Call for govt agencies to partner volunteer service

By PHOEBE GWANGILO
A SENIOR official from the National Volunteer Services (NVS) is calling on government agencies to partner them to reach rural communities.
Programmes director Jacquelyn Krewanty said NVS received applications from people wanting to become volunteers to help deliver basic programmes in education, health, agriculture, fisheries, small businesses and other services
“Education is one sector that lacks a lot of attention, especially in very remote areas,” she said.
“There are schools with no teachers and that’s where our volunteers come in.
“So you will find that a community school cannot run with one teacher or two teachers, they will have to have six in the current education system and we find that there are some schools with one or two, three teachers and they request for volunteers and we help.”
Krewanty said there were many aid posts out in rural Papua New Guinea without health workers and NVS volunteers helped fill the need by standing in for public servants.
“Where there are no health workers, you will find our volunteers providing services in health,” she said.
“Where there are no teachers, you will find our volunteers performing on the ground
“Where there are no agricultural extension officers, you would find our volunteers providing technical support to our farmers on the ground.”
Krewanty said NVS was working with other agencies such as the National Statistics Office and departments such as the Department of Personnel Management, Finance, Treasury, National Planning and Monitoring, Education, and Agriculture to be able to complement them.