Metro
World Humanitarian Day: Institute Urges Nigerians To Imbibe Culture Of Voluntarism
The Institute of Humanitarian Studies and Social Development (IHSD), has urged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of offering voluntary services to humanity.
Dr Prince Francis-Origa, the Registrar of the Institute made the call on Wednesday in a statement to commemorate the World Humanitarian Day.
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The World Humanitarian Day (WHD) celebrated Aug. 19 every year, is a day specially set aside by the United Nations General Assembly at its 63rd session through Resolution A-63-L49.
The day was declared on Aug. 19, 2009, six years after a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad capital of Iraq killed 22 people including the chief humanitarian. Sergio mede Mello.
The essence of the declaration was to pay special tribute to aid workers who lost their lives in providing life-saving support and protection to people in need of humanitarian assistance and to also raise a global support for humanitarian aids.
“We join the global community in marking this year’s World Humanitarian Day, centered on celebrating and honouring all the individuals who have lost their lives in the service to humanity.
“Those who have committed in assisting the vulnerable people that are infected by various humanitarian crisis like armed conflict, natural disasters, hunger and the pandemic.
“These individuals known as aid workers or humanitarians risk their lives and sacrifice time in ensuring that the dignity of lives are restored and preserved.
“We are, therefore, making this clarion call to all and sundry to embrace voluntarism and humanitarianism as a culture and as a value system at all levels of the society,” he said.
Francis-Origa said that the idea of voluntarism, when adopted by all, would help actualise the concept of globalisation giving room for volunteering and humanitarian opportunities in Nigeria and international community.
He urged government and other key stakeholders to make opportunities open and to provide the right environment where young people could contribute and acquire professional knowledge and skill to enable them to be effective and efficient participation by voluntarism.
H said that every Individual, whether rich or poor, big or small had something he or she could offer and should therefore go ahead to offer such to help another person in need.
He noted that the culture of humanitarianism will enable Nigerians develop the consciousness of working together to provide solutions to the humanitarian challenges they face and to create a system where all individuals are willing to offer assistance.
“The culture will also enhance the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by ensuring that people are involved in remitting one relief at the other to people who have lost so much, thus improving the dignity and quality of lives among Nigerians,” he said.
He said that the nation being faced with different global events that pose great dangers to mankind cum human existence ranging from man-made to natural disasters requires volunteering and humanitarian services in order to rescue mankind from unwarranted agony.
The registrar urged Nigerians to put aside their individual differences, religious , tribal and ethnic sentiments while embracing togetherness, voluntarism and humanitarianism.
He commended all front line workers and humanitarian aids who have remained in the front line treating and providing succour to COVID-19 patients, providing aids amidst the pandemic and conducting research.
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