UNV’s Experience in Strengthening Volunteer Infrastructure in LIBERIA

COUNTRY REPORT

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The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organisation that promotes volunteerism to support

peace and development worldwide.

Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and

the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally,

encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilising volunteers.

UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

UNV, 2014

www.unv.org

In 2013, UNV commissioned a global evaluation on “UNV Contribution to Volunteer Infrastructures”. The evaluation covered national and regional projects aimed at strengthening volunteer infrastructure, partnered and supported by UNV financially and technically.

“UNV’s Experience in Strengthening Volunteer Infrastructure” is a series of knowledge products based on the findings of the evaluation, included in one global and eight country reports (Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Liberia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Peru, Togo and Viet Nam).

This knowledge product shares UNV’s experience in supporting the establishment of the National Youth Volunteer Service (NYVS) pilot project, and also takes a look at the subsequent UNICEF-funded National Youth Service Programme (NYSP). It is based on an evaluation study that included a literature and project document review and a field visit. During the field visit to Liberia, various data collection methods were used, such as semi structured interviews followed by face to face individual meetings, group meetings and participatory focus groups. The evaluators met with national level stakeholders, key personnel and partners from the current NYSP, former NYVS volunteers and serving NYSP volunteers. A site visit to one of the counties was conducted, during which meetings with host organisations took place.

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STRENGTHENING citizens’

participation and

social cohesion

Youth aged 15 to 35 represents the majority of Liberia’s population, a group with an immense impact on the development and stability of the country. The national volunteer service created a platform for university graduates to contribute to nation building whilst developing their skills and experience for career development.

The NYVS pilot project’s target was to deploy 200 national volunteers (NVs) over two years and postings were across the country.

The NYSP’s target was the deployment of 1,000 volunteers over the two years of implementation. NYSP then acquired new funding for a second phase of programming.

In total, five batches of volunteers were deployed, three under NYVS and two under NYSP.

OVERVIEW

2006-2007

Preparatory Assistance Phase for the

National Youth Volunteer Service .

2012

UNICEF-supported National Youth Service

Programme (NYSP), implemented by the

Ministry of Youth and Sport.

TARGETS

NYVS OBJECTIVES

2007-2009

UNV-supported National Youth Volunteer Service

(NYVS) pilot project, in partnership with the

Ministry of Youth and Sport.

RAISING awareness of the role

of volunteerism for development inrelated government

policies

ADDRESSING youth employability

and labour market accessibility

PROVIDING university graduates with opportunities to support public

education and health services for communities

living in remote areas, contributing to national

development

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MINISTRIES AGENCIES UNIVERSITIES YOUTH NETWORK

IMPLEMENTATION

competitive recruitment of National

Volunteers (NVs)

a three-week induction training

volunteer deployment

management and monitoring

an “exit strategy”, including

graduation and a job search skills

workshop

NYVS recruited university graduates, up to the age of 35, for a 6 to 12 month voluntary service in rural communities.Key components of the programme included:

In the Preparatory Assistance Phase of NYVS there was a strong process of stakeholder engagement, including an awareness campaign to explore project feasibility in proposed communities and assess key elements, such as community capabilities and student needs. A wide range of partners were initially engaged in NYVS, including six Ministries, three Agencies, four Universities and the Federation of Liberian Youth.

The partnership with Ministry of Youth and Sport was a very strong one, complemented by partnerships with the Ministries of Education, Planning, Health, Labour, Commerce, and Industry. The programme has operated only in the public sector.It seems to be a challenge for NYSP to engage with the private sector.

UNV’s design of NYVS represented the first tangible response to a call to action from the highest level in Liberia and in this sense UNV was ‘ahead of the curve’ in a context where youth employment was and is a pressing issue.

UNV is said to have ‘built the engine’ of the programme and left the legacy for a strong project such as the NYSP to be put in place.

KEY ACTIVITIES

KEY PARTNERS

UNV’S ROLE

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RELEVANCE

RELEVANCE TO THE NATIONAL CONTEXT

In early 2006, wide-ranging consultation took place, with various

groups encouraged to voice their needs and identify priorities. One of these

was youth unemployment, also included in the National Youth Policy.

Moreover, the 2006-2011 Poverty Reduction Strategy identified

a capacity gap in basic service delivery. These two elements make the National

Youth Volunteer Service and National Youth Service Programme highly relevant

to national development plans.

RELEVANCE TO THE OBJECTIVES SET

The NYVS and NYSP were designed to assist the Government of Liberia

to address capacity gaps in public service delivery,

within the broader agenda of youth employment and peace-building, needs which were highly relevant in 2007 and

remain so.

RELEVANCE TO LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS

The interest of youth in the programme, as well

as its community and country outreach are strong reflections of the relevance of these

interventions.

EFFICIENCYUNV invested heavily in project design and development of NYVS, which was excellent value for money. Its target was to recruit, train and deploy 200 volunteers, and it achieved 188, deployed in two batches, 67 in 2008, and 121 in 2009. An additional batch of 128 was deployed in 2010, with UNDP support, in the interim period between NYVS and NYSP.

