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Beneficiaries participate in the building of new houses in the Integrated Rural Village of Nkurye, Burundi. Thanks to the ‘3x6 approach’ and the support of UN Volunteers, vulnerable and excluded women and men can train in masonry. (Aude Rossignol/UNV, 2012)
UNV in action: Volunteerism and Gender
“Through volunteerism, women are challenging their traditional place in society.”
Volunteerism can empower women and girls. It can provide them with opportunities to use their expertise to serve their communities. Through volunteerism, women can learn and practice new skills, take on new roles (for example, as leaders and managers), and demonstrate new possibilities for the way they participate in their communities.
Women and girl volunteers can play a significant role in improving the status of women through their active participation in the decision-making processes of their communities. One example is the joint UNIFEM-UNV project Gender Budgeting and Volunteering through Civic Engagement: a Contribution to Democratic Governance and Gender Equality in Latin America.
Volunteerism enables women and girls to:
Women were encouraged to volunteer by taking part in the participatory planning processes of their local governments such as open assemblies, councils and committees, where development action plans were being drafted. The main objective was to achieve broad recognition of the breadth of women’s engagement with local government through their voluntary participation in different regional processes. Thus, decision makers would gain a greater appreciation of the value of their voluntary contributions.
Successfully assume positions of responsibility Access domains usually reserved for men Act as role models and inspire others Demonstrate their capabilities and skills as managers and leaders The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is committed to ensuring that volunteering opportunities are equally accessible and open to both women and men. In our Strategic Framework 2014-2017, we will focus on ensuring commitment to gender equality, recognizing the role of women as a driving force for peace and development efforts, and societal transformation across all areas of programme delivery.
State of the World’s Volunteerism Report, 2011
The project resulted in individual and collective empowerment for women in Latin America. Women evolved from having a self-perception as beneficiaries or members of a vulnerable group to seeing themselves as social actors who are able to engage with others to make demands of central government and local authorities.