Volunteering is no longer just for those with time and money to spare, it can be a major social force and will become a necessity in order to care for people with HIV/AIDS, says the director of The Volunteer Centre in Cape Town, Joan Daries.

“The state won’€™t be able to provide for all the AIDS orphans and it’€™s going to be a challenge to anyone able to provide care in their home,” says Daries.

The Volunteer Centre aims to turn volunteering into a powerful force for social development. Apart from the many retired people who still have plenty to contribute to civil society, there are thousands of young people looking for employment who would benefit greatly from the skills and experience gained through volunteering.

Daries points out that pupils involved in voluntary service always find it a lot easier to get bursaries and jobs, but she argues that volunteers also require a basic structure of support. Otherwise, volunteering will remain largely confined to the middle classes or those who can afford their own transport costs.

Despite these hidden costs, there are many people from disadvantaged communities who choose to volunteer simply for the personal reward and fulfilment that making a visible difference in their communities brings.

Two such people are thirteen year old Zeenat Mohamed and sixteen year old Yumnah Issacs from the Islamia High School Development Programme in the Rylands area in Cape Town. After school, Zeenat and Yumnah collect paper and tins which they sell to make enough money for the soup they cook and feed to malnourished streetchildren in their area.

The Volunteer Centre functions as an employment bureau for non-profit organisations in the Western Cape who need volunteer assistance with a wide variety of tasks ranging from hands-on care to skills-training, financial management and administration. The Centre currently places about 100 volunteers per month. It also offers volunteer management training programmes for non-profit organisations, high schools and clubs.

For further information or to become a volunteer, contact the volunteer receptionist at (021)418-1116.