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Volunteers are the bedrock of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. They are what define the Movement and make it a unique humanitarian force.
According to the International Federation’s baseline survey, around 1.3 million volunteers participated in delivering disaster preparedness and response programmes and services in their own countries in 2005. In 2006 over 35,000 volunteers were directly engaged in supporting 430 emergency operations, including those in the Caribbean.
They provided food, shelter, clean water, medical care and psychosocial support to some 4.8 million people affected by floods, earthquakes, storms, population movement, food insecurity, heat waves and other types of emergency.
What perhaps, has not been sufficiently highlighted, however, is the work of volunteers in core programmes of the Red Cross Societies such as First Aid; Home Nursing; HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and support; programmes for young people, fund raising and the behind the scenes daily work of data collection, report and proposal writing and financial management. These are less showcased, but never the less determine the ability of the Red Cross Society to survive.
Red Cross Societies in the Caribbean have never been more aware of the need to establish good volunteer management systems. Mobilizing volunteers to serve vulnerable people is therefore one of the key competencies that they plan to improve.
In the Caribbean, focus is being placed on supporting volunteers better and providing the tools and resources they need to meet the high demands and expectations that is being placed on them by communities, governments and donors among others.
The Volunteer Management Toolkit developed in the Caribbean by the Red Cross’ Regional Organisation Development Network (RODNET) in 2005 has been used as the basis for a three day training that includes an analysis of Red Cross Statutes in relation to membership and volunteering and the commitments to volunteers made by Red Cross Societies at the Inter American Conference in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
During the training, volunteer leaders do a SWOT (Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) analysis on volunteering in their Red Cross Societies or branches and develop a draft framework of a plan of action for volunteers.
Sessions using the British Red Cross’ Ideals in Action methodology have refreshed the understanding of the Movement.
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| Jondo Obi of the Cayman Islands Red Cross conducts the Ideals in Action session at the workshop which was held in St Lucia |
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| Questions about volunteer recruitment and retention are always on the minds of the Red Cross |
In Saint Kitts, Belize and St Lucia, these were facilitated by Jondo Malafa Obi, Branch Director of the Cayman Red Cross Branch of the British Red Cross. Training was held in St. Kitts and Nevis in November 2007 and in four of the countries impacted by Hurricane Dean in 2008 - Jamaica, Belize, Saint Lucia and Dominica, as part of the recovery phase of their response.
In those countries affected by Hurricane Dean, the objective has been to retain, motivate and recognize volunteers once the response is over.
It has been shown that while attracting volunteers is the not the challenge, the problem lies in retaining volunteers through good management. |
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