International Volunteer Day

To commemorate IVD and reach a wider audience for spreading our message, we are celebrating volunteering week from November 29-December 5, 2009.We invite Corporates to join and involve with us in our efforts to influence and motivate more people to volunteer, by reaching out to the community during this period. Corporates can be ideal role models and will set good examples for others. Our active efforts will start from November 29, but you are welcome to choose a day that suits you.

The Volunteering activities report will be submitted at World Volunteer Web. This will enable organizations, volunteers and readers of World Volunteer Web to know about the activities undertaken by the Corporate during IVD. This information exchange will help us to enhance volunteering in India. World Volunteer Web is the global focal point for the IVD campaign and provides a platform to highlight voluntary actions by corporate, volunteer organization and individual volunteers - at local, national and international levels – to achieving Millennium Development Goals.

Planned activities
Seminar on awareness of eye donation
Venue: Gurgaon
Attend an hour-long seminar on eye donation at Ahuja Eye Hospital, Gurgaon on 5th December for approximately 22-25 participants. The aim of the seminar is to create awareness on the importance of eye donation. Thereafter, corporate employees could volunteer to promote and collect pledges from peer groups and others.

Teaching/event organizing
Venue- Delhi/NCR
Have an interactive session with students of an NGO, to discuss current events, hold general knowledge sessions or conduct creative activities. This event can be held for one day or more within the week. Alternatively, corporate could help organize competitions like a sports event/antakshari/on the spot painting competition for children at the NGOs. This small effort could bring about a refreshing change and much joy to the students.

Sponsor an advertisement
Daily Edition
Joining Hands wishes to express gratitude to its volunteers and acknowledge the precious time and skills they provide to our partner NGOs. We would like to publish an advertisement on 5th December 09 in one of the leading newspapers. A special mention of the sponsoring corporate will be provided in this advertisement.

Thinking back of the summer of 2007, I remember being avidly looking for an opportunity to work with an NGO abroad. Being a student in languages and communication (University of Amsterdam), with a background in cultural anthropology, I decided that after some years of studying it was time to get some practical experience in the field. In search of a suitable possibility I decided to do an internship abroad - I ended up in India, at Joining Hands. During the 8 months internship I learned more than can be described in a few lines, so this is an attempt to give at least an impression. First of all, getting to know Joining Hands’ partner organizations and their projects gave me an impressive exposure to development projects in and around Delhi. I saw deprived groups and the problems that they face, and I saw the efforts that people make to build up and maintain a sustainable way of life. One of my tasks was to help implement the Joining Hands volunteering program, which included the recruitment, placement, monitoring and evaluation of volunteers in partner projects. Moreover I got to know about the position of the corporate world and their Corporate Social Responsibility. Getting the corporate world involved wasn't an easy task at all. But working towards this goal did teach me some lessons. It enlarged my understanding of the ways in which organizations (profit and non-for-profit, governmental and non-governmental) can be interrelated and interdependent. Also, the issue of volunteering made me more aware of an individual’s position in society and the responsibilities that one can choose to take. It inspired me to start volunteering in my own country too: I'm currently coordinating Dutch classes and teaching Dutch to foreign citizens at an intercultural volunteer's organization that promotes social cohesion and participation. I am glad to have been part of the Joining Hands team and I would recommend anyone to take up some volunteering activity with them.

- Renate Roze, Netherlands