Volunteering for peace and development in Ethiopia
Continuing our series of interviews with influential Forum leaders and IVCO delegates, this week we met with Tariku Negash, Project Manager at Serve Global, a civil society organisation dedicated to promoting structured volunteering services for peace and development.
Tariku presented at IVCO 2024 on “Enhancing Youth Involvement in Climate Adaptation Practices and Good Governance through Volunteering in Africa” as part of a Strategy Conversation that drew on his experience in social development and community welfare activities, his expertise spans youth development, child protection, education, and volunteer management.
Tell us a little about Serve Global and your role as Project Manager?
Serve Global is a development organisation dedicated to addressing critical social challenges in Ethiopia through community-driven solutions. Our vision centers on establishing comprehensive platforms for volunteerism management excellence, child protection and rehabilitation, and youth empowerment. We work to promote volunteerism for development and peace, protect street children and their mothers, provide psychosocial and educational services, and empower youth through skills training, and employment opportunities. As an active member of global networks such as the Forum for Volunteering in Development (Forum) we contribute to shaping best practices in volunteerism and youth development.
My role involves implementing Serve Global projects, which currently include: Promoting Volunteerism and Coordinating Voluntary Services (reaching 2,000 youths), Psychosocial and Educational Support for Street Children (benefiting 100 children and their mothers), and Digital Literacy and Employment Skills Training (which graduated 2,700 youths in 2024).
Beyond project implementation, Serve Global works to strengthen volunteerism management systems through capacity-building partnerships with government bodies, including the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs and the Addis Ababa Community Participation Commission.
Do you think the practice of volunteering has changed over the past 10 years? In what way?
Yes, I have observed several changes, including the increase in VIOs, more promotional activities, and greater recognition at the UN level—such as the International Year of Volunteerism and meaningful commemoration of IVD. There is also growing interest from various actors in volunteering programs. Additionally, efforts in knowledge generation and management related to volunteerism have expanded. I also notice a rising interest among youth to volunteer, whether for certification, personal motivation, available opportunities, or as a way of life.
What attracted you to work with a volunteering-in-development-focused organisation?
Primarily, it was due to the organisation’s unique focus on knowledge generation and dissemination, demonstrated through intensive research, continuous dialogues, workshops, and the inclusion of diverse perspectives from both the Global South and Global North.
Currently, what are the most significant challenges volunteer organisations face globally?
In my view, key challenges include the shrinking funding landscape, limited recognition mechanisms that meaningfully impact youth, insufficient incentives for private-sector volunteering (such as CSR initiatives), and the lack of standardized measurement tools for volunteering activities. Another issue is the underutilisation of established standards and guiding principles in volunteer program implementation.
If you could say anything to world leaders about the value of volunteering and its role in strengthening civil society, what would it be?
Civil society efforts are fundamentally driven by self-motivation and volunteer spirit. Governments alone cannot address all social problems—some of which are even growing—due to limitations in reach, leadership, and management. Strengthening result-based volunteering practices through enhanced VIOs and CSOs can help share the burden of governments in tackling critical social challenges, such as citizen participation, democracy, and unemployment.
Serve Global has been an active contributor to Forum and IVCO. How has this association enriched your organisation?
It has increased our visibility, facilitated experience, knowledge and information sharing, connected us with global actors in volunteerism promotion, and motivated us to apply global standards in our volunteer management efforts.
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Early bird registration for 2025 is now available for your chance to attend this thought-leading conference for international volunteering, where you will not only build supportive peer networks, but also help shape sectoral policy and advocacy initiatives in the volunteering-in-development sector.
For any questions please email: ivco@forum-ids.org
