Today COFI joins the world to celebrate the theme of solidarity through volunteering for the United Nations International Volunteer Day (IVD).
The Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International, founded by Chris Oyakhilome, is all about helping others. We are able to reach so many people and change so many lives around the world because of our wonderful volunteers, sponsors, and partners who work tirelessly to make sure that no one is forgotten or left behind.
The United Nations shared this beautiful insight on its website: “Volunteering is where compassion meets solidarity. Both share the same root values – supporting each other from a position of trust, humility, respect, and equality.”
What is Volunteering About?
Volunteering is defined as the act of rendering selfless service to a cause, oftentimes for free and without coercion. It is about giving time to a good cause, specifically to help an organization, your community, or an individual you are not related to. People who engage in this type of activity are known as volunteers. A volunteer is a person who wilfully donates his/her time and energy to help promote a good cause or help an organization work more effectively.
Today is an opportunity for volunteers, and volunteer organizations, to raise awareness of, and gain an understanding of, the contribution they make to their communities. It is also viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, share their values, and promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NG0’s), United Nations agencies, government authorities, and the private sector.
The selfless act of volunteering is found in all cultures, languages, and religions. Each year, hundreds of millions of people volunteer their time and skills to help make the world a better place. When they volunteer, they help to improve the lives of others. And when they volunteer, they also gain a greater sense of belonging to their communities.
What is COFI about?
Individual volunteers and organizations like the Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International sacrifice their time, effort, and resources to help improve the quality of life of many beneficiaries around the world.
The Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International is proud to sponsor the outstanding Volunteer Medical Corps in providing essential health services and relief materials to those in the greatest need. Through the partnership of these organizations, more people in dire need will be able to receive the medical aid they desperately deserve.
The organization partners with individuals and non-profits who share their goals of enhancing healthcare systems, health education, and relief aid to displaced populations and indigent communities.
Other organizations under the COFI umbrella include the Humanitarian Volunteer Network (HVN), which is a global network of Christian social and development experts, practitioners, and students committed to delivering psychosocial solutions to indigent children and families in nations in crisis and deprived communities around the world.
The Humanitarian Volunteer Network, an arm of the InnerCity Mission for Children provides volunteers with mentorship and service opportunities, creating a community of support for children in the inner cities.
The InnerCity Mission for Children also operates under the auspices of the Chris Oyakhilome Foundation International and its initiatives benefit children living in poverty in the inner cities by delivering sustainable solutions, giving them hope and a future.
We are forever grateful to our volunteers who dedicate so much of their lives to help improve the lives of others.
For the future of our planet, we must act together, and we must act now. This is not an era to stand alone but together, as one, in solidarity with each other.
