MANY developed nations have reason to be grateful to the multitude of voluntary organisations that work within their communities.
Older Commonwealth countries such as Canada, India, New Zealand and Australia have all come to rely heavily on the hard work and significant contributions of such organisations and the volunteers who work for them.
Britain was among the first countries to develop this kind of community backing.
On that country’s domestic front, orphanages, schools for poor children, organisations committed to fighting the poverty and squalor of Victorian London’s under-belly and the first tentative steps towards a workable nursing service were all features of the latter part of the 19th century in Britain.
Voluntary work often encourages the involvement of people who are passionate about causes.
Florence Nightingale’s commitment to the establishment and growth of a body of professional nurses was stimulated by her horror at the conditions for the injured and dying soldiers in the Crimean War.
William Booth was born in Nottingham in Britain in 1829; he went on to found the Salvation Army. The image of an “army” fighting evil was a powerful one, and Booth had found the means to make his Christian mission relevant to those living in great hardship in London’s East End.
By the time of his death in 1912, the Salvation Army was working in 58 other countries.
Lord Baden-Powell saw the potential in youth and the world-wide Boy Scouts and eventually Girl Guides movements are the result of that vision.
These long established groups have exercised a profound influence over the communities in which they have worked.
From those early days volunteers have become an integral part of many nations.
And in the tradition of the Scouts and the nurses and the Salvos, other vital groupings of volunteers have sprung up, tailored to meet the needs of contemporary society and often working in countries outside those of their origin.
Today there are international volunteer organisations that regard the whole globe as their sphere of influence. Doctors Without Borders works to alleviate suffering wherever it occurs around the world, whether as a result of wars and conflicts, or in response to natural disasters.
The work of the Red Cross needs no explanation here, nor does its sister organisation the Red Crescent.
The familiar symbol was present in Rabaul when Mount Tavurvur erupted and has been a feature of community response throughout the country for generations.
Today we find small but committed societies fighting to deal with the fallout from AIDS and the dreadful human toll it has created in our country. The simply-named Friends group created by Tessie Soi and a group of dedicated volunteers is a well-known example.
People with a heart for the larger community can be found dotted throughout our country. Often unsung, they undertake huge tasks that ultimately help the whole nation.
It would be an interesting exercise to compute the amount of assistance given to PNG by Rotary, both by the local chapters and the international body. They have built and maintained schools and aid posts throughout the nation.
They have identified real community needs, such as the provision of treated mosquito nets and gathered and distributed countless loads of books to children around PNG.
And they’ve created and continue to maintain sporting facilities and parks for people to enjoy.
Many other groups are engaged in supporting sport and the arts.
Volunteers work to generate sums for our sporting teams to attend overseas fixtures, while others have kept community arts groups alive and contributing, in the case of Moresby Arts Theatre, for more than 90 years.
Now we have PNG Volunteers and we would urge our many skilled countrymen and women to consider contributing their talents and time on a volunteer basis.
For that is the one negative feature of volunteer and charity work in PNG; it survives mainly because of the efforts of the foreign community in our midst.
It is time that we as concerned citizens took some responsibility and freely gave of our own time and energy to help those of our people in need.
We frequently trumpet our independence as a nation.
Voluntary work provides us with the chance to prove our claims.