67NYVS

volunteers

121NYVS

volunteers

188NYVS

volunteers

2008 2009 TOTAL

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EFFECTIVENESS

New initiatives under NYSP:

The NYVS pilot programme recruited university graduates, up to the age of 35, for a one-year voluntary service in rural communities. The NYVS closed in April 2009 and there was a programme gap for the school year of 2011-12. Programme ownership was handed over to the Government of Liberia and funds for the redesigned NYSP arrived in January 2012 with support from UNICEF.

EDUCATION VOLUNTEERS

HEALTH VOLUNTEERS

AGRICULTURE VOLUNTEERS

MICRO- PROJECTS

Education volunteers were assigned to teach in ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS.

A total of 170 volunteers were placed under NYVS (nearly 90% of the total). They provided skilled teaching resources in elementary schools, introduced new methods, extra classes and adult literacy for women in rural communities.

During NYSP, there was a shift to secondary schools, to increase student motivation and retention.

Health volunteers were assigned to assist in 25 REMOTE CLINICS AND HOSPITALS.

NYVS volunteers were effective in improving personal and family hygiene, HIV/AIDS prevention, tuberculosis, yellow fever and malaria, and in changing people’s attitudes and behaviour about seeking professional treatment and HIV/AIDS testing.

NYSP shifted the focus to sexual reproductive health, psycho-social counseling and provision of clinical services, using trained nurses.

Agriculture volunteers were assigned to provide agriculture education to farmers, supporting agro-business groups in business management and introducing agriculture education at the school level.

This small component under NYVS was re-scaled and reinforced under NYSP to strengthen linkages with the private sector and target ‘at-risk’ youth. All volunteers were undergoing intensive training in agricultural techniques and in business skills.

Micro-projects were a pilot component of the NYVS, discontinued under NYSP. It was intended for national volunteers to facilitate community development initiatives, subject to availability of funds.

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are foreseen as part of an internship programme focused on the development of business and technical skills.

are public administration graduates recruited to be assigned to public county offices. These placements were not considered successful as most county officers saw the volunteers as a threat and refused to cooperate with them.

are national volunteers assigned in Youth Centres, which would serve as hubs for capacity-building, resources and services for youth.

are recruited as Peer Educators from conflict-prone communities to serve as peace committee members in their communities.

YOUTH CENTRE

VOLUNTEERS...

JUNIOR NATIONAL

VOLUNTEERS... PRIVATE SECTOR

PLACEMENTS...

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

VOLUNTEERS...

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IMPACT AND RESULTSMonitoring and evaluation would have needed further improvement within the pilot NYVS, and limited, often anecdotal, data exists to substantiate the impact at the different levels.

• NYVS/NYPS have been described as critical vehicles for the implementation of the National Youth Policy and the National Youth Action Plan, although no explicit policy-related objectives had been set.

NATIONALORGANISATIONALINDIVIDUAL

• In terms of raising employability, only anecdotal examples of success exist, such as a few alumni in high level public administration jobs or others employed by their host organisation upon the completion of the volunteer service.

• Volunteers noted personal and professional development as a result of the service, such as living and working in a different cultural environment, confidence, overcoming fear or developing presentation and teaching skills.

• Community beneficiaries noted that volunteers were role models for both teachers and pupils.

• NYVS volunteers were able to enhance their host organisation capacity in a number of ways. Education volunteers helped improve methods and systems and change attitudes and behaviours.

sectorNVs deployed

totalMale Female

education 50 15 65

health 1 0 1

agriculture 1 0 1

total 52 15 67

sectorNVs deployed

totalMale Female

education 90 15 105

health 8 4 12

agriculture 4 0 4

total 102 19 121

sectorNVs deployed

totalMale Female

education 87 29 116

health 2 1 3

agriculture 9 0 9

total 98 30 128

2008 2009 2010

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SUSTAINABILITY

GENDERThe high level of sexual and gender-based violence in Liberia is recognised as requiring urgent attention, for which NYVS and NYSP need stronger gender strategies regarding recruitment, placement, training for the volunteers and host organisations, and ongoing support.

Women faced some barriers to participation in the programme:• childcare responsibilities, • permission from their parents to serve in a rural area, • fear of losing their partners, • pregnancy during service, • being assigned lower status roles.

Although both programmes had policies to encourage women to apply, female participation was relatively low, at around 20%. The impact of their participation was however significant. Volunteer female teachers were seen as essential role models for girls.

The UNV-funded NYVS pilot took place between 2007-2009 and thereafter the management was passed to the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Financial sustainability was at risk, and in 2010 UNDP stepped in to provide funding which allowed the continuation of the project until the NYSP was in place.

FINANCIAL COMMUNITY IMPACT

NATIONAL CAPACITY

A capacity building component or structure in the Government is needed in order to strengthen the sustainability of the project.

The sustainability of NYVS impact at the community level is likely to be maintained only if volunteers are being replaced by professionals delivering the respective services.

BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION HIGH IMPACT

The Government of Liberia is expected to take over the project within the next years. It is imperative to develop an effective resource mobilisation strategy to ensure the project’s successful transfer to, and continuation by the Government.

UNV is extremely grateful for the outstanding support received from UN Online Volunteers in designing some of the infographics for this knowledge product.