promoting Youth Volunteer Contributions to Local Development in Azerbaijan AZE/99/V01 and
AZE/99/002, 2003.
UNDP / UNV. A Review of the Eco-Volunteer Programme, 1998.
UNV. Review of UNV’s Involvement in Conflict Resolution and Confidence Building, 2000.
UNV. Support for Harnessing ICT for Sustainable Livelihoods in Mongolia MON/01/V01, 2002.
UNV. Strategic, Thematic and Country Programme Reviews Undertaken in 1999, 2000.
UNV. Strategic, Thematic and Country Programme Reviews Undertaken in 2000 and up to Sept 2001, 2001.
UNV. Synthesis Report: Thematic, Country and Project Reviews, 2003.
UNV. Technology Access Community Centres EGY/99/V01, 2001.
UNV. Thematic Review: UN Volunteers’ Multisectoral Projects, 2002.
Reports
UNDP. ‘Access to Information for Democratic Governance – Practice Note’, 2003.
UNDP. Egypt Human Development Report, 2003.
UNDP. The Roma in Central and Eastern Europe: Avoiding the Dependency Trap, 2002.
UNDP. Thailand Human Development Report, 2003.
UNDP. ‘UNDP and Civil Society Organizations: A Policy of Engagement’ .
UNDP. ‘UNDP and Indigenous Peoples: A Policy of Engagement’.
UNV. ‘Below the Waterline of Public Visibility: Roundtable on Volunteerism and Social Development’, 2000.
UNV / Independent Sector. ‘Measuring Volunteering: A Practical Toolkit’, 2001.
UNV. ‘On Volunteering and Social Development’, 1999.
UNV / Institute for Volunteering Research. ‘Volunteering and Social Development: A Background Paper for
Discussion at an Expert Group Meeting‘, New York, 1999.
UNV. ‘Volunteering and the United Nations System’, 2001.
UNV. ‘Volunteerism and Capacity Development’, 2002.

Other Sources
Evaluations and Selected Readings
ATD Fourth World. ‘Volunteering and Social Inclusion’, 2000.
AVI. Afghanistan Capacity Building Project, 2003.
AVI. Building Peace Through Volunteering: Experiences of Working in Post-Conflict Situations, 2003.
Canadian International Volunteer Coalition. ‘International Volunteering: Looking Ahead’’, 2001.
P. Devereux ‘The Development of Global Voluntary Solidarity’, 2002.
C. Fallon, S.J. Rehnborg, B. Hinerfeld. ‘Investing in Volunteerism: The Impact of Service Initiatives in Selected
Texas State Agencies’. RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, 2002.

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 11

I. Guijt & M.K. Shah, ‘The Myth of Community – Gender Issues in Participatory Development’, 1998.
Y. Harrison, V. Murray. ‘Virtual Volunteering: Current Status and Future Prospects’. Canadian Centre for
Philanthropy, 2002.
P. Justino, J. Litchfield. ‘Economic Exclusion and Discrimination: The Experiences of Minorities and Indigenous
Peoples.’ Minority Rights Group International, 2003.
C. McInerney. ‘Reflections on Volunteering in East Timor’, 2003.
SIDA. Empowerment of Women through Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan and Orissa, India, 2000.
UNCDF. Local Development Programmes - Lessons from Practice, 2003.
UNICEF. The State of the World’s Children, 2001.
Volunteer Centre North Lanarkshire. The Active Citizens Essentials Skills Project
VSO. ‘ Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS: Looking Beyond Awareness’, 2002.
VSO / DfID. Building Capacity in the Time of HIV/AIDS, 2003.
VSO / EU. Skills for Community-Based Resource Utilization and Management - Philippines, 2002.
ZEF Bonn. ‘The Volume and Economic Value of Volunteering in Four Countries of Differing Income Levels’, 2002.

Contact Institutions
CIVICUS
United Nations http://www.civicus.org
UN – United Nations Development Gateway
http://www.un.org http://developmentgateway.org
UNAIDS – The Joint United Nations Programme DFID – Department for International Development
on HIV/AIDS http://www.dfid.gov.uk
http://www.unaids.org EU – European Union
UNCDF – United Nations Capital Development Fund http://europa.eu
http://www.uncdf.org GTZ – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische
UNDP – United Nations Development Programme Zusammenarbeit
http://www.undp.org http://www.gtz.de/publikationen/english
UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific and ICP – Innovations in Civic Participation
Cultural Organization http://www.icp.org
http://www.unesco.org IFRC – International Federation of Red Cross and
UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund
Red Crescent Societies
http://www.unfpa.org
http://www.ifrc.org
UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund
International Campaign to Ban Landmines
http://www.unicef.org
http://www.icbl.org
UNIFEM – United Nations Development Fund for
INTRAC – The International NGO Training and Research Centre
Women
http://www.intrac.org
http://www.unifem.org
NetAid Online Volunteering
UNV – United Nations Volunteers
http://www.netaid.org/ov
http://www.unvolunteers.org
Oxfam GB
The World Bank
http://www.oxfam.org.uk
http://www.worldbank.org
Peace Corps
http://www.peacecorps.gov
SIDA – Swedish International Development
Other Resources Co-operation Agency
ADB - Asian Development Bank http://www.sida.org
http://www.adb.org SCF – Save the Children
ATD Fourth World www.scfuk.org.uk
http://www.atd-quartmonde.org VSO – Voluntary Service Overseas
AVI – Australian Volunteers International http://www.vso.org.uk
http://ozvol.org.au World Volunteer Web
CECI – Canadian Centre for International Studies and http://worldvolunteerweb.org
Cooperation
www.ceci.ca

The ESSENTIALS series summarizes and synthesizes main lessons learned and recommendations
made by UNDP and other development agencies on selected subjects. It is designed to provide UNDP
country offices and headquarters easy access to lessons learned from evaluations.

Evaluation Office (EO) Telephone: (212) 906 5095

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Fax: (212) 906 6008
One United Nations Plaza Intranet: http://intra.undp.org/eo
New York, NY 10017 Internet: http://www.undp.org/eo

UNDP, Evaluation Office ESSENTIALS• VOLUNTEERISM • 12