Some panelists during a session
THE EXECUTIVE Director of the Head of State Awards Scheme, Peter Anum, has called on government to put in place a national framework that will guide institutions on their relationships with volunteers.
The call was made at this year’s celebration of the International Volunteer’s Day organised by the National Youth Authority (NYA) on the theme “Solidarity through Volunteerism” at the Accra Digital Centre.
He argued that Ghana struggles to have a high number of volunteers because the structures put in place by organisations do not motivate young volunteers to stay.
“As a country, we do not have a structure that should guide institutions and individuals who want to volunteer. We need a national framework to guide churches, corporate organisations that receive volunteers, and even in the civil society where many NGOs survive through the help of volunteers. Therefore, there should be a national framework to regulate these relationships and make sure that these volunteers are safe,” he stated.
Economic Analyst at UNDP, Sylvia Senu, advised young people to consider taking up more volunteering roles as it could lead them into gaining important skills as well as create employment opportunities for them.
“Young Ghanaians go to school with a lot of aspirations to get a job. You could find yourself in a situation where you do not get a job, however, you could volunteer as an opener for the job. So, you have to understand that volunteering can allow you to open a door for yourself to get into employment,” she shared.
The International Volunteers Day celebration is mandated by the UN to not only celebrate and mainstream the time, skills and enthusiasm that young volunteers and volunteer groups have committed to serving various communities around the world, but also to provoke a conversation around volunteerism.
CEO of the National Youth Authority, Pius Enam Hadzide, called on the public to realise the power of volunteerism as it could aid the country to achieve major development.
“Volunteers participate in a wide range of actions and initiatives related to planning, implementation and evaluation of development processes that strengthen the participation, inclusion and ownership of SDGs by all people.”
He, therefore, thanked the many individuals who volunteer their services regularly and encouraged others to follow their example.
The celebration was attended by representatives of the UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA, and ILO in the country.
BY Abigail Atinuke Seyram Adeyemi & Nafisatu Abdul Razak