International Volunteers Day

December 5 - International Volunteers Day. This holiday is celebrated annually since 1985 when the United Nations General Assembly suggested the governments to celebrate this day as day of the volunteer.

1859 is considered year of emergence of the volunteer movement in the world. In Ukraine volunteering appeared in the early nineties the last century, and officially it is recognized by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ukraine of December 10, 2003 which also approved "The provision on volunteer activity in the sphere of providing social services".

     Volunteers - wealth of the people. Volunteering is based on voluntariness, compassion, solidarity with requirements and the ideas of others, and also deep respect for all people. Volunteers devote the free time to public affairs, participating in various actions, programs of social mutual aid, cultural education and t. Also this day can be considered a holiday of people who help personnel of orphanages, nursing homes, hospitals of ambulance, etc. Rather often volunteers risk the life, participating in mitigation of consequences of global disasters and natural cataclysms or other emergency situations.

In the Universal declaration of volunteers adopted at the XVI World conference of volunteers of 2001 in Amsterdam the following principles of activity of volunteers are defined:

recognition of the right for fixing to all men, women and children, irrespective of their race, religion, physical features, the corresponding social and financial position;
respect of advantage and culture of all people;
assistance, free services personally or it is organized in the spirit of partnership and a brotherhood;
recognition of equal importance of personal and collective needs, assistance to their providing;
transformations of volunteering on an element of acquisition of new knowledge and skills, improvement of abilities, stimulating at the same time an initiative and creativity of people, giving everyone an opportunity to be a creator, but not the user, the observer.
According to the statistical data published by the United Nations there are about 140 000 000 volunteers worldwide.

     The volunteer - calling, a way of life. Today volunteers promote a victory of Ukraine and preservation of its statehood, without waiting for it for remuneration. Volunteer activity as manifestation of mercy and charity, will exist until there is a need of people for this or that help and is limited the state participation in satisfaction of needs of the citizens, their social support.