“The spirit of volunteerism is rooted in Palestinian culture”

Jerusalem24 – Under the slogan “Together, let’s act now”, this year’s International Volunteer Day (which falls annually on 5 December) focused on promoting the spirit of solidarity through volunteering, and representing the intersection of the spirit of empathy with solidarity.

This year as always, volunteers are finding new and innovative ways to work together for the common good.

In Palestine, the community civil society program “Forsa” launched an awareness campaign in cooperation with the United Nations Volunteers program with an aim to highlight the importance of volunteerism and its impact on society and volunteers themselves.

Hani Hindia, manager of  United Nations Volunteers here in Palestine, tells Jerusalem24 that the program contributes to peace and development by mobilizing volunteers and advocating for volunteerism globally, as well as encouraging partners to include volunteerism in program development.

“The UNV program vision is a world where volunteerism is recognized within society, and the way for all people and countries to achieve peace and development,” states Hindia.

Rooted in Palestinian culture

Volunteering develops a strong sense of solidarity among local communities, says Hindia, and both concepts share the same core values: supporting each other in a framework of trust, humility, respect, and equality. Volunteers, both male and female, often exemplify the spirit of solidarity in their local communities.

“The fabric of the Palestinian culture was built on volunteering,” emphasizes Hindia. “There is the concept of Al-Onna (‘helping’), supporting each other, and the community to achieve different goals. And this is why we started in Palestine the spirit of volunteerism and Onna.”

“We believe that everyone can contribute to volunteerism worldwide.”

Listen to the full interview on Vibes.

https://soundcloud.com/24fmpalestine/vibes-hani-6-12-2022