Ms Benita Sommerville (ninth from left, back row) gathers with Lao partner organisations and their volunteers for International Volunteer Day.

Australia celebrates International Volunteer Day with Lao partners

Representatives from the Australian Embassy in Laos joined guests from the Lao government to mark International Volunteer Day (IVD) last Thursday and highlight the contributions of volunteers working in communities in Laos.
At the lunch event celebrating IVD in Vientiane, arranged by the Australian Volunteers Program, individuals from several Lao partner organisations were present alongside two Australian volunteers assigned to Laos.
Speaking at the lunch, the Charge d’Affaires at the Australian Embassy in Vientiane, Ms Benita Sommerville, stressed that IVD, recognised by the UN and observed annually on December 5, sets out to raise the important role that volunteers play globally.
“IVD is a day to celebrate, promote, and shine a light on volunteering to recognise the enormous contributions that volunteers make in their communities, and their efforts in creating meaningful change alongside their local partner organisations,” Ms Sommerville said.

Ashley Cleavin joins staff from the Australian Embassy, the Australian Volunteers Program and Editor-in-Chief of the Vientiane Times, Mr Thonglor Duangsavanh (second from right), on Thursday.

She thanked the Australian Volunteers Program, an Australian government initiative, for organising the event.
“The Australian Volunteers Program theme for IVD 2024 is ‘Hope in Action’, our volunteers do not just hope for a better world, they actively contribute to creating one,” she added.
In Laos, the Australian Volunteers Program collaborates with 32 partner organisations, including 16 government agencies, 12 academic, research, and educational institutions, and four local organisations.
The program states it is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion, prioritising partnerships with organisations working on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
It also seeks to value and promote the full participation of people with disabilities as volunteers, staff, and partners. The program aims to gradually increase the number of assignments focusing on gender equality and disability inclusion.
Volunteering has been a unique part of Australia’s development program for over 65 years, fostering people-to-people connections in the region.
Australian volunteers share their expertise to support various partner organisations, promoting locally led change and sustainable development.
Ms Sommerville also thanked the Australian volunteers in Laos, Danielle Barry and Ashley Cleavin, for their contributions, dedication, and expertise in enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of international volunteering for development.
Ashley, an Australian of Japanese and New Zealander heritage, was welcomed to Laos in August to work as a Copy Editor Mentor at the Vientiane Times.
A young communications professional, Ashley uses his skills to help Vientiane Times reporters improve the quality of their storytelling and writing. The Vientiane Times has expressed gratitude for Ashley’s role in sharing practical journalism tips with local writers, enhancing storytelling abilities and helping them integrate generative AI tools responsibly.

By Bounfaeng Phaymanivong
 (Latest Update December 9, 2024)