The love of humanity and voluntary work led Hala Shakkoura (25) to allocate several hours per day to PRCS where she volunteers and takes part in many events and activities. Shakkoura, who has been a PRCS volunteer for the past five years, said: “I love community work, especially humanitarian activities. I feel happy when I help my fellow citizens in times of natural and man-made disasters. I still remember when I helped provide relief aid to other Palestinians during the latest Israeli war on Gaza”.
Hala’s beginnings
Speaking about how the idea of voluntary action came to her, Hala said: “When I was a student, I visited PRCS to ask if it can help us organize a free medical day at my university. PRCS responded swiftly to this request and I was impressed by the performance of its team. I immediately decided to join these young men and women working relentlessly as one team.
I attended several courses in order to become better qualified volunteer. I learned how to be a leader and to work in a team to ease the suffering of those in need. My encounters with deprived families made me feel how much they needed help. Voluntary work is a window that enables us to communicate with others and to work as one team in a spirit of cooperation, self-confidence and humility in order to learn life skills”.
Community Participation
Mohamad Shakliyeh (27) believes that volunteering helps him engage in his community, develop his abilities and increase his knowledge. “I chose PRCS because it provides necessary humanitarian services to Palestinians in a non-discriminatory manner. Volunteers are “generous people”. I personally started by submitting a membership request, then I attended several courses on field work given by PRCS’ Disaster Management Program as well as other courses that would qualify me to become a PRCS volunteer until I became a trainer and a coordinator for volunteers in the Gaza Strip”, Mohamad said.
Voluntary Action Stories
Speaking about his most unforgettable voluntary action experience, Mohamad said: “I went with my colleagues to help a family living in a 3-story building during the latest war on Gaza. We found a couple with their four children eating bread and olives. They refused our help, saying there are people, including their neighbors, who needed it more, and that “God will help us”.
This is when we felt how important sacrifices are for the provision of humanitarian service for those in need”. Mohamad related another story: “A while ago, I lost my ID documents and money in Rafah. A taxi driver saw me, and I asked him to take me home, which he did, but he wouldn’t let me pay. When I asked him why, he said: two years ago, you helped me when I was most in need. This is how I will repay you”.
Voluntary Committees in the Gaza Strip
Five Voluntary Committees operate within the Youth Program in five Gaza Strip Governorates (Northern Gaza, Gaza City, Central Gaza, Khan Younes and Rafah). 4700 volunteers work in the Gaza Strip, including 600 fully-trained volunteers.
Volunteers Development
To enable them to provide better services, PRCS volunteers receive basic training in the following fields: Information Dissemination, First Aid and IHL.
Volunteers then pick the field where they prefer to operate. If they choose the field of Disasters or First Aid, they will need to attend other courses such as Disaster Preparedness Management, Mobile
Field Hospitals, Camp Management, Rapid Damage Assessment, Relief Distribution, Mine Awareness, Leadership and Psychosocial Support.
The PRCS aims at developing its volunteers’ capacities and promoting their role in order to benefit from their wide experience.
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