Over 1,000 Australian volunteers have worked in Vietnam

Today December 5th is recognized by the United Nations as International Volunteer Day (IVD), a global celebration of volunteerism.

This year, we not only celebrate volunteerism, but also pay special tribute to people’s participation in making positive changes locally, nationally and globally.

“Australian volunteers are contributing to the understanding of Australia’s role and commitment in the region, and fostering people-to-people and cross-cultural links. Many Australians have chosen Vietnam as a destination for their voluntary work, and I would like to acknowledge the high spirit and professional expertise that our Australian volunteers have brought here to contribute to the country’s development,” said Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr Hugh Borrowman.

An Australian volunteer, Vietnamese partners and beneficiaries on a paddy-field. (Photo: dantri.com.vn)

IVD 2014 highlights the contribution of volunteers in engaging people from the grass-roots in decision-making processes, ultimately creating space for participation that leads to stronger governance, social cohesion, peace and sustainable development. The Australian Government has a long history of supporting international volunteering, beginning almost fifty years ago.

So far, over 1,000 Australians have worked in a wide range of volunteer assignments in Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1973. There are currently 90 Australian volunteers working in the nation in both short and long-term assignments to support non-government organisations, research institutions, universities, government organisations and the private sector.

In the 2013-2014 period, Australian volunteers completed assignments in more than 1,300 host organisations in over 40 countries throughout Asia, the Pacific, Africa, Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Over 2,000 volunteers were supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) program. Of these, 83% undertook assignments in the Indo-Pacific region.

On this occasion, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi will introduce a series of videos and stories on its Facebook page to highlight some of the Australian volunteers who are contributing to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, and the cross-cultural links between the people of the two nations.

(Source: CPV)