ETHICS : Volunteerism: dying culture

Have your ever thought about the declining spirit of volunteerism? By volunteering I mean participating in activities for the good of the general public and not expecting monetary rewards. I am talking about actions where someone gives his or her time to help without any payment.

Have you noted that we have very few individuals in our communities who are ready and or willing to give their time or talent for no pay?

Kofi Annan who served at the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations once said: “If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.”

Or the quote by Sir Winston Churchill, “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give,” may not make sense to a world built on the strongholds of selfishness. The old culture and spirit of volunteerism is, to put it quite frankly, is dying.

Ours is a generation of people not ready to give back to the community. Even when we attempt to do so, it is not done wholeheartedly. So what went wrong? Why are people unwilling to volunteer?

Interestingly, reading the United Nations State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2015, it indicates that levels of volunteerism vary from continent to continent and obviously from country to country. The report suggests that countries that lack effective and accountable governance slow down progress and greatly undermine efforts to improve communities.

The report highlights that the ability of volunteers to enhance development depends on the willingness of governments to ensure that space and supportive environments to encourage participation and initiatives are easily available.

So if our country is not doing well in terms of volunteerism, it means it needs to seriously commit itself to improving its governance, tackle inequalities, and increase voice and participation among wananchi.

As the concern grows on the declining volunteerism spirit, JPM and his team need to realise, not only the full potential of volunteerism at global and national levels, but at grass root level as well.

With the enhancement of the spirit of volunteerism among citizens, doors will open for communities to be heard, and to access services, resources, and opportunities they need to improve their lives.

This is critical as volunteerism generates social trust, advances social inclusion, basic services, and boosts human development in developing countries like ours. It needs a careful approach as it goes beyond asking people to volunteer it is also about enabling conditions like freedom of speech and association and creating an atmosphere for healthy political debates.

It calls for what most African leaders do not want to hear. That is to open doors for citizens’ voice and participation. In fact volunteerism is harder in contexts where people are excluded, their voices curtailed, their autonomy undermined and the risks of being punished for raising issues are high.

To restore the spirit of volunteerism, African leaders must move from tyranny to encouragement, and I mean shifting from oppressive rules.

Citizens’ want support and confidence from their leaders. They need something to motivate them to do good and not unreasonable, or arbitrary use of power or control.

Here I am talking about the language and tone of a good leader. I like the words of the Christian Holy book which go; “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body,” Ephesians 4:15.

Let’s enhance volunteerism.