Sana'a - Saba
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has adopted a set of important measures aimed at enhancing and instilling the culture of volunteer work as a fundamental pillar in building society, and one of the most prominent forms of steadfastness in the face of aggression and siege on the homeland that has been ongoing for about ten years.
These measures come within the framework of the Government of Change and Construction’s program, which urges support and encouragement of community initiatives in all governorates and sectors, and spreading hope, tolerance, coexistence, compassion and solidarity among segments and individuals of society, and developing the spirit of individual and collective responsibility. Therefore, the importance of volunteer work emerges as it is the main axis for the growth and progress of societies and countries, as no country can rise and develop unless its citizens play a fundamental role in that.
In this context, the Ministry of Social Affairs adopted working papers presented by a group of academics and specialists in development and society aspects, to the Fourth Conference on Volunteering and Voluntary Work, which it organized in partnership with the Department of Social Service at Sana'a University, the Fund for the Care and Rehabilitation of the Disabled, the Agricultural Cooperative Union, the Binian Development Foundation, the Yemeni Red Crescent Society, civil society organizations and volunteer initiatives, which was held last week for three days.
Through it, it sought to lay the first foundation for giving an organizational and official character to volunteering and volunteer work, both socially and institutionally, and to publicize the achievements made in volunteering, and to instill the values and culture of volunteer work.
One of the most prominent of these works was a working paper presented by the Chairperson of the Human Rights, Public Liberties and Civil Society Committee in the Shura Council, Dr. Hasiba Shenif, entitled “The Religious, Societal, Media and Educational Role in Instilling a Culture of Volunteering and Volunteer Work among Members of Society.”
Dr. Shanif considered volunteering a religious duty and a civilized aspect that reflects chivalry, generosity, and altruism, and the actual practice of charitable works, and a means of building the individual and society, and one of the manifestations of solidarity in times of calamities and disasters, as Islam urged, through the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet, cooperation in righteousness and charity and spending money in the way of God on the poor, the needy, the deprived, and the deprived.
She stated that the increasing interest in volunteer work and the number of volunteers often represents an indicator of the great benefits that volunteering brings to the individual and society; she defined them in general as reducing and alleviating the problems facing society, developing a spirit of participation and confronting negativity, accelerating development, and in particular in satisfying the volunteer’s sense of success in doing work that others appreciate, obtaining a better position in society, the need for belonging, and forming social relationships.
Dr. Shenaif pointed out that economic, social and cultural changes and the requirements of contemporary life have led from individual volunteer work to organized collective work, in the form of modern associations and institutions and in various fields that are compatible with the needs of community service and development.
She explained that there are three main functions of volunteer work: complementing government work by raising the level of service and expanding it, providing new services that may be difficult for government agencies to provide, because volunteer institutions are characterised by ease and simplicity in their services, and performing services that the state does not provide.
The paper included many benefits and positive effects that volunteer work achieves for the individual and society. On the individual level, it contributes to gaining new experiences and developing volunteer skills, forming relationships, friendships and groups of citizens, especially those with the same interests, a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence, loyalty to society and realizing the importance of the development process, and helps invest free time in positive aspects.
Regarding the effects of volunteer work on society, the paper summarized this in providing diverse and specialized human energies to develop and rehabilitate society, providing a lot of money to be spent on development projects that serve society, achieving a spirit of love and solidarity among members of society, developing a spirit of competition among volunteer groups in a way that reflects the quality of services, and helps in reducing unemployment rates.
She added that the difficulties and obstacles that hinder volunteer work and consequently lead to its low returns or the reluctance of some people to engage in it, are represented in the absence of basic systems that regulate volunteer work, the absence of regulations of rights and duties, the absence of clear goals for charitable associations and institutions that manage volunteer work, and the unfair lawsuits that charitable associations in the Islamic world in particular have been subjected to recently, which has greatly limited their activity. Likewise, the decline in volunteer culture in Arab societies indicates a defect in the institutional structure in most civil society institutions, and a lack of training for volunteers.
Dr. Shanif continued in her paper that these obstacles require, in order to successfully overcome them, a volunteer who has the courage to bear responsibility and a strict commitment to the principles and goals that the volunteer organization seeks to achieve, and who has a spirit of tolerance, acceptance of criticism, and acceptance of consensus regarding volunteer work.
The paper came out with a set of recommendations that emphasized the role of scholars and mosque preachers in raising awareness of the importance of volunteer work due to their influence in society, and conducting in-depth scientific studies that provide more data on the features of volunteering in society and the opinions of participants and beneficiaries, and the necessity of launching a database for volunteers, and the areas of volunteering in which they prefer to participate, and conducting more in-depth scientific studies that provide more data on the features of volunteering in society and the opinions of participants and beneficiaries.
It also called for enhancing the role of traditional and digital media institutions in introducing citizens to the values of volunteering, its various types and forms, the entities that need volunteers and ways to apply to them, activating the role of educational institutions at various levels and types of education in spreading the culture of volunteering among children and youth, developing comprehensive educational programs on the importance of volunteer work and how to participate in it effectively, and enhancing cooperation between different sectors to create diverse volunteer opportunities that meet the needs of society and benefit from the different skills of volunteers.
