International Volunteer Day celebrated in Cambodia

By Sok Lak

To mark the International Volunteer day on December 5, 2011 and the International Year of Volunteers’ 10^th anniversary (IVY+10), Volcam (the Network of International and Local Volunteer Agencies and Volunteer Involving Organizations in Cambodia), supported by Australian Government and GIZ is coordinating an event held on December 5 at Meta House in Phnom Penh under the theme of “Pros and Cons of Volunteerism with more than 120 volunteers participation.

With the starting of a photo-slideshow showcasing all kinds of volunteer activities in Cambodia, Mr. Douglas Broderick expressed his appreciation to volunteers working in Cambodia by thanking them “for hard work and for proving to us with your action that volunteering matters.”

“Australian volunteers not only contribute greatly to Cambodia’s development but also play a major role in building the foundation for a good relationship between Australia and Cambodia,” Ms. Vizzard said.

In the event, the movie “Changing the world on vacation” about the drawbacks and advantages of short-term volunteerism led to discussion amongst volunteers regarding this controversial topic.

The evening offered a unique opportunity for national and international volunteers to meet, share experiences and build their networks.

Contrary to previous years, the event in Phnom Penh has not been the main focus for IVD commemorations but is only the beginning of a series of activities happening in Cambodia that will promote volunteerism and showcase various volunteer efforts under the global theme “Volunteering Matters”.

While the celebrations in Phnom Penh were being prepared at the Meta House, the day was also commemorated by volunteers in Siem Reap with the launch of a campaign against Child Labor called “Think Twice” that will continue throughout the following year.

On the 4th of December, IVD activities were kicked off one day early in Battambang with an activity aiming to assist flood affected schools.

Three activities are still to follow, namely: a High School clean up activity as well as a workshop on “Inspiring volunteerism in Future Teachers” in Takeo Town and a school beautification project including 100 students in Kampong Chhnang City. With two kick-off activities having been very successful and the event in Phnom Penh having been a pleasant celebration as well as a great networking-opportunity for volunteers, IYV+10 promises to come to an end on a high in Cambodia.

VolCam, currently in its 9th year of existence, is demonstrating that it has grown into a strong network. The decentralization of this year’s IVD celebration reflects the diversity of its members and their focus on placing volunteers, who work closely with communities.

While IVD in the past has often been celebrated by volunteers from different agencies and organizations separately, especially in the provinces, these year’s activities will contribute to closing the gap between them through the collaborative organization of joint activities. IVD 2011 demonstrates that national and international volunteers in Cambodia are a large and well-organized group of motivated individuals, who are considerably contributing to the attainment of Cambodia’s Millennium Development Goals.