The “Volunteering for Unity” (UNITY) project is an international volunteering initiative supported by the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) Humanitarian Aid program. It aims to diminish the educational gap for disadvantaged children and youth living in the rural and at-risk regions of Thailand and Vietnam.
At its core, UNITY focuses on gender equality, specifically aiming to empower girls and reduce female school dropout rates by establishing a “peer-to-peer” educational support system between international volunteers and local youth.
Main Objectives
- Equal Educational Opportunities: To enhance the English language proficiency, digital literacy, and soft skills of children and youth in disadvantaged areas, thereby increasing their future job opportunities.
- Gender Equality & Empowering Girls: To combat cultural and economic barriers that prevent girls from accessing education, prevent early school dropout, and foster a culture of inclusivity by engaging both boys and girls in conversations about stereotypes.
- Peer-to-Peer Education: To create a sustainable community support network where the educational assistance initiated by European volunteers is taken over and sustained by local youth (peer educators).
- Capacity Building: To equip 40 international volunteers and local youth leaders with the necessary competencies to become active citizens addressing educational struggles in humanitarian contexts.
Key Activities
- Skill Workshops: Interactive sessions led by volunteers focusing on English language learning, digital safety, and essential soft skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership.
- After-School Support: Providing tutoring for subjects where children are falling behind, organizing personal hygiene education for girls, and arranging supervised leisure activities to keep children engaged in the school environment.
- Community Awareness Campaigns: Conducting meetings and awareness activities targeting parents and the broader community to highlight the importance of girls’ education and active community involvement.
Project Partners
- Coordinator / Sending Organization: ANDCTR (Romania)
- Sending Organization: Pi Youth Association – PIYA (Turkey)
- Hosting Organization (Thailand): SAPHAN
- Hosting Organization (Vietnam): CSDS – Center for Sustainable Development Studies