• Volunteers will facilitate rescue operations during natural disasters

Kathmandu, March 26

National Planning Commission’s Vice-chairperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada launched the National Volunteering Programme’s mobile App that allows interested individuals to register themselves as national volunteers. It also allows organisations that are seeking volunteer services in their work to connect with them.

National Volunteering Programme is a joint initiative of the government, National Planning Commission, National Developmental Volunteer Services and Himalayan Climate Initiative. NVP aims to form a network of 20,000 committed volunteers who are ever ready to serve the country as and when needed. The volunteers will work in collaboration with various governmental and non-governmental agencies.

At the launching ceremony organised in the capital yesterday, Khatiwada recalling his own volunteering journey from the age of 18, stated that he was really happy that the youths had taken the lead to create a common platform and now a mobile App to coordinate volunteers and to efficiently use their skills when the nation needs them the most. He also said that the government would support the youth in every possible way.”

The special guest of the programme, Govinda Nepal, chief economic adviser to the finance minister, said “To handle difficult issues like poverty and to facilitate effective relief and recovery works during times of disaster, the need of the service of volunteers is higher than ever. To ensure that we can lift the country out of these problems, both the civil society and the government should join hands and work in close collaboration. They complement each other.”

Pradip Khatiwada, national coordinator and leader of NVP secretariat in Kathmandu, said, “NVP network was effective soon after the earthquake. In a time span of 11 months, we have expanded our network to 36 districts. This mobile app will speed up the process of reaching out to and engaging more volunteers all over the country. After this launch, our aim is to register volunteers from all 75 districts of Nepal within 75 hours.”

So far, national volunteers have provided relief support to 12,000 earthquake victims, raised and distributed scholarships to 403 needy children and built 343 earthquake resistant temporary shelters. The program also aims to reach each VDC and each ward of all 75 districts.

Khatiwada said it was a huge privilege to register Dr Khatiwada as the first online volunteer of National Volunteering Program –with this spirit of volunteerism now the volunteers will focus on the rebuilding Nepal mostly focusing on reconstruction efforts in 14 districts worst affected by the temblor.