Celebrating International Volunteer Day with a look at how volunteers are shaping Kurdistan’s future

If you ask Mohammed al-Jaff to tell you about the transformative ripple effect that volunteering has created in his community, he will relate a recent encounter that he had with an elderly man. Last June, as al-Jaff volunteered his time to spread awareness about blood donations at an event in Erbil arranged by an organization called Volunteer.KRD, he was approached by the man, who expressed curiosity about the event.

“I explained the need for blood donations in the community,” said al-Jaff, age 21, who convinced the man to give blood for the first time. “He even came back with his wife later. She also wanted to save a life.”

Al-Jaff is just one of thousands of young people across Kurdistan volunteering through organizations like Volunteer.KRD – an impact-oriented digital platform overseen by the Kurdistan Foundation – who want to give back to their communities, and help shape Kurdistan’s future while developing critical social, technical, and leadership skills.

In the last year alone, nearly 9,000 volunteers have been matched with companies and organizations offering opportunities across the Kurdistan Region via the Volunteer.KRD platform. With each event, volunteers gain confidence and experience by being exposed to opportunities encompassing community health, technology, education, and the environment, making the organization a catalyst for social change and economic development.

Building sustainable communities

Conversations around the potential of volunteering to address socio-economic and environmental issues have gained traction well beyond Kurdistan. In a 2023 report by UN Volunteers, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed described the role of volunteers as “vital in shaping a world where sustainable development is a reality.” The UN has also named December 5 International Volunteer Day.

Recognizing the tremendous potential of volunteering to shape the Kurdistan Region’s future, Volunteer.KRD has also stepped up to act as the only organization in Kurdistan advocating for volunteer’s rights. Participants who sign up to use the organization’s platform are compensated for transportation and meals during their service, are sometimes paid for their time, and collect points through an hours-tracking system that can be used in letters of recommendation for university or exchange programs. Over the last year alone, the organization has posted and organized over 140 volunteer opportunities on their digital platform and facilitated over 600 hours of community service.

Mumen Ahmed Karwanchi, Marketing Manager and owner of Karwanchi Group – one of the more than 141 companies currently registered on the Volunteer.KRD platform – said that he regularly works with volunteers to support his business and training needs. Karwanchi added that engaging volunteers has enabled the company to reduce costs and spread awareness about his business while developing stronger ties with the local community.

“Volunteering is vital for our region’s development by providing young people with valuable experience and skills that prepare them for future careers,” said Karwanchi. “It strengthens the local community, enhances the reputations of our businesses, and helps build a skilled workforce that benefits our communities, companies, and economy in the long term,” he said, adding that he would consider hiring a volunteer permanently based on their performance and fit to company culture.

While being hired is not the main goal of the Volunteer.KRD platform, Yara Hassan Barzanji, Program Director at both Volunteer.KRD and Jobs.KRD – a platform offering paid jobs across the region – has seen this happen multiple times.

Yara recalls one community event where free diabetes tests were offered in which a medical volunteer was given a business card. “This volunteer was offered a job at one of Erbil’s best laboratories. Neither one of her parents are able to work, and this experience changed not just her life, but her entire family’s life,” said Barzanji.

She added that the organization is working to develop the Kurdish leaders of tomorrow by offering a monthly one-week boot-camp to train select volunteers to develop employable skills, including better time management, communication, problem solving, and technical and event management skills.

A culture of volunteering

In the future, Volunteer.KRD will build on the momentum achieved over the past year by on-boarding more companies who require volunteer support and launching an app to better track impact, connect volunteers with opportunities, and streamline coordination.

“This next year is a big year for Volunteer.KRD. We have ambitious plans to significantly expand our impact across Kurdistan,” said Barzanji. “Our primary goal is to double the beneficiaries we currently serve by positively affecting the lives of over a 100,000 people, and we are working toward growing our volunteer base from nearly 9,000 to 25,000.”

One way the organization will achieve this is through a new program to create a culture of volunteering in local universities. The program, called Volunteer.KRD Clubs, is designed to nurture leadership qualities by offering students a space to connect and to pitch their own community-impact ideas to members of the Volunteer.KRD team. Each month, one idea is selected to be implemented, empowering students to create and lead their own impact projects.

“These plans align with our vision to make volunteering a cornerstone of community progress in Kurdistan,” said Barzanji.

Despite having landed a paid job three months into his volunteering experiences with Volunteer.KRD as a Content Manager at Lumark Agency, al-Jaff said he will continue donating his time for educational projects and encourages others to do the same.

“Volunteering is creating positive changes in Kurdistan in ways we might not immediately see,” said al-Jaff. “There’s something special about being part of initiatives that help people learn and grow.”

For Barzanji, witnessing this same ripple effect of inspired action on a micro and macro scale has been a major theme over the past year, as a single person’s efforts often inspire others to take action.

“We are growing carefully and intentionally,” said Barzanji. “We currently have about 9,000 volunteers out there making change. These are people of various ages willing to give back to and serve their nation.”

Ayat Albahar is an Erbil-based writer with a Bachelor's degree in Translation. Currently working at Visit Kurdistan, she specializes in marketing, advertising, and storytelling.