The Importance Of Volunteerism

Volunteers, according to the Philippine Red Cross (n.d.), are the men and women from various walks of life who have dedicated themselves to the service of humanity. There are tale of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people who dedicated their time and resources to help the poorest of the poor. Professionally competent and truly kind-hearted, these men and women are ready to lend a helping hand to those in need – whoever, whenever and wherever they may be (redcross.org.ph). Volunteers are broadly defined as individuals who receive no monetary reward for helping others. Volunteering is an outgrowth of a basic sociological principle of man wanting to interact within a group and to their relations with fellow man (Daugherty, 2011).
The term “volunteer”

Volunteerism aids both society at large and the individual volunteer by establishing trust, solidarity and mutuality among citizens, and by purposefully crafting prospects for involvement (UNV, 2011).
Nowadays, there are a lot of volunteer organizations that arise. Volunteer organizations allow people to utilize skills, make friends, and improve the quality of life within their neighbourhoods through participation. Volunteers have the opportunity to make a change by sharing their knowledge and talents. They have the opportunity to make friends and meet people they might otherwise not have met, had it not been through the opportunity to volunteer (Messer – Knode, 2007).
Volunteerism doesn’t stop there. One form of this is international volunteering. Viray’s (2011) definition of international volunteering means living and working in another country for others without expecting any rewards or compensation, the idea is acceptable to people who have the desire to do something for others outside their comfort zone. International volunteering provides an individual a chance to be involved in a global activity which offers a promise of improving social reputation or a possible enhancement in future earning capability because of the international work experience and the opportunity to travel overseas at a low