STAR Ghana Foundation (SGF), a national centre for active citizenship and philanthropy, has called for the mainstreaming of volunteerism as a strategic tool for national development. Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, the Executive Director of STAR Ghana Foundation, speaking at a ceremony to celebrate the contributions of its first cohort of 13 volunteers under the Action for Voice, Influence and Inclusive Development (AVID) project, said volunteerism was a significant step forward in promoting active citizenship across all levels of governance in Ghana. He said volunteerism played a crucial role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global level, a stance that was mirrored by the government of Ghana's strategy to attain the SDGs locally. The Executive Director said the lack of a sustained national policy on volunteerism had hindered the consistent integration of volunteer efforts into Ghana's broader development agenda. In pursuit of the mission to promote active citizenship for inclusive development, STAR Ghana Foundation developed and implemented a pilot volunteering scheme under its Active Citizenship Strategy consisting of three main components: Promoting Volunteerism, promoting civic awareness and strengthening social/citizen movement. The strategy, Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko said contained a dual-strategic approach aimed at bolstering volunteerism through active citizenship to achieve an equitable and inclusive society. The first component of the strategy, he stated, provided avenues for retired professionals and experts to donate their time and expertise to support community-based organizations. These components are aimed at developing a vibrant, well-informed and assertive civil society that can contribute to transformative national development and ensure inclusive access to high-quality, accountable public services for all Ghanaian citizens. The goal of the STAR-Ghana volunteerism workstream is to strengthen the Foundation's capacity to play the Convening, Catalyzing and Coord ination (3Cs) role in mainstreaming Local Volunteers as a tool for national development and active citizenship. The Executive Director noted that the second aspect also focused on offering funding and technical assistance to help those organizations develop and implement robust volunteer programs. He said the power of volunteerism extended beyond mere participation as it built communities and incorporated a sense of ownership and companionship among members. The volunteers, he further stated, acted as critical friends and partners in progress, working alongside community organizations and social movements to achieve substantial environmental and social objectives. The Executive Director said the first cohort of the volunteer project was exceedingly successful despite the challenges posed by the compressed timeline they worked within. 'The volunteers not only achieved practical results but also learned valuable lessons about Ghana's development challenges, which will inform future volunteer recruitment an d training,' he noted. He reiterated the call for a national, coordinated effort to promote volunteerism more robustly and not seen as an ad-hoc activity but as an integral part of the national development efforts. Ms Sarah Adjei, Project Manager, STAR Ghana Foundation, said the volunteerism efforts of the foundation, among others, focused on facilitating the development and strengthening of an environment for volunteerism at the local and national levels. She said the Foundation launched the pilot implementation of Pillar II of the volunteerism strategy through AVID aimed to test models of volunteerism for inclusive development, to strengthen the capacities of citizens' groups and community-based organisations in Ghana. Ms Gifty Akosua Abakah, a development practitioner and one of the volunteers, said her experience had been worthwhile as she contributed to bringing social change having worked with the United Petty Traders Association in the Ashanti Region. Their work in the community, she said, was imp actful as they helped the Association with business development strategies, including entrepreneurship and recordkeeping to formalize operations for sustainability. Certificates and plagues were presented to the volunteers for their dedication, and instrumental roles in achieving the goals of the AVID Project. Source: Ghana News Agency