The recommendations stressed investing in digital infrastructure to facilitate the volunteering process, such as creating national electronic platforms that link volunteers with available opportunities.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has adopted a set of important measures aimed at enhancing and instilling the culture of volunteer work as a fundamental pillar in building society, and one of the most prominent forms of steadfastness in the face of aggression and siege on the homeland that has been ongoing for about ten years.
These measures come within the framework of the Government of Change and Construction’s program, which urges support and encouragement of community initiatives in all governorates and sectors, and spreading hope, tolerance, coexistence, compassion and solidarity among segments and individuals of society, and developing the spirit of individual and collective responsibility. Therefore, the importance of volunteer work emerges as it is the main axis for the growth and progress of societies and countries, as no country can rise and develop unless its citizens play a fundamental role in that.
In this context, the Ministry of Social Affairs adopted working papers presented by a group of academics and specialists in development and society aspects, to the Fourth Conference on Volunteering and Voluntary Work, which it organized in partnership with the Department of Social Service at Sana'a University, the Fund for the Care and Rehabilitation of the Disabled, the Agricultural Cooperative Union, the Binian Development Foundation, the Yemeni Red Crescent Society, civil society organizations and volunteer initiatives, which was held last week for three days.
Through it, it sought to lay the first foundation for giving an organizational and official character to volunteering and volunteer work, both socially and institutionally, and to publicize the achievements made in volunteering, and to instill the values and culture of volunteer work.
One of the most prominent of these works was a working paper presented by the Chairperson of the Human Rights, Public Liberties and Civil Society Committee in the Shura Council, Dr. Hasiba Shenif, entitled “The Religious, Societal, Media and Educational Role in Instilling a Culture of Volunteering and Volunteer Work among Members of Society.”
Dr. Shanif considered volunteering a religious duty and a civilized aspect that reflects chivalry, generosity, and altruism, and the actual practice of charitable works, and a means of building the individual and society, and one of the manifestations of solidarity in times of calamities and disasters, as Islam urged, through the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet, cooperation in righteousness and charity and spending money in the way of God on the poor, the needy, the deprived, and the deprived.
She stated that the increasing interest in volunteer work and the number of volunteers often represents an indicator of the great benefits that volunteering brings to the individual and society; she defined them in general as reducing and alleviating the problems facing society, developing a spirit of participation and confronting negativity, accelerating development, and in particular in satisfying the volunteer’s sense of success in doing work that others appreciate, obtaining a better position in society, the need for belonging, and forming social relationships.
Dr. Shenaif pointed out that economic, social and cultural changes and the requirements of contemporary life have led from individual volunteer work to organized collective work, in the form of modern associations and institutions and in various fields that are compatible with the needs of community service and development.
She explained that there are three main functions of volunteer work: complementing government work by raising the level of service and expanding it, providing new services that may be difficult for government agencies to provide, because volunteer institutions are characterised by ease and simplicity in their services, and performing services that the state does not provide.
The paper included many benefits and positive effects that volunteer work achieves for the individual and society. On the individual level, it contributes to gaining new experiences and developing volunteer skills, forming relationships, friendships and groups of citizens, especially those with the same interests, a sense of self-esteem and self-confidence, loyalty to society and realizing the importance of the development process, and helps invest free time in positive aspects.
Regarding the effects of volunteer work on society, the paper summarized this in providing diverse and specialized human energies to develop and rehabilitate society, providing a lot of money to be spent on development projects that serve society, achieving a spirit of love and solidarity among members of society, developing a spirit of competition among volunteer groups in a way that reflects the quality of services, and helps in reducing unemployment rates.
She added that the difficulties and obstacles that hinder volunteer work and consequently lead to its low returns or the reluctance of some people to engage in it, are represented in the absence of basic systems that regulate volunteer work, the absence of regulations of rights and duties, the absence of clear goals for charitable associations and institutions that manage volunteer work, and the unfair lawsuits that charitable associations in the Islamic world in particular have been subjected to recently, which has greatly limited their activity. Likewise, the decline in volunteer culture in Arab societies indicates a defect in the institutional structure in most civil society institutions, and a lack of training for volunteers.
Dr. Shanif continued in her paper that these obstacles require, in order to successfully overcome them, a volunteer who has the courage to bear responsibility and a strict commitment to the principles and goals that the volunteer organization seeks to achieve, and who has a spirit of tolerance, acceptance of criticism, and acceptance of consensus regarding volunteer work.
The paper came out with a set of recommendations that emphasized the role of scholars and mosque preachers in raising awareness of the importance of volunteer work due to their influence in society, and conducting in-depth scientific studies that provide more data on the features of volunteering in society and the opinions of participants and beneficiaries, and the necessity of launching a database for volunteers, and the areas of volunteering in which they prefer to participate, and conducting more in-depth scientific studies that provide more data on the features of volunteering in society and the opinions of participants and beneficiaries.
It also called for enhancing the role of traditional and digital media institutions in introducing citizens to the values of volunteering, its various types and forms, the entities that need volunteers and ways to apply to them, activating the role of educational institutions at various levels and types of education in spreading the culture of volunteering among children and youth, developing comprehensive educational programs on the importance of volunteer work and how to participate in it effectively, and enhancing cooperation between different sectors to create diverse volunteer opportunities that meet the needs of society and benefit from the different skills of volunteers.
The recommendations stressed investing in digital infrastructure to facilitate the volunteering process, such as creating national electronic platforms that link volunteers with available opportunities.