The National Alliance for Developmental Civil Society Work celebrates International Volunteer Day.
Al-Jisr – Exclusive
The National Alliance for Developmental Civil Society Work celebrated International Volunteer Day yesterday, Friday, December 5, during a forum held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The event was attended by Ambassador Nabila Makram, Head of the National Alliance’s Technical Secretariat, members of the Alliance’s Board of Trustees and General Assembly, officials from member institutions, and a large number of volunteers.
The activities began with an opening speech by Dr. Marwa El-Wakeel, Head of the Academic Research Sector at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, who welcomed the participants and emphasized the library’s commitment to hosting events that support community and developmental work, noting that the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is an active member of the National Alliance.
Ambassador Nabila Makram, Head of the Alliance’s Technical Secretariat, delivered the National Alliance’s speech, praising the role of volunteers in strengthening the Alliance’s efforts and enabling initiatives and projects that serve communities nationwide. She emphasized that volunteer work has become a key component of the development system.
The forum included a panel discussion on “The Impact of Volunteering on Society”, moderated by Dr. Youssef El-Wardani, Policy and Development Advisor and former Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports. Panelists included Dr. Mohamed Faiz Farhat, Chair of Al-Ahram Foundation; Eng. Ahmed Mousa, CEO of Sanaa Al-Hayah Egypt Foundation; Dr. Mostafa Zamzam, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sinaa Al-Kheir Foundation; and Hatim Metwally, Deputy Head of the Alliance’s Technical Secretariat.
The discussion focused on the role of volunteer initiatives in supporting vulnerable groups, how volunteers contribute to improving services and quality of life in local communities, and highlighted successful experiences implemented by Alliance institutions across various governorates.
Another session, “Digital Transformation and Its Role in Developing Civil Society Work”, was moderated by Dr. Marwa El-Wakeel, with speakers including Dr. Ahmed El-Khatib, Governance and Monitoring Advisor at Al-Garhy Foundation; Eng. Mohamed Salah, Head of IT and Digital Transformation at Sanaa Al-Hayah Egypt Foundation; Dr. Mohamed Bahiri, Assistant Professor of AI and National Alliance IT Advisor; and Eng. Islam Abdel Sattar, CEO of Information Systems at Resala Charity Association.
The session addressed the importance of using technology to organize data, manage volunteers, and measure impact through the Alliance’s “Insan” platform, ensuring efficiency and expanding reach to beneficiaries in various regions.
The forum also included two workshops. The first focused on “The Volunteer Life Cycle”, from recruitment to empowerment within the institution, led by Eng. Ahmed Gamal Taha, member of the Alliance’s Technical Secretariat, and Al-Sharif Mohamed Al-Sharif, former Chair of the Board of Volunteers at Sanaa Al-Hayah Egypt Foundation.
The second workshop covered the “Volunteer Code of Ethics” and frameworks governing the relationship between volunteers and institutions to ensure professionalism, commitment, and quality performance. It was led by Khaled Gamal Abdel Nasser, Director of Volunteering and Associations at Hayah Karima Foundation, and Ahmed Hussein Al-Arabi, member of the Alliance’s Technical Secretariat.
The event concluded with Ambassador Nabila Makram presenting the forum’s recommendations and announcing the National Alliance Volunteer Conference, to be held on December 26 at Cairo University, with extensive participation from Alliance volunteers.
