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Newsletter
April 2009
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THIS MONTH'S TOPICS
1. FROM THE SERVICE: Online volunteering and people with disabilities
2. TIP: How can I receive updates on opportunities matching my interests?
3. EXPERIENCE: Mobilizing online volunteers for the achievement of the MDGs in Indonesia
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1. FROM THE SERVICE: Online volunteering and people with disabilities
The Online Volunteering service is a global platform that connects volunteers and organizations across the globe, allowing people from around the world to participate, transcending time and geographical barriers. It expands options for people to volunteer towards peace and development, including people with disabilities.
In this regard, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is committed to making its websites accessible, whenever possible, to all users, regardless of physical ability. The website conforms to basic Web accessibility recommendations and standards, and has been tested with various assistive technologies.
We are interested in hearing about the online volunteering experiences of people with disabilities. If you would like to share your story to encourage and inspire other people with disabilities to volunteer online, please send an email to info@onlinevolunteering.org.
“Because of my disability, I can’t go to [the field] and volunteer. Online volunteering has allowed me to be part of the development process, to be part of something I didn’t think I would be able to do.” Online volunteer in Canada
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2. TIP: How can I receive updates on opportunities matching my interests?
New online volunteering opportunities are published every day. If you subscribe to the RSS feed or create an alert you will be informed when a matching opportunity is added to our website.
How do I use the RSS feed?
The first step is to narrow down the search results on the Opportunity Search page. You can do this either by using the keyword search or the search filters on the left side of the page, or a combination of both. If the results accurately reflect the topic you have chosen, use the orange RSS feed button to subscribe to the feed.
An RSS feed allows you to keep track of new opportunities published by a particular organization (enter the organization name in the keyword field) or related to a particular task or area of interest. For example, to find opportunities in project development and management related to water and sanitation, select the task from the list on the left and enter water and sanitation in the keyword field. You can create RSS feeds for different kinds of searches.
To subscribe to an RSS feed you need a newsreader. This is a program that checks the website regularly for new content, and provides a user interface where you can read the newly added information.
How do I create an alert?
In order to create an alert and be notified by email when a matching opportunity is published, you need to be registered on the Online Volunteering service website.
In the Manage Alerts section of your volunteer account, you can create and manage up to three alerts. To create an alert, select a task, a development topic, an opportunity language or a combination of these.
For example, select ‘Research’ from the tasks list and ‘Environment’ from the development topics list in order to receive a notification when an opportunity is published asking for online volunteers to do research on environmental sustainability. If you would like to receive opportunities written in French focusing on design-related activities, choose ‘Design’ and ‘French’ from the respective category lists.
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3. EXPERIENCE: Mobilizing online volunteers for the achievement of the MDGs in Indonesia
A group of 60 online volunteers is supporting the outreach activities of the Target MDGs Programme, a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency that aims to accelerate progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
It all started when Daniela Jines, a university graduate from Bolivia, joined the Target MDGs Programme as an on-site volunteer. Her task was to develop communication tools to inform the international and local communities about the MDGs in Indonesia in order to leverage support towards their achievement. Daniela had so many ideas that she soon realized she needed help implementing them. “I convinced my supervisor to give it a try and register the Target MDGs Programme with the UNV Online Volunteering service”, she says. “We were overwhelmed by the responses of qualified applicants, as well as by their dedication and commitment”.
Online volunteers redesigned the website to make it more attractive. They designed a presentation for young audiences to be shown in schools and universities, and created a short video of best practices to help attract the interest of local communities and encourage them to collaborate with the Target MDGs Programme. Online volunteers also translated the website texts and other documents from Bahasa Indonesian to English. “We need international organizations to be aware of the situation of the MDGs in Indonesia to be able to channel their help accordingly”, says Daniela.
“Everyone was extremely committed, and most of our online volunteers were eager to continue supporting us after they completed the initial assignment, so we ended up doing much more than we had initially planned.” For example, online volunteers did not only translate the website from Indonesian into English, but many additional documents that the organization is now distributing to the international community. Some of the translators extended their support with other tasks, such as researching information or writing articles for the website. Once all communication tools are ready, the 60 online volunteers will help spread the information on the MDGs in Indonesia through their own networks.
A very committed online volunteer, who started as a translator, proposed to organize an event to inform people in her community about the MDGs. Her concept was so convincing that the Target MDGs Programme committed to support it.
There is no doubt that Daniela’s ability to guide and support each of the 60 online volunteers throughout their assignments, paired with her enthusiasm and volunteer spirit, contributed to the online volunteers’ commitment: “Working with all these volunteers over the Internet was a very rewarding experience”, says Daniela, “I would never have imagined that online collaboration can lead to such personal relationships. I learnt of each of the volunteer’s lives, and I shared their worries and joys.”
Online volunteer Ancilla Irwan from Indonesia, currently studying in Australia, started out with translation tasks and was then entrusted with the writing of articles. “Somehow I've an obligation to help my own country”, she says, “I know that it is optimistic to think that Indonesia will be able to achieve the MDGs. However, I think it would be better to do what we can do, according to Lao Tzu: ‘If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading’”. Juan Francisco Alcala from Spain, who redesigned the Target MDGs Programme website, says: “I am currently living in Indonesia; for the website design, I combined elements from the different cultures I've seen and learned about in Indonesia”.
Taking advantage of the online volunteers’ diverse backgrounds, and as a way to recognize their contributions, Daniela asked each of them to write an article about the MDGs, reflecting their points of view. These articles will be published, along with the pictures of the online volunteers, on the Target MDGs Programme website.
Daniela will complete her assignment with the Target MDGs Programme soon, but the support she mobilized through the Online Volunteering service will continue. Online volunteer Andry Yudha Kusumah will take over Daniela’s work and coordinate the online volunteers’ contributions in close collaboration with his focal point at the Target MDGs Programme. Andry, an Indonesian lawyer, currently completing his Masters degree in International Development in Japan, says: “I am very excited about this new assignment and I am committed to carry on Daniela’s initiatives”.
