Singapore, August 28 2008... Volunteerism knows no bounds. On-location difficulties in Afghanistan have compelled agencies to come up with a creative way for volunteers to lend their expertise – remotely, through the web.

Three volunteers from the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) are at a Web Seminar Series on Human Resource Development and Management today. This programme is jointly organised by UNITAR Hiroshima Office and the Afghan Consultancy Training and Research Association (ACTRA), as part of the UNITAR Hiroshima Fellowship for Afghanistan.

Mentors for the Fellowship are Ms Chin Hooi Yen, a Corporate Lawyer with Gateway Law Corporation; Mr Ernest Lee Kian Meng, Director of Organisation Excellence with the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore; and Ms Patsian Low. Ms Low, who is the former Managing Director of Securities Finance Unit in State Street Bank, recently started a socially-responsible business venture that focuses on Asia-Pacific NGOs and micro-startups. The trio will use their corporate skills to present a Web Seminar on Practical Tools for Effective Performance Management to the Afghan Fellows.

Building on the work done with the Fellows in June this year, when the Community met in Dehradun, India, the three presenters will use their professional experience, and adapt it to the conditions in Afghanistan to enhance the Fellows’ performance management. The four-hour-long seminar will be co-facilitated by ACTRA members in Kabul.

“The Fellowship is an ambitious project because the outcomes are not easy to quantify,” said Ms Chin. “Even with web conferences, there are no guarantees. Sometimes delays are caused by a bomb going off. The Afghan Fellows are the most inspiring and motivated people I’ve met.”

The UNITAR Hiroshima Fellowship for Afghanistan, in partnership with the Afghanistan Civil Service, is run by the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) and located in Hiroshima, Japan. A long-term capacity-building programme, the annual 10-month-long fellowship teaches leadership and management skills to Afghan civil servants and those who work for non-governmental organisations in Afghanistan. Through a combination of in-country meetings, web seminars and meetings overseas, the Fellows are coached and mentored, by both Afghans and international experts.

Tune in to our podcast to listen to Hooi Yen and Ernest talk about Cybervolunteerism with Stanley Leong on the The Living Room, 937LIVE.

Listen to the podcast
The Living Room , 938Live
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
(MP3, 13MB, Duration: 14:00)

This programme was first heard on 938LIVE. For more information on the station, visit www.938LIVE.sg.