National Volunteer Programme
TBL – Triple
Bottom-Line, a sustainability advocacy platform working to promote Corporate
Social Responsibility in Pakistan since 2007, is now launching a unique
initiative, the National Volunteer Programme (NVP). Being initially launched in
Karachi, it will later be expanded to reach a nationwide level. NVP’s
Vision is “to strive for a just and prosperous society in which the
marginalised will emerge from distress through the caring support of other,
more privileged and compassionate people serving as volunteers.”
While
volunteerism does take place in the society, the NVP is unique in terms of a
structured platform and service that optimises the benefits of volunteerism for
both the volunteers and the beneficiary institutions. The NVP achieves this by
matching the specific skills and interests of volunteers with the matching
needs of beneficiary institutions, through a customised software and dedicated
portal, www.nvp.com.pk.
Focusing
particularly on corporate executives as volunteers in the first phase, the NVP will
act as a facilitator and a medium, providing corporate volunteers meaningful
opportunities to serve in Beneficiary Institutions working in a range of
focused areas. As such, the NVP will be constantly monitoring and filling the
ongoing demand for skilled workforce requirements at Beneficiary Institutions,
and will be working together with volunteers, the corporate sector and others
to build a more equitable and benevolent society.
Millions of
marginalised in Pakistan - the poor and the uneducated, the physically and
mentally challenged, widows and orphans and others - are deprived of even the
basic necessities of life. A number of NGOs and other institutions are working
tirelessly for their uplift, but their efforts are hampered owing to the lack
of regular funding and insufficient workforce. The NVP seeks to address the
lack of qualified human resource, by bringing together compassionate volunteers
giving their time and skills to beneficiary institutions which need these the
most.
Through the work
of the volunteers, the impact of welfare institutions can be substantially
enlarged. Globally, the corporate sector too has come forward, allowing and
encouraging their executives as a part of their CSR outreach, to do volunteer
work for a certain number of hours every week during their work hours. There is
ample research to show that corporate volunteerism is highly beneficial for all
3 stakeholders – the company, the volunteer and the beneficiary institution.
The NVP
Project has received start-up support and funding from Coca-Cola Pakistan, and
its soft launch took place at the Karachi Literature Festival 2016, being held
from February 5 to 7. Coca-Cola has been a supporter of KLF as well for the
past 4 consecutive years, sponsoring the Award for the Best Non-fiction Book in
English language by a Pakistani author, as well as offering complimentary
bottled water and soft drinks to thousands of visitors to the KLF over its 3
day run.
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For further
information on NVP, please contact:
Shahzad
Hooda, Project Director,
Telephone:
021-35823334,
Email:
shahzad@tbl.com.pk
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