Volunteer rise welcomed

Press, 2 August 1977, Page 7

Volunteer rise welcomed

The 18 per cent increase of volunteers in the field last year was the first increase in four years, said the annual report of the Volunteer Service Abroad director (Mr D. Stone). There were 99 volunteers in service at the end of the last financial year, and 88 of these were qualified adult volunteers, Mr Stone said. “This latter total has been achieved only once in the 15-year history of V.S.A.’’ Recruitment of older volunteers with more experience was successful during the last year, with increases in the number of volunteers aged more than 40 years, married couples, and volunteers serving second or third terms, he said. Education continued to be the main area where volunteers were placed.

Forty-seven of the 99 volunteers in the field at the end of March, 1977, were teaching. The number of agricultural volunteers has not altered much during the last few years and still fails to meet demands. During the year, the number of volunteer engineers, construction personnel. and mechanics doubled from six to 12, but there were still many outstanding requests, particul a r 1 y in larger countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia. There had been great difficulty attracting volunteers with qualifications in accountancy, economics, business administration, and statistics. Doctors were still needed in Nepal and Malaysia. and also in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.