Volunteers can change the world
Geof Brown
Friday, December 03, 2004
"United Nations International Volunteer Day is December 5th, observed yearly since 1985. By sheer coincidence, the last two columns in this space have been about a remarkable experience with volunteers in four American cities.
The almost incredible volunteer services in the network of Ismaili Muslim communities in those cities, could, if imitated worldwide, literally transform the planet into a haven of amicable productivity."
"Readers of last week's column (thanks for your many positive comments) will recall how the Muslim societies in four US cities have developed Early Childhood Education programmes which have pre-school children performing at Grade One level or beyond at graduation from kindergarten.
To be more specific, the Muslim societies cited are Ismaili Muslims of the Shiite sect. What I did not share with readers is that their remarkably successful pre-school programmes are only a small part of a wide social development network, embracing many programmes and projects.
What is most remarkable and what has motivated this article, is that all the social development programmes for youth, for women, for social welfare, for higher education opportunities included in the network, are all run by volunteers!
Please try to get this: there is absolutely no paid staff in an extensive network of social and educational development programmes which serve some 70,000 people.
Normally, such a network of programmes would mean a budget of multi-million dollars. As one who in my professional life has developed, run and consulted on volunteer programmes in several countries, I must confess I will have to re-write the script on voluntarism. Picture a network of programmes taking in all that the Social Development Commission (successor to Jamaica Welfare Ltd) currently does, and add to that Early Childhood programmes involving all our basic schools on a proportionate scale to the population of the four cities cited; you get a sense of the need to rewrite the script on conventional voluntarism.
For in the conventional wisdom, we have always maintained (based on experience) that any programme involving large groups of volunteers, must be run by paid full-time staff.
The Muslim network has proved otherwise. I have seen lawyers, bankers, engineers, various medical specialists, housewives, retired people, teenagers, businessmen, businesswomen, IT specialists and ordinary Joes and Janes combine their skills, talents and offerings to serve their people.
One example is that of a vice-president of a large company who is chairman of the council overseeing the network of services in Atlanta. He is also in charge of a programme that advises young adults on getting the best opportunities for higher education. He processes over 16,000 applications per year entirely with panels of volunteers who are professors and higher education specialists.
Every applicant receives a written analysis of his or her educational attainments with personalised advice on what are the best choices for colleges and careers. No one gets paid for this work. A different example in Chicago was a psychiatrist who runs a pre-school programme.
On the evening when we visited her programme for three- to six year-olds, she had just finished her full day's work at a clinic where she had seen a whopping 25 cases in one day. Yet, here she was, just beginning her shift as a volunteer pre-school manager/teacher; that would mean another three hours not counting administration time.
Her office? She had none on site, not even a special desk. She said her three-car garage had become a two-car one, as she had to store all teaching and related materials at her home.
Not all pre-school centres were strapped for space like that one was. Some have adequate space rented or owned. But all had the same high-quality curriculum and supporting materials prepared by top-rate professionals, all of whom are volunteers.
The point is, the volunteers make do with whatever they have. What they all have in common is a desire to serve their fellow human beings.
Although it is part of their religious ethic to "give back" of their time and fortunes, they all say they find great satisfaction in doing for others. And they all believe it is their responsibility to bring up the less fortunate to equal opportunity for survival and success.
Do you wonder that, as I compare what we in our cultural context consider to be worthwhile voluntarism, what I see is much of the glory departed?
There was a time when our capacity for sacrifice to help our fellow human beings become self-reliant matched that of the Muslim communities. Would that it could return!"