By Francine Black, Staff Reporter
'ENHANCING PARTNERSHIPS for a secure future'. That is the slogan for The National
Registry of Volunteers (NRV).
The registry, which is a partnership between the Council of Voluntary Social
Services (CVSS), the Environ-mental Foundation of Ja-maica (EFJ), the Social
Development Commission (SDC) and the University of the West Indies (UWI), was
launched yesterday at the Hilton Kingston Hotel, St. Andrew.
Its objective is to increase the human and financial benefits of volunteerism
in Jamaica, while helping dedicated volunteers and organisations improve the
lives of citizens.
The EFJ will fund the $5 million database system, being established over the
next 18 months, to match the skills of volunteers with the needs of participating
organisations, and quantify the value of volunteers in the society. Guest speaker,
Burchell Whiteman, Minister of Information, said in his presentation that the
programme can be an avenue for youth to discover a career path and that some
social issues may be addressed through positive interaction between volunteers
and society.
The registry's web site was also introduced and is expected to be fully operational
within the next four to six weeks.
