This report looks at the current state of volunteerism in South-Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). These countries are collectively referred to in this report as 'the Region'. It considers volunteerism as a very important form of pro-social behaviour. In particular, it focuses on volunteerism for development. It examines who in the Region volunteers, how they volunteer, and in what legal and social circumstances they volunteer. It also addresses the impact that this volunteerism has on the Millennium Development Goals. Finally, it considers various options for increasing that impact.
The report is written primarily on the basis of research carried out in eight countries - two countries from each of the four subregions - during 2008 and 2009. It does not provide detailed information on individual countries. Apart from desk work, this research included:
- A competition / challenge held in each country for which individuals or organizations submitted examples of projects that had had a substantial impact on one or more of the MDGs;
- Interviews with informants who provided key information on volunteerism in their countries;
- A series of focus groups in each country to discuss potential strategies for increasing the impact of volunteerism on the MDGs.
The report also looks at existing data from two published datasets, each of which covers many of the Region's countries, and conducts some in-depth new analyzes on one of these datasets.
Each country has its own specific traditions of community mutual support. These practices existed well before socialism, and some would fit the definition of 'volunteerism' as we understand it today. Inmost cases, at least traces of these traditions persist.
All countries in the Region also experienced various forms of unpaid work programmes during the socialist era. Many of these programmes were surprisingly popular, and are still remembered with affection by people from those generations. Younger people in the Region today find it hard to understand how their parents and grandparents enjoyed doing this hard work, which they were more or less forced to do. Certainly, the obligatory undertone of these socialist-era 'volunteer' activities does not conform to current definitions of volunteer activity; yet, both the traditional and socialist-era forms of volunteerism present a very powerful background that still strongly influences volunteerism, popular attitudes to it, and its potential for development today.