HOW TO PREPARE FOR RISK? HOW TO PROTECT FRONTLINE VOLUNTEERS?<\/strong><\/p>\n These days we are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of volunteering. Volunteers are often on the front line, willingly facing challenges that carry a degree of risk or danger. The safety of volunteers is crucial for ADRA as a sending organisation. <\/p>\n Adra Slovakia, together with European partners in the TEHV project, is building the capacity of future host organisations in seven countries around the world. Currently, two online trainings have been successfully completed. <\/p>\n In the first training we focused on risk management and the creation of safety rules. What risks can volunteers face? What is their severity and likelihood? What measures to take to eliminate them? <\/p>\n \u201eIt's a public holiday, 10 o'clock in the morning. You wake up and there are three messages on your phone. One from a volunteer, one from the local hospital and one from your partner organisation. It says the volunteer has survived electrocution.\u201c<\/em> We also solved such dilemmas in the second part of the training focused on the creation of a communication plan, communication in an emergency or further steps such as evacuation. <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n June 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n We did it! We have applied for EU Aid Volunteers certification. <\/strong><\/p>\n All the preparation is usually done in face-to-face meetings, but this year we were forced to move online for the first time. For the last few months we have been training, advising, reviewing and helping our partners create and set up a bunch of standards and processes leading to safe, effective and meaningful humanitarian volunteering.<\/p>\n Keep your fingers crossed that our partners will be successfully certified and will be able to carry out humanitarian volunteer missions with us next year!<\/p>\n Here are some happy moments from the day of the certification:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n October 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n HOW TO REPORT ETHICALLY ON DEVELOPMENT ISSUES IN THE MEDIA?<\/strong><\/p>\n We discussed this issue yesterday at a joint training session with partner organisations preparing to host future EU Aid Volunteers. The more media outlets are created and try to capture the attention of their readers and the more the public relies on information from social networks, the more emphasis we should put on ethics in reporting on the activities of humanitarian and development organisations in low-income countries. Media literacy and critical thinking are helpful in distinguishing what is objectively and ethically reported and what, on the contrary, already violates the dignity of the people portrayed and helped by development projects on the ground.<\/p>\n Together with the trainer Boba Markovi\u010d Baluchov\u00e1, we learned the basics of media content creation, interviewing methods, as well as manipulative techniques in creating headlines, accompanying photos and the articles themselves, thanks to a theoretical lecture and subsequent practical exercises. Explaining the phenomena of poverty marketing, the white saviour complex or \u201evoluntourism\u201c, as well as adhering to the rules of the code of ethics in the creation of outputs from volunteer stays were also part of the training.<\/p>\n The eighth training is part of the TEHV - Towards Effective Humanitarian Volunteering project, which brings together partners from 10 countries to share their experiences.<\/p>\n <\/strong> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n November 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n ANOTHER COMMUNICATION TRAINING BEHIND US<\/strong><\/p>\n After the first training, which focused on the ethics of communication on development and humanitarian aid, the second one was more about the technical side of communication. By the way, Boba Markovic Baluch, our trainer for the previous training, recently gave an interview about ethics, but especially about media and information literacy, which you can listen to here: https:\/\/www.mixcloud.com\/docunion\/o-potrebe-medi\u00e1lnej-a-informa\u010dnej-gramotnosti-v-\u010dase-pand\u00e9mie\/<\/a><\/p>\n This time, together with our colleagues from ADRA CZ and Adice Association<\/a> shared their experience with non-European partners in the field of working with different communication platforms, planning communication activities, as well as proper communication and organisation of events. Colleagues from ADRA Czech Republic<\/a> on the example of their successful \u201eI'm running to Mali\u201c campaign, they provided valuable advice on fundraising communication.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n December 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n HOW TO BUILD MEANINGFUL AND SUCCESSFUL VOLUNTEERING PROJECTS?<\/strong><\/p>\n It is a difficult but not impossible task. Developing a needs assessment is a great start. Meeting the needs of each party - the volunteer, the host organization, and most importantly, the community - is key.<\/p>\n The second step is to closely monitor each phase of the project and thoroughly evaluate its impact so that we can continuously improve our work and achieve our goals.<\/p>\n To better understand the rationale and importance of these steps, a three-day capacity building training for our partners was held. Expertise was provided by three Slovak trainers from PDCS<\/a>. They showed us different theoretical approaches and practical tools that we could try out during this very interactive training.<\/p>\n You can see how to keep the interactivity of such a training when instead of a big meeting in a conference room in snowy Bratislava, 15 organisations from 21 countries meet in the online space of Zoom here:<\/p>\n Thank you to our 32 colleagues, both trainers and interpreters and facilitators from sending organisations (ADRA CZ<\/a>, Adice Association<\/a>, MT\u00dc Mondo<\/a>) for their participation and cooperation. Fingers crossed that the host organisations will be able to successfully put the knowledge into practice.<\/p>\n The training was part of three projects: HVA - Humanitarian Volunteers in Action, SudHAV3 - Sustainable Development through Humanitarian Aid Volunteers 3, TEHV - Towards Effective Humanitarian Volunteering, which are supported by the EU Aid Volunteers programme.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n June 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n DISASTERS, BOTH NATURAL AND MAN-MADE, HAVE DEVASTATING IMPACTS, ESPECIALLY IN LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES<\/strong><\/p>\n Natural disasters and other calamities have caused 1.3 million deaths in the last 20 years, 93% of them in so-called developing countries.<\/p>\n How can we ensure the safety of vulnerable communities in areas at high risk of floods, earthquakes and other disasters? This week we trained with our partners in disaster risk reduction and management. Organisations in Armenia, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Nepal, North Macedonia and Serbia are now better prepared to assess risks in their locations and take action to protect local populations from devastating disasters.