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The role of volunteering in combating epidemics within the ECOWAS region

Combating any pandemic requires the involvement of many people and cannot rely solely on healthcare workers. In fact, when faced with crises in general – and health crises in particular, such as epidemics – societies must develop their own solutions. Volunteering is one of the main ways of involving all citizens in the fight against pandemics, because volunteering is part of the social fabric of every society. One of the most recent examples of volunteering’s contribution to health issues is the global initiative to eradicate polio by the year 2000. Ten million people volunteered to support the vaccination of 550 million children. The vast majority were citizens who cared deeply about children’s welfare and who, as a result, volunteered in their own communities. They gave their time to ensure that children attended vaccination centres, were properly registered and received the oral vaccine. The total value of the support provided by volunteers was estimated at 10 trillion dollars, far beyond the reach of governments or international and national organisations. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has once again demonstrated the importance of the role of volunteering in combating this pandemic. A guide has been published to highlight the contribution of volunteers in combating pandemics. You will be able to read about this in a forthcoming series.