27th July 1997

VSO: getting to know another ‘neighbourhood’

By Malini Balasingham

When Marshall McLuhan, Direc tor of the Centre for Culture and Technology, University of Toronto, envisaged a Global Village in the 1960s his focus was on the startling revolution in information technology, which transcends the verbal and written media. McLuhan stressed the role played by electronic technology in reshaping and restructuring patterns of social inter-dependence in every aspect of personal as well as public life. "It is forcing you to reconsider and re-evaluate practically every thought and every institution you formerly took for granted" was his conceptualization, that was rejected by many fellow intellectuals, who believed that specialisation would hold aloof from globalisation. Now, at the tail end of the century, these diehards have been proved wrong. To quote McLuhan, "Our time is a time for crossing barriers, for erasing old categories - for probing around. When two seemingly disparate elements are imaginatively poised, put in apposition in new and unique ways startling discoveries often result."

Trends in internationalism

Project officers in Sri Lanka discussing the quality of orgaic compost with colleagues and project partners.
"Dialogue on a global scale" sounds very grand, but what is of significance to the developing countries such as Sri Lanka is that by a process of osmosis, human interaction between the haves and the have nots, the informed and the uninformed, the privileged and under-privileged pervades the fabric of internationalism.

Shifting from theory into practice global peoplisation, is a process which, influenced by the electronic media, urges people to interact with "neighbours" in far flung places - share experiences, foster fellowships and reach outwards rather than inwards in fulfilling aspirations and in fine tuning creative talents.

A neighbourhood is no longer a cluster of homesteads or city zone. It is a place anywhere in the world where a person feels at home and in empathy with the aspirations of persons in that location, be it halfway across the world, or an island - mid ocean. However, unlike instant communication, instant global outreach on a person to person basis calls for practical measures in transforming a Vision into a Mission. It portrays a combination of inspiration with sound commonsense - a partnership rather than benevolent patronage, which was the hallmark of bygone missionary zeal. As such, this new egalitarian approach to a sharing of skills and expertise between persons from developed and developing countries calls for a degree of adjustment on both sides. Particularly in the case of voluntary service structures that encompass a wide scope of field level activities.

Developing Partnerships

An electrical instructor with students in Badulla.
When Roisin O’Kane a British VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) volunteer, walked into our small NGO establishment for the first time, exploratory vibes were very much in the air. But within days a degree of rapport was established; the transition from ‘outsider’ to ‘insider’ had been made, and the process of sharing and caring continues on an even keel. Mental health has been identified as a priority area concern by the VSO Field Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Ms. Allison Aldred, which means that more volunteers in this field are likely to follow in Roisin’s footsteps. Among those who came before Roisin is Jean Stephens, who is with the Family Rehabilitation Centre, and Jane Conrad, who has been compiling information about the mental health situation in Sri Lanka.

An overview of the structure and function of the Voluntary Service Overseas which is based in England provides some useful insights to an organisation which "enables men and women to work alongside people in other countries in order to share skills, build capabilities and promote international understanding and action, in the promotion of a more equitable world." As explained, "inevitably VSO’s work overseas involves a lot of problem solving and a sense at times that the difficulties are overwhelming. However, the chance to visit volunteers in any of the countries in which VSO works is always uplifting. The strength of the human spirit and the determination to overcome obstacles is the inspiration which provides the motivation for volunteers. Their solidarity and willingness to share the lives of their colleagues in turn provides VSO’s partners with added hope, and the knowledge that their struggle for a better life is shared and supported by others."

Cameo Portraits

A pre-school teacher trainer in Badulla, conducts a lesson on pre-school programmes. VSP has long been concerned with impoving the quality of teaching.
A somewhat unusual cameo portrait of a VSO volunteer is that of Uthaman Purushothaman who is attached to the special needs centre of the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka Zambia. Uthaman’s placement with the special needs centre has been made possible by his wife, family and friends, who have joined together to raise the money for his two years overseas. Alongside his teaching work, Uthaman is also training two Zambian colleagues at the centre to become trainers themselves in the methodology of special education, thus ensuring that his skills and experiences will be passed on to future generations of teachers. More often volunteers are either sponsored by a business or charitable trust.

Another example is that of Alice Searle, a special education teacher at Lautoka Teaching College, Fiji. Prior to Alice’s arrival in Fiji only the small number of teachers who had been overseas had received training in special education, mostly in Australia and New Zealand, whereas now all teachers take the special education course as part of their general training.

In India, VSO recently opened a new office at New Delhi. The focus of VSO activity there will be on working with indigenous non-governmental organisations in the poorest States. VSO’s largest programme is in China. Amongst the volunteers are English Language teachers, computer trainers and a pig farming specialist.

In Sri Lanka there are 46 VSO volunteers at present, working in a number of fields related to social services, health and education. Here, as observed, an interesting factor is information networking among the VSO volunteers themselves. At formal and informal meetings they take a special interest in sharing information about each other’s activities, and, wherever possible, lend a helping hand to a colleague. This type of communication extends to exploring Sri Lanka when on holiday or short leave, since the majority of them have a very lively interest in local culture, traditional customs and social backgrounds in various urban and rural areas. Also on their diary of leisure time priorities is exploratory trips out into the countryside to familiarise themselves with the tropical environment which is their temporary abode.

In this manner, time often flies by on a two year assignment, which can be extended as the need arises. After their time overseas, many volunteers feel that they have learnt as much as they were able to teach. They can use this experience to inform people at home about developing countries, and to challenge popular misconceptions. To sum up, according to an official at the VSO Office in London, "VSO has increased its emphasis on learning directly from its overseas partners on how it can improve its services in their countries. With the growing number of requests from its partners overseas, VSO’s aim is to maximise the benefits already provided by its programmes throughout the world."

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