Volunteerism sorely in need of recognition

Table Talk with Flavia Pansieri
Cheong Suk-Wai, Straits Times 11 Jan 11;

WHEN the Republic of Yemen was plagued by a polio epidemic in 2005, United Nations official Flavia Pansieri insisted that her office staff, and not just the volunteers, go from door to door to help their World Health Organisation (WHO) colleagues vaccinate as many Yemenese as possible against the virus.

Dr Pansieri, 59, recalls: 'I told my staff, 'This is the campaign. I will provide the transport for everyone who wants to help the WHO' and I could see my staff thinking initially, 'This is another one of Flavia's crazy ideas.''

But in the end, some of them joined her. She adds: 'It was very tough but what was splendid when we came back was that they were so motivated that they convinced our other colleagues to help out too.'

Today, this native of Milan is the executive coordinator of the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme, marshalling some 8,000 volunteers in the field and another 14,000 online to help governments and UN agencies on everything from giving aid to Haiti's earthquake victims to growing vegetables hydroponically, from giving Cambodians more nutrition to keeping Honduran youth away from gangs by engaging them in the arts.

Dr Pansieri speaks and writes Chinese beautifully, having done her doctorate in Chinese language and literature at Venice University. She has served with the UN in such places as China, Bangladesh and Laos. She will be in town later this month to take part in the International Association for Volunteer Effort World Volunteer Conference here.

On another visit here late last year, she took the time to explain why volunteerism is still sorely in need of recognition:

# Why do you want a stronger relationship with Singapore, which is not exactly noted for volunteerism?

I don't know if you're not being overly critical about Singapore because having been here for just five days, I've found a very active voluntary sector here. What, perhaps, can be argued reasonably is that Singapore is a prosperous and well-functioning state, so the need for volunteer activities within the country itself is perhaps less intense than in other countries. But a number of Singapore's voluntary organisations are now very active in cooperating with other such activities abroad.

# Cooperating abroad is one thing, but getting more to volunteer here is quite another issue altogether.

You're right. We celebrated the International Year of Volunteerism in 2001. What we recognised then was that the first pillar of promoting voluntary action was to give it the recognition it deserved. The other pillar is facilitation or providing a voluntary institution with all that's possible to make people volunteer, including legislation. The third pillar is networking, or facilitating exchanges of experiences and learning from one another. The fourth is encouraging everyone to take part and contribute what they can. These four pillars are still valid but I'd argue that much more needs to be done about the first - that is, recognition.

# What exactly should we do more of?

First, recognising that voluntary action is a real, important and measurable contribution to the moulding of society. Volunteers aren't paid; so volunteerism doesn't appear in national economic accounts and so isn't counted. But they do contribute because if you had to pay for the services they provide, the costs would be relevant. Second, voluntary action contributes to the strengthening of links that make a society harmonious. It's about the ability of people to say: 'I don't get any money for this, but I have a moral obligation to do what I can to make things better.' This is both a value in itself and a contribution to harmony in society.

# How do you reconcile this apparent thirst for recognition with the belief that one should not publicise one's altruism?

Not wanting to be recognised for what one does and contributes voluntarily is to me a very Asian trait - a typical modesty. It's certainly acceptable if one feels embarrassed about being recognised for it officially. But at the same time, having others say 'I appreciate what you do' is something that would please anyone.

# With so many people pressed for time, how do you grow your corps of volunteers?

We've been going online since 2000, because we want to make sure that everyone can contribute, and not everyone can travel to remote places to do so. But if you have a computer, you can really do a lot. In 2009, we had more than 14,000 online volunteers engaged in a broad range of activities, from researching and preparing funding proposals to reading maps - without increasing our carbon footprints! Going online has taken UNV by storm; we never expected to be so successful. Every year, we break the previous year's record for completing assignments online. It's really a way of measuring global solidarity.

# But with only about 22,000 volunteers, how do you respond to the ever increasing natural and human disasters?

Yes, it's a drop in the ocean but UNV is not alone. There are many volunteer organisations out there. In fact, most governments in developing countries ask us to help them set up their own systems for volunteerism. So would we want more volunteers? Yes. But at the same time, I'd argue that the quantity of what is being volunteered is grossly underestimated. There are so many forms of volunteering that are not acknowledged or recognised.

# Why so?

Let me tell you a story. When I applied for my present position, I thought, 'Oh, my God, I have not been a volunteer before. What would I say?' But then I started thinking, 'Wait a minute, in that period of your life, you were helping out in this area and in another period, you helped here...' So everyone, at some point in his life, has been volunteering because he thought it the right thing to do. He may think, 'No, this is just helping my neighbour', but it is part of what makes us human beings.

# What are you doing to make volunteering with UNV meaningful?

While we may know a lot about volunteerism, the best (learning) does come from our volunteers, who live it on a daily basis. So we are very keen to learn what it was that made it possible for them to make a difference. To do so, we're now asking them to report regularly. That way, they can tell us what worked, what didn't, whether there's anything we need to set straight.

# Does being part of the UN hamper your work?

You will find everyone in the UN agreeing with the fact that we have to make the organisation better, more responsive and more efficient. But I would also argue that it is now already performing an essential task, be it in the contexts of development, humanity, crises or conflict. And while what I'm going to say next is not to be seen as a way of justifying shortcomings that need to be addressed, the contexts in which the UN operates are at times exceedingly complex and risky. In the last few years, we have unfortunately lost a number of colleagues and volunteers either to violent acts of man or acts of nature.

As for the recent global financial crisis, I'd say that a positive outcome from that is that we now focus more on results-based management, ensuring that we document the impact of what we do.

It is not enough to do well; you also have to show that you do well.