VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT : A CATALYST FOR DEVELOPMENT IN TOGO
By MELELENG Magnoudéwa
The Institut français in Lomé hosted a Volunteering Day under the theme « The contribution of volunteers to sustainable development ». This event, which saw strong participation from a wide range of stakeholders, featured lively discussions amongst the participants highlights of a day rich in personal accounts and commitments.
Volunteering, a springboard to the world of work.
Invited to speak on the actions to be taken throughout the year to enable students to get involved, the Director-General of the National Volunteer Agency in Togo (ANVT), Dr Omar AGBANGBA, gave a straightforward answer: “You must neither lack information nor hesitate to approach organisations to take part as a volunteer. Even without a formal volunteering contract, it is worth noting that in volunteering, you are always learning.”
For the Director-General, volunteering provides a genuine platform for civil society to express itself, but above all serves as a springboard into the professional world. “Young people need to be motivated and determined to seek out information and to commit themselves fully to their work,” he emphasised before his invited “I would simply ask you to take a look round the exhibitions, and you will see what the volunteers have achieved.”
He cited, in particular, the example of the fight against drugs, where the ANVT and the NGO VATA have mobilised volunteers to carry out awareness-raising, training and support initiatives, with the aim of helping those affected to overcome drug addiction.
In the health sector, he continued, thousands of volunteers are working in health centres. In the field of education, others teach pupils in schools. Every year, the ANVT deploys more than 5,000 volunteers across local authorities to support local councils in producing seedlings, reforestation, the development of public spaces and many other activities in the public interest.
A network of stakeholders working for development.
In conclusion, the Director-General emphasised that the number of volunteers and the diversity of their missions carried out through NGOs, civil society organisations and public services are all concrete examples of the impact of volunteering on the ground.
