By Adonis Byemelwa
International Volunteer Day, marked every December 5 and established by the United Nations in 1985, has always carried an energy that feels different from other global commemorations.
Unlike days anchored in solemn remembrance or political milestones, this one throbs with movement, people showing up, rolling up sleeves, stepping into gaps that institutions cannot always reach.
Its origins lie in a simple but powerful idea: societies thrive when ordinary people decide that the well-being of others matters too. Over decades, this day has evolved into a global mirror, revealing what communities can accomplish when compassion becomes a habit rather than a headline.
That spirit was unmistakable this year in Akure, Nigeria, where Dr. (Mrs.) Damilola Oshin, Proprietress of Mummy’s Place International School and Emplace College, received the Volunteer Ambassador Award.
The honour, presented at The Dome during a vibrant celebration of the day, felt like more than a ceremony. It seemed to affirm a truth volunteers know well, that real change begins quietly, often through individuals who refuse to walk past a problem they could solve.
Dr Oshin’s reflections after receiving the insignia of honour felt grounded in lived experience rather than scripted celebration. She spoke about volunteerism as a calling, shaped not by convenience but by conviction, rooted in her faith and the biblical charge to “love your neighbour as yourself.”
You could hear in her tone the ease of someone who has repeated the same message through action long before the microphones were placed in front of her. She stressed that leadership cannot hide behind routine prayers or lofty speeches.
It must step into real vulnerability, into households where widows struggle to feed their children, into corners of society where people experiencing poverty often go unseen.
Her message, while directed at Nigerians, resonates strongly in Tanzania and across East Africa. Many countries share a sense of community woven into culture, yet they still lack the structured volunteer networks that can transform goodwill into measurable national development.
Tanzania, with more than 60 per cent of its population under 25, sits at a crossroads where volunteerism could become a bridge between youth potential and national ambition.
This is especially important when youth unemployment remains a pressing challenge. Globally, unemployment floats around 5.3 per cent, but young people often carry the heaviest burden. In Tanzania, youth unemployment has hovered around 13 per cent, though underemployment affects far more young people.
Many complete schools only to discover that opportunity sits just out of reach. The gap between their education and market demands widens each year, leaving many eager but idle, a combination that any nation must treat with urgency.
Volunteerism, when well designed, can be more than an act of charity. It can be a stepping stone. Developed countries have long understood this. In the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands, volunteer programs are heavily integrated into public policy and youth development. The Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), born in the UK in 1958, remains a standout example.
It blends cross-cultural learning with professional development, sending volunteers into communities where skills transfer, leadership training, and collaboration can genuinely shift outcomes.
Volunteers return home with practical experience that employers value: communication, problem-solving, adaptability, and community mobilisation.
Tanzania already has pieces of this spirit embedded in its history: the collectivist ethos of ujamaa, in which communities supported one another through shared responsibility. What the country now needs is a modern system that channels that cultural instinct into structured programs.
It requires planning: clear pathways for youth participation, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, links between service and employability, and a shared understanding that volunteerism is not free labour but invested learning.
Looking back at the Akure ceremony, Nigeria continues to offer lessons. Beyond Dr Oshin’s recognition, young volunteers like Miss Mary Morayo James, who was honoured as Ondo State’s Best Corps Member of the Year, highlight how structured programs like the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) can shape national identity and civic responsibility.
While not perfect, NYSC demonstrates what becomes possible when governments commit to giving young people a stage big enough to test their abilities. These lessons are valuable for Tanzania at a moment when youth leadership is gaining political visibility.
That visibility is embodied in Joel Nanauka, Tanzania’s newly appointed Minister for Youth. Known previously for his motivational communication and ability to connect with young audiences, Nanauka steps into office with both goodwill and expectation behind him.
Many youths see him as someone who understands their frustrations firsthand, the long job searches, the financial strain, and the desire to feel helpful in a country that has so much room to grow.
If he seizes this moment boldly, Nanauka could build one of the most transformative youth systems Tanzania has ever seen.
A National Volunteer Corps, for example, could provide structured placements for young people in sectors that desperately need human resources, such as digital literacy, climate resilience, agriculture, healthcare outreach, waste management, and community innovation hubs.
Volunteers would gain real experience while communities benefit from fresh energy and ideas. Partnerships with organisations like VSO, the African Union Youth Volunteer Corps, or UNESCO Youth would expose Tanzanian volunteers to international standards and help shape a generation of globally minded leaders.
Schools and universities could also adopt service-learning as part of their curriculum. When students link their studies to real community needs, subjects stop being abstract concepts and start becoming tools for solving human problems.
The private sector, too, holds immense promise. Telecoms, banks, fintech firms, and tourism companies could integrate volunteerism into their corporate social responsibility portfolios, opening spaces where young people contribute to national development while expanding their networks and skills.
Rural volunteer placements would carry an even more profound impact. Many remote communities face shortages of teachers, digital trainers, and environmental educators.
Strategic volunteer deployment could help fill gaps while creating opportunities for youth to experience parts of their country they may never have encountered.
Bridging rural-urban inequality is not a single policy decision; it is an ongoing commitment, and volunteerism can be one of its strongest gears.
International Volunteer Day reminds us each year that service is not a decorative sentiment, but a steady force shaping national growth from the ground up. Dr Oshin’s recognition in Nigeria captures this truth with unusual clarity, showing that real volunteerism thrives not in applause but in simple human presence.
It lives in the quiet, often unseen choices: helping a child who feels left behind, sitting with someone carrying fresh grief, or offering support in a hospital where need always outweighs the number of hands available.
For Tanzania, this moment feels like an invitation to turn those everyday acts into a broader movement. With thoughtful leadership from Minister Nanauka and lessons drawn from communities around the world, young people can be encouraged to see service not as a brief detour but as a path toward discovering their own capacity. It is inspiring to imagine young Tanzanians learning by serving where they are needed most.
This vision is echoed in the reflections of Dr Fredrick Mugashe, the soft-spoken 87-year-old Tanzanian doctor who practised for more than two decades in Ohio before returning home. When he speaks about volunteerism, his words carry the weight of someone who has witnessed both abundance and scarcity.
“Communities grow stronger when people step forward without waiting,” he likes to say. It sounds less like advice and more like a memory offered to those coming after him. Perhaps that is the heart of International Volunteer Day: progress begins with people who act, and it grows when their spirit is shared.