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n HOW TO HELP IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION<\/strong><\/p>\n Floods, earthquakes, fires or the covid-19 pandemic. How can humanitarian organisations be more effective in helping people affected by natural and other disasters? An organised approach is the key. From setting up a makeshift base, to monitoring needs, to material and volunteer assistance, to long-term financial and psychosocial support, each step has its irreplaceable place in the aid chronology.<\/p>\n ADRA Czech Republic<\/a>, which has extensive experience in flood response, has trained us and our partners from Armenia, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Nepal, Northern Macedonia and Serbia. Shortly after the training, we had the opportunity to observe the work of Czech Adra on the ground when a devastating tornado hit the South Moravia region. Here too we saw how important professional coordination of humanitarian intervention and volunteers is to ensure that aid is effective and well directed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n August 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n WITH SLOVAK ADRA VOLUNTEERS ABOUT VOLUNTEERING ABROAD<\/strong><\/p>\n We ended the two-week summer volunteer camp in Pohorelska Ma\u0161a with a presentation on the EU Aid Volunteers initiative, which, in addition to sending EU volunteers to low-income countries, also involves building the expertise of local organisations through certification. After a long time, we were finally able to realize our \u201eADRA evening\u201c, although untypical. We introduced our local volunteers to how the whole broadcast cycle works, what all the participating organizations have to manage in order to host a volunteer.<\/p>\n Through short exercises we also put ourselves in the shoes of future volunteers and their host organisations. Based on our own experience from the two weeks in Ma\u0161a, we prepared a needs assessment, i.e. an assessment of the needs of the Pohorelsk\u00e1 Ma\u0161a social services home. In three groups we analysed the needs of the home from the perspective of the clients, the staff and the volunteers, and proposed possible solutions.<\/p>\n We believe that the discussion was a pleasant end to our volunteering activities in Masha and at the same time a stimulating encouragement to try volunteering beyond the borders of Slovakia.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n September 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS OPENS UP TO HUMANITARIAN ACTION<\/strong><\/p>\n This programme, also known in Slovakia as the European Voluntary Service, is undergoing a change that will bring more opportunities, especially for young people. Part of the change is the transition of EU Aid Volunteers, in which we are also active, to the European Solidarity Corps. The ambition is to create a robust solidarity instrument through which the European Union empowers its citizens to build a more inclusive society, support vulnerable communities and respond to societal and humanitarian challenges. We therefore hope that the programme will also attract more people from Slovakia to try volunteering in a humanitarian context.<\/p>\n We are also preparing for these new opportunities with our partners. We have been working hard over the last few weeks to apply for the Quality Label certificate. This is a process that demonstrates our mastery of quality volunteer management, our ability to meet security challenges, as well as our commitment and capacity to act in accordance with the core principles of the programme.<\/p>\n This week marked the first deadline for organisations to apply, which, if successful in obtaining the Quality Label, will allow them to send or host humanitarian volunteers in the new programme as early as next year. However, organisations still have the opportunity to apply and actively participate in the initiative during the 2021-2027 programme period.<\/p>\n Our partners in Serbia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal have already submitted their applications together with us. We believe that we will be successful and next year we will be able to jointly support the deployment of Slovak humanitarian volunteers in the mentioned countries. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL VOLUNTEER MISSION?<\/strong><\/p>\n The answer is the 3 R's: Recruit, Retain, Recognise.<\/p>\n Anna Yeghoyan from <\/span>YIC Gyumri - Youth Initiative Centre NGO<\/a> shared with us the key to the success of their numerous volunteer projects during the capacity building training. <\/span><\/p>\n Whether you are an organisation interested in managing volunteering projects or a potential volunteer, you can read about the opportunities in the European Solidarity Corps programme here: https:\/\/europa.eu\/youth\/solidarity_sk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n October 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n The question \u201eWhy do you want to be a volunteer?\" will be asked at every one of our volunteer selection interviews. But have you ever wondered, Why do organisations in low-income countries welcome foreign volunteers?<\/strong> And what do host organisations need to learn and prepare to make volunteer placements successful?<\/p>\n We asked our partners from all corners of the world and got a lot of interesting answers! See for yourself in our new video. The editing and editing of the recordings was done by our former volunteer Jozef Ba\u0148\u00e1s. <\/p>\n If you are not familiar with English, here is a selection of answers:<\/p>\n \u201eWe want to move together and bring new perspectives to our work.\u201c<\/em> ADRA Serbia<\/a><\/p>\n \u201eOur team will be enriched with more diverse skills, while opening the door for volunteers to develop new skills or future employment.\u201c<\/em> ADRA Lebanon<\/a><\/p>\n \u201eMost of our colleagues started out volunteering and we know the important impact it can have on a young person's life.\u201c<\/em> IDEA Central Asia<\/a><\/p>\n \u201eVolunteers will bring a piece of Europe to Armenia and European values to our organisation.\u201c<\/em> YIC Gyumri - Youth Initiative Centre NGO<\/a><\/p>\n \u201eVolunteering is not just about helping, it's about learning and rethinking your worldview.\u201c<\/em> Cambodian Youth Action<\/a><\/p>\n \u201eVolunteering was basically at the birth of our organisation. Volunteers bring us a breath of fresh air and lots of new ideas.\u201c<\/em> Volunteers Centre Skopje - Volunteers Centre Skopje<\/a><\/p>\n \u201eVolunteers often have specialisms that local staff lack, such as expertise in technology, fundraising or strategic planning.\u201c<\/em> WHR Nepal<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.adra.sk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/1.png\")
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