International Volunteer Day at AUCA

December 5, 2014

On the 4^th of December, International Volunteer Day was celebrated at the American University of Central Asia through a daylong event organized by UN Volunteers. Designated as an official day (although on December 5^th) by the United Nations, the day is meant to be a promotion of volunteer contributions and opportunities to the larger community. There were several speakers and organizations scheduled: Youth Unity, The Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan, Kamkorduk, JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency), and AIESEC among others. The event was open to all those interested, not just the AUCA community.

In the lobby of AUCA, a booth was set up by Kamkorduk (Care) and staffed by several volunteers. “We teach languages, give different seminars for career and personal development, hold students’ meetings free of charge,” said Aigerim, one of the volunteers. When asked why they chose to commit their time to volunteer work, they said it was to help people but also to get experience for a future career. Their presentation was on the ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People,’ and they told us their goal was to make sure that the students remembered and took everything to heart to share it later with other students and friends.

Another presenter was Mario Rabello, who runs an English language academy in Bishkek, iLAca (International Learning Academy of Central Asia). Having previously worked in organizations like Siemens, he decided to retire to Kyrgyzstan to operate the school, which funds 10-12 students from SOS Children’s Villages in Kyrgyzstan. “My father was a doctor and we did Doctors Without Borders together, and so I wanted to give back in some way,” he said of his motivations for the charity of the academy.

There were many students in attendance, including Gulnaz Orazava from the Kyrgyz Medical University. “We go to schools and teach about AIDS and other problems to students,” she said of her volunteer work at the Red Crescent. She wants to help people in need, and she was not alone. Aigul Ismailova, an AUCA junior in the Business Administration department, is currently interning for the UN Women’s office in Kyrgyzstan. “I think there is more effort given in volunteering than normal work. When people need you, you work even harder,” she said.

And there is a lot of need in Kyrgyzstan, with plenty of hard work to be done. If you are interested in learning about volunteer opportunities, please visit:.

Thank you to all the participants, attendees, and organizers that made this International Volunteer Day event possible.

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