Volunteer Network Project in Cyprus

Every year thousands and thousands of people volunteer for different causes all over the world. It has become a ‘second nature’ of individuals to offer their services to the many sectors that always need volunteers - whether it is the health sector, education sector, environment sector, arts and culture sector, youth or development sector.

As it has been seen worldwide what volunteers can achieve for a good cause, the Turkish Cypriot organisation 'The Management Centre' along with the Greek Cypriot partner 'The NGO Support Centre' has been implementing the Volunteer Network Project within the island in order to raise awareness for volunteerism. Nearly all civil society organisations (CSOs) in Cyprus require the assistance of volunteers to help them meet their organisations' goals.

Through extensive advertising of the volunteer network project, posters, brochures and stickers have been created and disseminated to all ends of the island. Meetings with a steering committee and an advisiory board have been convened throughout the lifecycle of the project so that the project team has always been in touch with what the CSOs wanted to achieve and what they understood by the term ‘volunteer’. Television advertisements and radio annoucements have been accepted by most of the media who supported the projects aims. The project has already managed to match individuals with CSOs and still continues to do so.

A volunteer website http://www.volunteercyprus.org/ has been established and is frequently updated. A database of CSOs needing volunteers and individuals that want to be a volunteer has been created and will be uploaded to the website.

For further details on the island-wide project and how to become a volunteer in Cyprus please contact Tulin Aker taker@mc-med.org or Tanyel Oktar toktar@mc-med.org.

Information provided by Tulin Aker, taker@mc-med.org