Keynote Address
Speech delivered by Dr Astrid N Heiberg, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to the IAVE conference, Amsterdam
15 Janvuary 2001



Dear volunteer friends and friends of volunteers,

Everyone likes to make a difference in life. Nothing is more rewarding than making a difference to the lives of others. This year we are celebrating and promoting the many unselfish volunteers who give of their time and emergy to make a difference to the lives of others.

Never have voluntary efforts been more needed. To take but one example: With 13 million people dying every year from diseases that can be stopped by low-key, low-cost actions, volunteers can make a major difference.

I have been moved many times during the term of my Presidency of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. I have been moved by the dedication and commitment of our volunteers in the field and I firmly believe that the international system for provision of humanitarian assistance would be very much the weaker without them. With our presence in 176 countries, and with close to 100 million members and volunteers, we are there to meet humanitarian needs - across the world and across the street.

Let me tell you one of the stories that has moved me the most. The story of my friend Bongai. At the age of 23 she was Head Nurse at a hospital in Zimbabwe, close to the Mozambique border, across which came a daily flow of refugees. One morning Bongai found an infant at the doorstep of the hospital; left there by refugee parents. Bongai arranged for a room and a bed for the child. A few days later another child had been left, and another. Soon there were 33 baby children in the hospital. Bongai recruited villagers to take responsibility for one child each, money for milk, food and clothes. All but one of the 33 grew up and considered themselves part of Bongai's family. Bongai had given them names, they saw her as their mother.

When, some years ago, Bongai went to London to advance her studies, she received 32 letters per week. Returning to Zimbabwe, she found the eldest girl was pregnant. In Zimbabwe, pregnant women stay with their mother the last couple of months, so the 16-year old came to stay with Bongai and her husband. Her husband somewhat reluctantly agreed. And yes, he was a bit overwhelmed when after the childbirth the 31 brothers and sisters came to visit. Moreover, Bongai and not least her husband are somewhat worried about the number of grandchildren they will get...

In the meantime, I should add, Bongai has become Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Red Cross.

This is indeed an extreme example of making a difference to the lives of others, and by doing so, making a difference in one's own life - however challenging. But what Bongai did was what she felt she had to do that day when the first child arrived at the doorstep of the hospital. This is often the case with volunteers: they are driven by an inner sense of having to do something about an acute situation.

Bongai started as a volunteer, and now she is a staff member working to enable more volunteers to pursue their sense of responsibility. This is the purpose and task of staff of voluntary organisations: to support and help volunteers to realize their huge potential for caring for others.

Volunteer work is different from paid work. It has its own special qualities.

Here are some more reasons why we in the Red Cross Red Crescent today want volunteers to deliver our services to the vulnerable:

Volunteers have a strong personal motivation. This often makes a big difference for the beneficiary.

Volunteers work part-time. Most people only volunteer a few hours a week. So volunteering can be combined with any occupation. It can continue for many years. It has a unique focus on the task.

Volunteers are local. They come from and serve the local community. They know the needs and the resources. And when disaster strikes, they are already there.

Volunteers bring diversity and special abilities. When you recruit staff you can only get those who are looking for a job. With volunteers you have a much wider choice. You can get shop owners, university professors, computer specialists, housewives, students or pensioners.

Volunteers are cost-effective. Volunteers are not paid, but organising them costs money. Even so, work done by volunteers has been proven 2 to 8 times as cost-effective as work done by staff.

Clearly, we need professionals in voluntary organisations too, but with the purpose of facilitating voluntary humanitarian action. This is why it is so important to improve our volunteer management, adapting organisational structures and upgrading the skills of staff in order to inspire more voluntary action.

More voluntary action is needed to meet the challenges that humanity is faced with today. Armed conflicts, natural disasters, and not least silent disasters like HIV/AIDS and other diseases - these humanitarian problems cannot be solved without voluntary action. On a more positive note: Many of these problems can actually be solved by voluntary action. What a responsibility on us to act and to encourage more action, and what a responsibility on the world community at large to do more to support the work of volunteers. .

Thank you.