HIV/AIDS Library Through Online Volunteering

The project has about 3000 volumes that line the shelves of the library, housed in a closet-sized room in Mgbala Agwa. The project organisers believe the library, along with a local HIV/AIDS awareness campaign, will help slow the advance of the disease in the village.

The programme works with online volunteers from the United Nations Volunteers and NetAid. The project organiser, Nduka Ozor says: “The volunteers help organisations that serve communities in developing countries, but without leaving their own communities. These online volunteers translate documents, write articles, research data, build web sites, design logos, mentor young people and engage in other projects to benefit organisations serving the developing world.”

The project organisers believe that through books, the people of Mgbala Agwa will be more cautious and the new generations will have more knowledge about how HIV/AIDS is threatening their lives.

Because of financial constraints, no one is in charge of the library full time. Members of the executive committee rotate responsibility weekly and depend on volunteers, particularly for the weekend. The project aspires to build a bigger library and more shelves and set up computers, Internet facilities, and photocopy machines.

HIV/AIDS, Technology.

Donations to the library, books and computer CD-ROMs, are coordinated by online volunteers under the aegis of a service run by UN Volunteers and NetAid. The project is also supported by various organisations, including the World Health Organization, UNAIDS, Johns Hopkins University, The Hesperian Foundation and other organisations based in Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, United States and Zambia.

"For organisations working in or focused on developing countries, online volunteers present a needed resource. Our online volunteering service connects these organisations with a diverse, abundant pool of people from all over the world with a variety of talents and expertise."

Project organisers say: "Online volunteering is meant to help build the capacity of staff at an organisation, as well as those that the organisation serves. Online Volunteering is just another way for people from various walks of life, all over the world, to connect with each other and be part of the Global Village."