December 5 is International Volunteer Day. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985, and since then, governments, the UN system and civil society organizations have successfully joined volunteers around the world to promote their contributions at the local, national and international levels.

In disasters, man-made or natural, the spirit of helping lives in need has always been present – among rescuers, medical personnel or the ordinary person on the street. In any major catastrophe, it is the volunteers who form the backbone for relief work that helps survivors recover and move on.

Our Volunteers

MERCY Malaysia began as a bunch of committed friends dedicated to helping the needy, and has since grown into a full-fledged international NGO with a pool of over 5,000 registered volunteers. Over the years, we have had the privilege of working with individuals who help selflessly without expecting anything in return but the deep satisfaction of doing the right thing.

Locally, we are fortunate to have dedicated people in our state chapters whose activities are entirely run by volunteers. In Sabah and Sarawak, teams of committed volunteers continuously ensure that local health programmes are executed and the needs of vulnerable communities are met. We hope to emulate this level of commitment from volunteers throughout all the states in Malaysia, and the response has been encouraging.

To all our volunteers who have time and again heeded the call to help fellow human beings in need – from our inception to the recent disasters both local and overseas – we salute you.

The theme for International Volunteer Day 2009 - Climate Change

The impact of extreme weather conditions have translated into more frequent disasters of increasing intensity. With floods and landslides expected in view of worsening weather, the role of volunteers in risk reduction activities is just as critical as that of volunteers in an emergency response.

With our School Watching programme, we want to inculcate this spirit of volunteerism at a young age amongst schoolchildren. Our workshops aim to educate students to monitor and alert friends and family of potential dangers that they may observe, and what actions they can take in the event of a disaster. By creating awareness of risk reduction activities, we aim to alert the young generation of their role as an active agent within their family, and a sense of belonging and ownership of what goes on in their community.

Voluntary community initiatives such as Community SlopeWatch empower the residents to monitor their surroundings, which is in line with the spirit of Disaster Risk Reduction activities. We applaud the individuals who have galvanized their efforts to sustain such voluntary initiatives for the greater good of their community.

Volunteerism and You

What happens on the day after International Volunteer Day? The mass media may turn their attention elsewhere, but the work of volunteers continues regardless of news coverage or public recognition. We are always on the look-out for committed, skilled and sincere volunteers to support our efforts. Whatever your interests and capabilities, there is always a need to be filled, and assistance to be provided. In the heart of every committed volunteer, International Volunteer Day is a daily reality.

Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus
President, MERCY Malaysia

The Tsunami Resource Centre (TRC) located in Aceh, Indonesia was built within the Syiah Kuala University (UNSYIAH) by MERCY Malaysia with partial funding support from the Force of Nature Aid Foundation.

Your support inspires us to continue our humanitarian work. Help us do more.

Back to top