Lesson learning study on a European and national volunteering project

September 2019 - June 2020

In partnership with CIEDEL, Groupe URD is conducting a lesson learning study on the ‘AVENIR’ project (Action des Volontaires Européens et Nationaux Investis pour la résilience) in 3 West African countries (Guinea Conakry, Togo and Senegal). Part of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative, the AVENIR project aims to improve disaster risk management by local communities via action by international and national volunteers.

Funded by

Initiative EU Aid Volunteers

Having been deployed by France Volontaires and Zavod Voluntariat, around twenty European volunteers have been working with national volunteers to improve food security, community health, water and sanitation, the prevention of coastal and riverbank erosion, and the management of volunteers by local organisations.

The lesson learning study on the AVENIR project will be participatory, with volunteers, partners and communities involved in identifying the lessons learned and the impacts of the project.

This lesson-learning exercise will help to prepare for a resilience-based volunteering project to be replicated on a bigger scale (at the regional level).

The main objectives of the study are:

To identify the added value of the volunteers’ involvement in activities to increase resilience (disaster risk reduction, crisis prevention and preparedness, relief and recovery operations, etc.).
To establish the case in favour of involving young people in projects at the national and regional levels, which can then be made to decision-makers and volunteer organisations.

Carried out by

Valérie Léon

Trainer, researcher and evaluator (since 2012)

vleon@urd.org

@Leon_Groupe_URD