Community Spotlight: International Volunteer Day: The Rewards of Volunteerism

written by Ryan Taborada

When an organization such as LoveYourself is primarily made up of volunteers, it can be quite a challenge to keep it going for as long as it has. Even with paid work, people come and go, how much more when most of your people are not paid at all?

In my case, not only am I not getting paid, I also am not bound by any contract that compels me to stay. Yet I choose to stay, alongside many others, for reasons that go beyond monetary compensation.

When I started volunteering for LoveYourself, I did not think I was at that stage in my life when I was ready to give back. What gravitated me towards the organization was the advocacy that affected me much deeper than I had thought. I am part of a generation that did not have access to convenient, rapid, and free HIV screening. There was not enough information available to somehow alleviate the fear that comes with getting tested. I went through my twenties not knowing what my status was, and this constantly loomed over me. It made me wonder if others were the same way, in the dark about their status, not informed and empowered enough to go out there and get tested.

LoveYourself, like other non-profit organizations with the same advocacy, became for me a safe haven to readily avail of the services that previously were close to unheard of. This shift provided a sigh of relief. My community is finally given the much-needed safe space to go to. I had to be a part of it. I had to be a part of this endeavor that was missing when I was in my twenties.

Volunteering turns out to be a blast. It may not be a walk in the park, but it’s that refreshing sprint in incredible directions. Soon after joining LoveYourself I formed precious bonds with people who had their own various reasons for volunteering. Some of them are all about serving the community that we are a part of, and there are others who saw how difficult it was for persons living with HIV (PLHIV) to receive the care they needed back then, and a few had lost loved ones because of the virus.

Call it helper’s high, or some fulfillment of a sense of purpose of sorts, but the feeling is nothing short of rewarding. In those days when we used to be able to be in each other’s presence, I would look around and feel gratitude and immense awe towards those that stuck around, unpaid, exhausted, fighting for a cause not a lot would.

International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development was observed last December 5, 2020. Mandated by the UN General Assembly in 1985, IVD is a yearly observance that encourages volunteerism, building on the impact volunteers have in communities, both locally and internationally. It was of significance for LoveYourself and its volunteers. Even for just a day, the world gave the spotlight to those that offer their time and effort without expecting anything in return.

To my fellow volunteers, this isn’t much, but I would like to say thank you.