|
Celebrating the spirit of
Volunteerism
Bhutan joined
the international community to celebrate the International Day of
Volunteers on Sunday, 5th December. Several activities were
organized in the capital to observe the Day.
The celebration
began with the offering of butter lamps at the National Memorial
Chorten. The Resident Coordinator of the UN Systems in Bhutan, Ms.
Renata Lok Dessalien said the spirit of Volunteerism is very much
alive in Bhutan.
Ms. Renata Lok Dessalien said that in the
past year alone the country saw the launch of two volunteer
organizations, the Tarayana Foundation and RENEW.
She added
that such self-help and volunteer groups will become more prominent
in the Bhutanese society. This she said will help Bhutan to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.
As
part of the day the new “Volunteers in Bhutan” website also
launched. The address is www.vib.org.bt.
The site contains
details of volunteer organizations and volunteerism in Bhutan. A
photo competition entitled “Volunteers in beautiful Bhutan” is also
being organized.
Organizers have also planned a series of
activities, which will put volunteerism into practice. These include
clean up campaigns to helping stray dogs and renovation monasteries.
Later, a tug of war was also organized to celebrate the day.
11 teams from different organizations and agencies took part in the
event at the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) grounds. The activities were
organized by the Volunteers in Bhutan.
December 5th was
proclaimed as the International Day of Volunteers by the UN to
celebrate the spirit of Volunteerism.
The day is being
observed across the world to highlight the role and the contribution
made by volunteers in developing countries.
In Bhutan the
International Volunteer’ program began in 1980 with the arrival of
ten international volunteers.
|
Download
Bhutanese
songs
Internet on the
Radio
Know your
Dzongkhag |