Ramona joined IAVE at the beginning of 2013, as an Atlas Corps Fellow. During her fellowship, she was involved in assisting the design, development and launch of IAVE’s Global Network of National Volunteer Centers. Currently, Ramona serves as manager of IAVE’s global research on national leadership efforts for volunteering.”Ramona’s involvement in the non-profit sector began in 2006, starting as a volunteer in numerous local, national, and international organizations and later joining Pro Vobis – the National Resource Center for Volunteering of Romania as a Program Coordinator.

Her extensive professional experience in the field of social development by means of volunteering translates in to setting up and implementing projects to support the development of volunteer infrastructure in her home country, Romania.

Building national efforts to strengthen volunteering

National leadership for volunteering – whether undertaken by governments, NGOs or multi-party coalitions – has long been recognized as an important element in creating an enabling environment for volunteering and to encouraging expanded engagement of individuals as volunteers. But there has been little systematic global research on these efforts.

IAVE is now addressing this gap through a new research project. Our goal is to build a knowledge base of national leadership efforts for volunteering as they exist around the world – where they are, what they are, what they do, how they are created and sustained, what impact they have, what challenges they are confronting, what they see as their future.

This session is designed to explore what is happening in the countries in Africa, at the national level, to promote volunteering and what is needed to further support the development of volunteering in this region. If you are involved in raising the profile of volunteering in your country at the national level or want to connect with others who have experience with how to better make volunteering known in their countries, this session is where you will:

• learn about IAVE’s global research project about national leadership efforts for volunteering;
• get acquainted with such efforts in Africa;
• share what is happening in your country;
• have the chance to discuss with peers some of the opportunities and barriers when it comes to initiating and sustaining a national effort to promote volunteering.

Note: session will be conducted in English.