Most of the volunteers with the Anguilla Red Cross (ARC) are expatriates living and working in Anguilla. The ARC volunteer base is made up of a sound range of vibrant youth, competent mid-age persons and experienced retirees. The Red Cross/Red Crescent can be considered a voluntary relief movement, and the voluntary Fundamental Principle exudes that volunteers not prompted in any manner by desire for gain. If the Movement fails to recognize the value of voluntary service, it is in danger of becoming bureaucratic, and in doing so losing touch with a vital source of motivation, inspiration and initiative, and of cutting off the roots which maintain its contact with human needs and enabling it to meet those needs.
Voluntary service is a source of economic benefit. Much suffering would be neglected and destitute persons not reached, particularly for lack of means, if all the work done by volunteers had to be paid for. With most National Societies and Branches, it is most times sufficient to have a relatively small but motivated support staff, with the necessary minimum of financial resources, to enable volunteers to render community services whose cost could never be borne either by the National Society/Branch or by the State/Government. This was recently displayed in the relief effort immediately after Hurricane Irma and is now being displayed with the ARC Cash Transfer Programme to assist persons most affected by Hurricane Irma.
The management of volunteers is an essential issue for National Societies/Branches and it is increasingly being included in Strategic and National Plans, a recognition of the fact that it is seen as being extremely important. Admittedly, much more needs to be done to improve and establish good volunteer management systems. Volunteer development has two fundamental perspectives: Inside National Societies/Branches, to ensure that it is volunteer friendly and uses a sound volunteer management system; and outside National Societies/Branches, to ensure that the environment which it operates in is volunteer enabling. Volunteer development takes time and requires commitment. For the ARC, a volunteering development effort is a long term investment and commitment. In the post Hurricane Irma era, the ARC is analysing the current state of how it manages and supports its volunteers – taking the analysis into a process to put in place, improve or change for the better the practice of volunteer management. The approach is about looking into all organizational levels, as well as the current practice of the various programmes and activities run by the Branch. It is also vital to advocate for volunteer enabling environments through heightening awareness on the importance both locally and internationally, in that Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers are at the heart of effective humanitarian assistance for millions of vulnerable people across the globe.
Volunteers are the strength of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. They are what define the Movement and what make it a unique humanitarian force in the world. One of the focuses of the ARC is on supporting volunteers by giving them the tools and resources they need to meet the high demands and expectations that National Societies/Branches — and supporters — place on them.
Based on the interest of several tourists, the ARC recently facilitated volunteer activity with several tourist families who saw the devastation of Hurricane Irma from abroad and wanted to volunteer during their winter vacation. The ARC is delighted that tourists choose the ARC as their preferred place to volunteer; and are open to facilitating volunteer activity with any group or individuals that are visiting Anguilla, either short or long term. The ARC will be discussing ‘voluntourism’ with the Anguilla Tourist Board to formalize mutually beneficial initiatives for the immediate and long term.
The ARC would like to thank the various hotels and villas for assisting with the arrangements for their guests to volunteer with the ARC, and look forward to your continued support as we work toward humanitarian good, achieving good corporate social responsibility, and satisfying the desires of philanthropic tourists.
– Press Release
