UN program helps development at the grassroot level<\/p>\n
Eleven years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly
\nestablished Dec. 5 as International Volunteer Day. The day was
\nset to celebrate humankind's noblest spirit of volunteerism and
\nthe efforts volunteers around the world have made to improve the
\nlives of others, from the palm-laced villages of Bali to the
\nconcrete streets of New York City. To mark the occasion, Gedsiri
\nSuhartono of The Jakarta Post wrote three articles, one of which
\nfocuses on her trip to Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, sponsored by
\nthe United Nations Development Program (UNDP).<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) program, the
\nvolunteer-sending arm of the world body, was established in 1970
\nto serve as an operational partner in international development
\nat the request of any UN member.<\/p>\n
Administered under the auspices of the UNDP, the UNV supplies
\nprofessional people to support governments, non-governmental and
\ncommunity-focused development works.<\/p>\n
The UNV serves a wide variety of needs but primarily focuses
\non humanitarian relief and rehabilitation, peace building, human
\nrights and electoral operations of the UN, promotion of private
\nand public enterprises and transfer of knowledge through
\nexpatriate nationals.<\/p>\n
Since 1971, 12,350 UN volunteers from some 140 nations have
\nworked in an equal number of countries.<\/p>\n
There are two types of assignments available for volunteers:
\ntwo-year humanitarian relief assignments and UN International
\nShort-Term Advisory Resources (Unistar) postings, which are
\ndemand-driven and flexible in terms of time.<\/p>\n
The UNDP in Indonesia is made up of the regular UNV program
\nand a Domestic Development Services (DDS) program.<\/p>\n
The UNV's work in Indonesia dates back to May 1973, when the
\nfirst two volunteers, a welding instructor and radio repair
\ninstructor, were assigned to a UNDP\/International Labor
\nOrganization project dubbed the \"Industrial Vocational Training
\nScheme\" in Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
Since then, about 56 UNV specialists and 150 UNV\/DDS field
\nworkers have worked in Indonesia. Reciprocally, 112 Indonesian
\nvolunteers have served in various Asian countries.<\/p>\n
In the future, Indonesians are expected to enter, if not
\ndominate, the number of volunteers serving in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"A similar scenario is being implemented in other countries,
\neach wanting to prioritize utilizing local resources,\" said
\nDianne D. Arboleda, a UNV program officer.<\/p>\n
Arboleda pointed out that in the Philippines, her home
\ncountry, there are only two international volunteers serving.<\/p>\n
Some sneer at the prospect of having local volunteers due to
\nthe fact that volunteerism is not valued highly in Indonesia, at
\nleast not professionally.<\/p>\n
\"When I first came here, people thought that I was doing
\nvolunteer work because I could not find employment in my own
\ncountry,\" said Thelma C. Orbase, a former volunteer who currently
\nworks as a corporate accountant.<\/p>\n
In the Philippines, prospective volunteers are recruited
\nprofessionally. They have to undergo several tests to prove their
\nability to endure strenuous working conditions and challenges
\nsuch as psychological, communication and capability tests.<\/p>\n
\"Very few people understand that we do the sort of job that we
\nare doing because we wanted to for personal reasons,\" said Gemma
\nRelojo, another volunteer from the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has hosted the largest number of UN volunteers in
\nAsia, but few of them are from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Samiran Hadi Subroto, a Mataram-based volunteer coordinator,
\nsaid so few Indonesians are willing to become volunteers that he
\nbecame the center of attention when he arrived in Nepal to
\nperform his first duty in 1983.<\/p>\n
The UNV\/DDS activities are geared to strengthen volunteer-
\nbased organizations, encouraging them to share expertise and help
\nrelevant government agencies reach out to villages.<\/p>\n
So far, the volunteers have created 425 small self-help groups
\nthat initiate activities such as safe drinking water
\ninfrastructure, sanitation facilities, vocational and appropriate
\ntechnology training, primary health care promotion, child
\nnutrition and maternal care programs, village cooperative
\nsupport, income generation activities, urban slum renewal and
\nenvironment programs.<\/p>\n
Concentration on gender issues, according to Arboleda, will
\nsoon be one of the main focuses for recruitment. Programs will
\ndeal with the disadvantages and subordination issues that women
\nhave had to endure.<\/p>\n
Seven UNV specialists are currently assigned either to UNDP-
\nfunded projects, other UN agencies or to non-governmental
\norganizations in Irian Jaya, Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, West
\nKalimantan, West Java, Central Java and Jakarta.<\/p>\n
These three-year projects, which end in January 1997, are
\njointly financed by the UNDP and the Indonesian government.<\/p>\n
The focal point of the UNV\/DDS Program in Indonesia is the
\nMinistry of Manpower, which coordinates the program together with
\nthe Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Home Affairs.<\/p>\n
The project provides the service of 17 UNV\/DDS field workers
\nand 178 co-workers that implement village-level projects.<\/p>\n
The project's core strategy is to strengthen \"grassroots\"
\ninstitutions such as the Institute for Village Community
\nResilience, the Family Welfare Movement and the Karang Taruna
\nyouth organization. The project also aims to establish
\nparticipatory development models in 30 less-developed villages in
\nfive eastern provinces of Irian Jaya, Maluku, Southeast Sulawesi
\nas well as West and East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
During this process, the project tries to increase the
\ncommunity's access to government services and funding from
\ninternational NGOs, bilateral and multilateral agencies.<\/p>\n
The Japanese embassy recently granted the Akar-akar village in
\nLombok Rp 15 million (US$ 6,300) to build a clean water piping
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
Several bilateral donor organizations, including the embassies
\nof Canada, Australia, Germany, New Zealand and the US-based
\nTrickle Up Program have also funded the UNV program.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/un-program-helps-development-at-the-grassroot-level-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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