A platform for Lankan volunteers
Volunteering comes in many ways, forms and faces. Whichever way you choose to make your contribution, one thing can’t be denied; you’re a better person for it, and you’ve brightened someone else day. There’s more to consider, weighs in Nipuna Ambanpola, founder of iVolunteer Sri Lanka. “Volunteering can make a positive impact on your life and career,” he explains, noting that it’s not just about how you feel afterwards.
Nipuna. Pic by Indika Handuwala
iVolunteer Sri Lanka is a brand new online platform founded earlier this year to create a common platform for volunteers in Sri Lanka “to meet, share and communicate” with their contemporaries in organizing projects and spearheading volunteer initiatives. Nipuna, a past head prefect at Royal College is the young founder of the initiative. He has a fair amount of experience in community service, having served as the President of the Interact Club of Royal College in the years 2012/2013 and promoted as the District Interact Secretary of the Interact District 3220, Sri Lanka and Maldives 2013/2014, in addition to other engagements. “A couple of friends and I had the idea to start something like this from our O/L years,” he smiles. Life got in the way, however, and Nipuna was inspired to finally embark on the project this year.
iVolunteer functions on an online platform with quite a simple motive. Their main aim is to act as a middleman of sorts for volunteers and those initiating community service projects. By signing up on their iVolunteer databases, with an app to be introduced later, volunteers will be notified of opportunities happening in Colombo and outstation.
Likewise organisations could use the platform to recruit manpower for their projects, and even to collaborate with other groups. Eventually, iVolunteer hopes to branch out to other districts and make available volunteer opportunities abroad. What sets iVolunteer apart is its mandate to help the volunteers in addition to the partners, says Nipuna. “Each volunteer will have a profile on the site once our projects kick off, and we’re also hoping to introduce a card which will enable you to swipe it at each project you take part in.” For those hoping to apply to universities abroad, community service makes a significant impact on how your application is perceived by universities, with a recent survey by DoSomething.org revealing that admission officers place a high value on a student’s long-term commitment to a cause or organization. Corporates too consider volunteerism as an indication of team spirit and leadership skills.
Community service doesn’t have to involve giving up a significant chunk of your time-sometimes projects can end in a few hours, or within a day-and very rarely does it involve money. So go on, sign yourself up for a cause somewhere. iVolunteer is ready to help-find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ivolunteersrilanka and keep posted to www.ivolunteer.link to be launched soon for sign-ups.