By Katharina Hribernigg
It is hard to say exactly how many people devote some of their time to volunteering but (pre pandemic) estimates suggest that in Europe alone it could be as many as 100 million people. Which is roughly 22-23% of the population over 15. (Biagioni, 2018)
People volunteer for at all sorts of organizations. Traditionally they physically go to their organization or project of choice volunteer their time, skills and usually have a good time doing so. So far so good. But even for the most dedicated volunteer there may come a time when life’s other obligations, such as a job, children or relatives in need of care get in the way of volunteering. This might make it impossible to physically get to where you volunteer, especially if your schedules are not compatible.
In this case there is an ICT for development solution and it is called online volunteering. Online volunteering allows volunteers to help others wherever they are. All that is needed is a computer and an internet connection. There are a number of platforms connecting organizations and potential volunteers. The United Nations has such a platform bringing together people from over 180 countries. (Scholarships Corner, 2021)
Organizations and volunteers communicate and work together without ever physically meeting. I tried it and found that for me it worked well. Through the UN online volunteering platform I found the Cameroon Association for Active Youths (CAMAAY) and worked with them on a food security project. All without every meeting in person. For me there were many positives. I was able to participate in an exciting project while being able to choose at what time I volunteer. I could fit this around other things such as work or childcare. I also got to work with an organization I would never have met physically as they are located in rural Cameroon.
The main drawback for me was that because we didn’t physically meet there was less interaction between the different parties as getting to know people without physically meeting can be difficult. But overall it was a very good experience.
Have any of you tried online volunteering? Or would you like to, and why or why not? And how were your experiences?
References
Biagioni, C. (2018, September 14). Volunteering in Europe: A population of 100 million people.: Agensir. SIR. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.agensir.it/europa/2018/09/14/volunteering-in-europe-a-population-of-100-million-people/.
CAMAAY. (n.d.). What we do. CAMAAY. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://www.camaay.org/.
Scholarships Corner, S. (2021, September 16). UNV Online Volunteering Opportunities – become UN volunteer. Scholarships. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://scholarshipscorner.website/unv-online-volunteering-opportunities/.
United Nations. (n.d.). UVP – Unified volunteer platform. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://app.unv.org/explore.