Winrock International started working in Nigeria with the Farmer to Famer Program in 2001 and over the past 13 years conducted over 311 volunteer assignments ranging in subject matter of swine management, apiculture, aquaculture, cooperative development and microcredit financing. Winrock made a commitment to improve the lives and livelihood of the people in West Africa and works every day to fulfill that commitment in Nigeria, Guinea and Senegal.

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One of the most rewarding things about the USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) program is the relationships that are formed between the volunteers, host organizations, and community members… but also between the volunteers and F2F staff. Sometimes we don’t even realize how deep these connections go, and how profoundly the program can affect someone’s life.

A true example of this, one of Winrock’s volunteers shares her thoughts below: (more…)

This week is National Volunteer Week!

In 2013, Winrock volunteers dedicated more than 17,000 pro-bono hours to helping poor and disadvantaged populations around the world. That is impressive! This week, we would especially like to honor 108 of these volunteers, who recently earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award. This includes:

• 90 “bronze” award recipients with 100+ service hours,
• 15 “sliver” award recipients with 250+ service hours,
• two “gold” award recipients with 500+ service hours, and
• one “lifetime” volunteer award recipients, with 4000+ service hours!

Congratulations to the service award recipients, and a heartfelt thank you to ALL of our volunteers. You are each truly inspirational!

For more inspiration, check out www.winrock.org/volunteer to access current volunteer opportunities, volunteer spotlight stories, success stories, and other info.

This week, in honor of International Volunteer Day, we asked some of our volunteers to reflect on the value of volunteering abroad. Today’s blog comes from Kenton Ayers, who has completed five assignments with Winrock’s USAID-funded Farmer-to-Farmer programs in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

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To continue last week’s reflection of thanks, Winrock is participating in Giving Tuesday –which starts tomorrow. Everyone can participate in a few ways:

• Donate your time as a volunteer. You will gain as much –if not more– than you give! Current opportunities are posted at www.winrock.org/volunteer
• Make a donation to one of Winrock’s projects via the YouthSpark campaign. Our Room to Learn project in South Sudan (http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/room-to-learn-south-sudan/) is eligible for matching funds from Microsoft for donations made beginning at noon on Giving Tuesday.
• Help others find meaningful ways to give back. Share information about volunteer or donation opportunities with your friends, family, and colleagues. And share our blog so others can be inspired by volunteers’ work around the world!

Along with Giving Tuesday, this week marks International Volunteer Day (Thursday, December 5)! Stay tuned for a series of blogs in the upcoming days, featuring stories from our volunteers on the joys and benefits of international volunteerism.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi