UN to reward best volunteer initiatives in Jordan

AMMAN — “Volunteers are like the bank for change in Jordan. Their will to make a difference in the community has more power than money,” said Bara’ah Batainah, a 24-year-old volunteer with the UN Volunteers (UNV) Jordan.

The remark came as UNV Jordan on Friday launched the Jordan Volunteer Awards (JVA) 2017, in cooperation with the Jordan Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), All Jordan Youth Commission, INJAZ and Int@j. 

Established to honour the efforts and achievements of Jordanian volunteers, who set a model for positive change, the prizes will be awarded to six best volunteering initiatives on December 5. 

“We chose December 5th, which is International Volunteer Day, to start an annual tradition here in Jordan that celebrates volunteerism,” said Tomas Kvedaras, head of the UN volunteering programmes in Jordan, noting that the competition will also help in spreading the word about the importance of volunteering.

“Volunteering is a cornerstone for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and we need all parties to be involved to achieve it, especially the civil society,” Kvedaras told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

Asked to submit a two-minute video presenting their initiative, all Jordanian volunteers are encouraged to enter the competition,which was created with the aim of “highlighting volunteer contributions to peace and development in Jordan”, according to the organisers.

“Volunteering is very important because it allows you to give, to your social or local community, something that comes deeply from the heart,” said Batainah, stressing that “anyone who has the belief that he or she can make a change should just start and contribute with his time and ability.”

Nominations include best volunteer initiative at both large and small scales; best university volunteer initiative; best international volunteer assignment; best volunteer initiative in entrepreneurship; best volunteer initiative in the field of technology and innovation and best online volunteer.

“In Jordan, volunteering initiatives are essential because they help communities who live in remote areas and in other governorates outside of Amman,” Batainah stressed. 

Participants have until November 15 to submit their video, which should include the name of the initiative, the size of the team, the duration of the initiative, its field of intervention, the activities conducted and the results produced so far. 

“The first voting phase will be conducted on Facebook, with the public being able to vote for their favourite initiative, while the final vote will be held by participants during the JVA ceremony in December,” Kvedaras explained.

“The video can include short interviews, shots from volunteers in action, infographics, etc. The more interesting, dynamic and engaging the video is, the more chances it has to be noticed by people and receive more votes,” he continued.

The UNV programme, which is active in 130 countries worldwide, under the administration of the UN Development Programme, seeks to contribute towards peace and development through volunteerism.