International Volunteer Day: Lending a helping hand
December 5 is celebrated across the world to thank such people for their contribution towards the society.
ISLAMABAD:
When the team of Khushaal Pakistan — an organisation that came into being following the catastrophic floods this year — first reached Quetta, they were only two people in an alien land trying to figure out the logistics of despatching Rs2 million worth of relief goods to the deserving people.
By the following day, the number of people helping with the task had swollen to 20. The group comprised people of different social, economic, political and ethnic backgrounds, but these volunteers were united by a cause.
“Rarely do we get an opportunity to work for our own, but when we do, we make sure to do well,” said Hanif, a middle-aged man, who was working as a volunteer for the flood-hit people in Quetta.
Other volunteers with him had worked nonstop for hours, without any motivation for money or fame, they just wanted to help their brethren in distress.
The fifth of December is celebrated across the world to thank volunteers for their contribution towards the society. The International Volunteer Day, designated by the United Nations in 1985, aims to increase public awareness on “contribution towards the society”.
A volunteer is someone who provides services to or works for a cause without financial compensation. Usually considered as a “philanthropic” act, or a “humane” gesture, people volunteer for several reasons. It could be for development of skills or resume-building, or to improve the quality of life or even to lend a helping hand in times of natural or manmade calamities.
From the Airblue plane crash, towards the end of July, to suicide bombs in public areas to road accidents and natural calamities, such volunteers are the first one to reach the site.
Malik Jamshed, a resident of Lahore, recalls the Model Town blast in Lahore. He was disappointed with the rescue staff’s performance.
“Exactly four minutes after the bomb blast in Model Town, Lahore, I was there at the site. Within ten minutes the number of number of people there to help the injured had risen to hundreds, the police came after 35 minutes,” he said.
He was also in Islamabad on an official trip when the Airblue plane went down in Margalla Hills. He was one of the first to reach the site. “We were there to help them, we knew the police and rescue staff alone cannot do this,” he said.
The never-say-die spirit of such people and the heart to help their brethren has bailed the country out of many precarious situations.
Muhammad Rafeh, Owais Barlas and Samad Khurram wanted to make sure that “they do their bit for the flood affected populace”, which led to the formation of Khushaal Pakistan.
Similarly, many individuals across the country have taken such initiatives to lend a helping hand or for making a positive change in the society.
The school children who gathered at the signals in different cities around the country to raise money for the flood-affected people, or the university graduates who left their jobs and studies for the trying weather of Azad Kashmir to help in the rehabilitation efforts in earthquake-hit areas in 2005, all deserve appreciation for their work.
It is because of their efforts the state, its functionaries and victims all feel more optimistic when handling crises.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2010.
When the team of Khushaal Pakistan — an organisation that came into being following the catastrophic floods this year — first reached Quetta, they were only two people in an alien land trying to figure out the logistics of despatching Rs2 million worth of relief goods to the deserving people.
By the following day, the number of people helping with the task had swollen to 20. The group comprised people of different social, economic, political and ethnic backgrounds, but these volunteers were united by a cause.
“Rarely do we get an opportunity to work for our own, but when we do, we make sure to do well,” said Hanif, a middle-aged man, who was working as a volunteer for the flood-hit people in Quetta.
Other volunteers with him had worked nonstop for hours, without any motivation for money or fame, they just wanted to help their brethren in distress.
The fifth of December is celebrated across the world to thank volunteers for their contribution towards the society. The International Volunteer Day, designated by the United Nations in 1985, aims to increase public awareness on “contribution towards the society”.
A volunteer is someone who provides services to or works for a cause without financial compensation. Usually considered as a “philanthropic” act, or a “humane” gesture, people volunteer for several reasons. It could be for development of skills or resume-building, or to improve the quality of life or even to lend a helping hand in times of natural or manmade calamities.
From the Airblue plane crash, towards the end of July, to suicide bombs in public areas to road accidents and natural calamities, such volunteers are the first one to reach the site.
Malik Jamshed, a resident of Lahore, recalls the Model Town blast in Lahore. He was disappointed with the rescue staff’s performance.
“Exactly four minutes after the bomb blast in Model Town, Lahore, I was there at the site. Within ten minutes the number of number of people there to help the injured had risen to hundreds, the police came after 35 minutes,” he said.
He was also in Islamabad on an official trip when the Airblue plane went down in Margalla Hills. He was one of the first to reach the site. “We were there to help them, we knew the police and rescue staff alone cannot do this,” he said.
The never-say-die spirit of such people and the heart to help their brethren has bailed the country out of many precarious situations.
Muhammad Rafeh, Owais Barlas and Samad Khurram wanted to make sure that “they do their bit for the flood affected populace”, which led to the formation of Khushaal Pakistan.
Similarly, many individuals across the country have taken such initiatives to lend a helping hand or for making a positive change in the society.
The school children who gathered at the signals in different cities around the country to raise money for the flood-affected people, or the university graduates who left their jobs and studies for the trying weather of Azad Kashmir to help in the rehabilitation efforts in earthquake-hit areas in 2005, all deserve appreciation for their work.
It is because of their efforts the state, its functionaries and victims all feel more optimistic when handling crises.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2010.