The volunteering film festival

The countdown to the international day for volunteering, celebrated every year on December 5, has begun and the UN Volunteers Programme is launching an online film festival showcasing the work carried out by millions of volunteers world wide.

The festival will start at 14:00 GMT+12 on December 4 and will cross the globe, stopping in 12 time zones to show how voluntary action is making a difference in tackling challenges related to environment, hunger, education, maternal health, gender equality, and HIV/AIDS. “These stories don’t make the news, but they are changing the world,” said UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri.

Why celebrate volunteering? For a start because each year volunteers contribute 304 billion euros to the global economy (figures from the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies) and also because of “their role in helping to meet the Millennium Development Goals,” says Pansieri.

Festival participants will share the story of volunteers fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Vanuatu, dubbed ‘the happiest country in the world’. From there, as it crosses the globe, the 24-hour event will invite people to share their ideas and voluntary actions that help the world achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

“On-site or online, in their own community or abroad, at the national or at the global level, volunteers deliberately take action to address peace and development issues such as ending hunger, improving healthcare, addressing conflict, tackling gender inequality and dealing with the impact of climate change,” says Pansieri in a press release announcing the event. “Volunteers don’t wait for others to solve the problems; they engage and play an essential role as active citizens in shaping their societies.”

Many of the stories that will be shown on 4 December were made by volunteers or inspired by volunteers working with a range of agencies, including the United Nations, the United Kingdom’s Voluntary Service Overseas, the International Federation of the Red Cross, and civil society groups around the world.

The festival will pass through a number of countries, including: Fiji, Vanuatu, the Philippines, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Kenya, Cyprus, Albania, Zambia, Guinea Bissau, Spain, Liberia, Ghana, Haiti, Jamaica, Ecuador and Samoa.  Online volunteers based in Malaysia and the United Kingdom and working with organizations in Guatemala, Nepal and Afghanistan will also be featured.

To participate: www.facebook.com/unvolunteers