Amid increased interest in the role volunteerism could play in a post-pandemic society as an effective tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030, it is important to hear the voices of experts of the sector. One of them is Retha Dungga, the cofounder of Indorelawan, the biggest platform in Indonesia on a mission to mobilize thousands of volunteers, enabling them to connect with a myriad of local organizations on the ground focused on achieving the “common good”.

Let’s start with the basics.

It is essential that volunteerism is understood not as an “import” but rather as something very much part of the local fabric.

It does not matter how we refer to it, “volunteerism is actually how Indonesians navigate the challenges of daily life, especially among those who have close relationships,” shares Retha.

To better understand volunteerism, we need to see it as a part of a continuum, as recently advocated by the United Nations Volunteers.

It starts with forms of reciprocity, mutual aid and self-help, and gets to other forms of help, informal or more formal and it is in the latter where Indorelawan makes a difference by connecting more than 170,000 volunteers to local organizations and initiatives on the ground.

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