THE GOVERNMENT’S overseas development agency Irish Aid has launched a recruitment drive for volunteers with expertise in food production for Asia and Africa.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has told Irish Aid’s Volunteering Fair at University College Cork the agency is seeking five volunteers to work on United Nations projects on food production, distribution and nutrition in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Mozambique.
Mr Martin said the pattern of volunteering by Irish people had changed in recent times, with more and more people expressing an interest in volunteering for short periods to help local communities in the developing world on small projects. “In the past, the typical Irish volunteer spent a year or more in the developing world – today it is estimated that around 5,000 Irish volunteers opt to work in what is called short-term placement working on short-term, small-scale community projects,” he said. Volunteers’ role does not end when they return, as they can play an important role in shaping overseas aid policy, he said.
“Irish Aid is very keen people would share their experiences when they come home because it helps galvanise society towards better policies in terms of third world support and greater understanding of why we invest so significantly in helping the poorer parts of the world.
“It’s also recognised that the person who gains most from volunteering whether at home or abroad is the volunteer – numerous studies have shown that, and we frequently hear from volunteers that teaching or building a house has been a life-changing experience.
Hundreds visited the fair, which included stands by Hope Foundation, Acara, Chernobyl Children’s Project International, EIL Intercultural Learning, Friends of Londiani and the Haven Project.