People
all around the world tend to see other countries through its citizens. International
volunteers are representatives of their respective countries. Volunteers’
interaction with communities shapes their opinion about their respective
countries. A few days back when I attended the Future
of Peace Summit, the most interesting
part of the summit for me were stories of various Peace Corps volunteers. When I heard the story of a Peace Corps volunteer,
who served 30 years back in rural Afghanistan and is still remembered by the
community elder who inquired about him from the visiting US Ambassador, I was
deeply moved by it. As Atlas Corps
fellows, serving here in the US we all want to be remembered in good words by
our host organizations and
other people with whom we interact on a regular basis.
International
exchange is also another way of breaking stereotypes and building bridges
between different cultures. Clash of civilizations, as theorized by Samuel Huntington, can best be prevented
by dialogue among different civilizations. Lack of exposure creates a number of
misconceptions that can only be removed through increased contact. This is why
Volunteer exchange is one of the finest policy actions to foster international
peace and security. The international community also recognized Volunteerism as an important tool for peace and development and called for its integration in the achievement of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). The story of another Peace Corps Volunteer - who
after losing all his family in bloodshed in South Sudan escaped to Kenya and
finally came to the US from his refugee camp as a young boy - was also very
inspiring. This young volunteer was afraid of Muslims as he lost his
family in a violent conflict between Muslims and Christians in South Sudan. In
order to overcome his fear, he requested to be sent to a Muslim country and
subsequently he was posted to Azerbaijan, where he developed such a good bond
with the community that he not only extended his stay there but also returned
to Azerbaijan after the end of his volunteer service.
What
Atlas Corps is doing is also phenomenal; bringing emerging
global leaders from around the world and
placing them with US non-profits for 9-18 months is building bridges between
the US and 76 countries, which the fellows represent. Connections, friendships
and bonds that we build during our fellowship here will stay forever and transferred
from one generation to another. These exchanges will break stereotypes and
develop people to people contact, which is far more sustainable than government
to government contact. Volunteer exchange also supports track II diplomacy that
foster International peace and security as enshrined in the UN charter.
Note: The post is also published at: http://bit.ly/29zjGGG
