To date, there are 17 volunteer centers in Turkmenistan, in which about five thousand people are registered. Of these, almost 1000 people are active members of the volunteer movement, and about 3000 more people take part in the work of a volunteer as far as possible. Turkmen volunteers work according to their plans and implement personal initiatives together with employees in the program and project activities of the National Red Crescent Society, contributing to the provision of knowledge, changes in the attitudes of people and society, the formation of various necessary skills in children and youth, care and assistance to representatives of vulnerable groups of the population.
The National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan, as well as all components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has a volunteer program.
Who is a volunteer?
Volunteering is an activity performed by a person or community voluntarily for the benefit of society or a particular group of persons. Volunteers collect funds for treatment, help in purchasing the necessary (medicine, clothes, etc.) without remuneration for their work, and take part in large-scale social events.
According to the representative of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement of Turkmenistan, volunteers are divided into several categories according to the type of their activity:
- just a good person who wants to help another (generally speaking, all kind people who help others are, in a sense, volunteers);
- sponsor-volunteer - a person who, on a single and long-term basis, financially participates in the provision of assistance;
- targeted volunteering involves the provision of gratuitous assistance to certain vulnerable groups of the population (disabled people, orphans, etc.);
- volunteers taking part in socially significant mass events/actions - these people are usually involved as gratuitous assistants at major international events (Olympiads, sports competitions, international festivals);
- active volunteers, together with employees, participate in the activities of the organization, starting from the assessment, planning and implementation of work;
- volunteer consultants are experts with extensive specialized/professional experience who provide their services in their professional areas;
- professional volunteers - representatives of the volunteer movement who have completed the necessary trainings, courses and exercises on all components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including from the NRCST,
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, International Committee of the Red Cross. Professional volunteers can be recruited into national and international rapid response teams to participate in projects or invited to our missions to work abroad.
World practice confirms the great importance of the social activity of the population. In particular, the development of volunteering contributes to many positive changes within society: helping each other, increasing social activation, consolidating people and work partners. In addition, volunteering contributes to changing attitudes to various kinds of social problems, protecting and promoting interests, disseminating information, and providing knowledge. The activity of volunteers helps to form relationships, inculcate certain social skills and, of course, change behavior, both at the personal level and at the level of society.
How to become a volunteer?
For those who decide to associate themselves with the volunteer movement, there is a list of advanced training for volunteers, which is divided into three stages. These are compulsory introductory trainings, specialized trainings and professional trainings and courses. This sheet takes into account all the trainings completed and the level of preparedness of the volunteer.
An application with a detailed database has also been created, where, in addition to general data, all events in which the volunteer participated, his achievements, and trainings completed are marked. This is a transparent scheme for the responsible volunteer development officers, the ICRC and IFRC/KP and of course the volunteers themselves.
To date, the NRCST is working to develop volunteering in Turkmenistan in the following areas:
- creating a friendly and safe environment for volunteers;
- monitoring and evaluation of volunteers;
- motivation of volunteers;
- recruitment of volunteers;
- data management;
- regulatory framework of the NRCST;
- introductory course for beginners, ownership and implementation of ideas; capacity building of volunteers (personal and professional development).
For those who are interested in volunteering or who want to join the movement, on the website of the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan there is a section “Become a Volunteer”, which can be visited by all those who are interested in volunteering. You can also email crescent.vol@tgymj.gov.tm or call (+993 12) 93 26 10 the responsible officer.
Phone numbers for volunteers of velayat centers:
- Balkanabat: 8 00222 77 73 34;
- Mary: 8 00522 5 84 80;
- Anau: 8 00137 4 46 20;
- Turkmenabat: 8 00422 5 86 15;
- Dashoguz: 8 0032 29 28 13.
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