Humans of Volunteering and the Aim to Inspire People for Social Work

As when Antara Sarkar, a Greater Noida resident, realised that a group of 1-12 kids, who lived in the slum clusters, had stopped going to school owing to various reasons, she started a 'Sunday School' inside her house. Cut to eight years later and the present, these kids are appearing for their board exams while the 'Sunday School' still goes on. This is one of the stories that Humans of Volunteering has shared on its social media platform, and the founder behind this initiative calls the particular story to be closest to her.

Could volunteering be imagined as a "national habit" where the citizens of the country are actively involved in working for the welfare of society? In the busy lives of a developing nation like ours, it is hard to imagine where people are even struggling to make their livelihood meet. Plus, there prevails a notion that society's welfare lies only in the hands of government bodies. However, far from this fact, Humans of Volunteering is aiming to include as many people as possible in social work by sharing the stories of volunteers across the country.

The organisation has been hosting VolFest since 2023 to provide a platform where people can experience volunteering first-hand by connecting themselves with the Non-Profits present on the ground. "Citizens and the nonprofit organisations both meet here and exchange the valuable ideas of volunteering with each other," Yakshika Vats says, adding that the events are free for both citizens and the NGOs for setting up their stalls at the events. 

Ahead of the VolFest, which will be held on Good Deeds Day (April 5 and 6, 2025), the team, based in Delhi NCR, is ready to invite people from all walks of life to participate in the initiative. "It is to create a positive impact, not just for our communities but for the world," says the co-founder, who starred in this initiative with Ashutosh Sharma and Navneet Kandav. 

Previous such events have had 5,000 attendees, and multiple NGOs have come together. The founder says that she is expecting more attendees this time. "We are also setting up a 'Volunteer Arena' where people can experience volunteering for 45 minutes," she informs.

Social issues at the front desk

The team has been working toward making citizens aware of the social issues prevailing in society by juxtaposing diverse activities at such events. From workshops on multiple causes to Nukkad natak, which addresses social issues through music and performances by and for beneficiaries, the social construct takes centre stage in such gatherings.

One of the most compelling ways to propagate social messages is storytelling, which is used to raise awareness of the challenges and growth of the beneficiaries. "The participants hear the moving tales of resilience and hope, shared by people who have overcome challenges and made a difference in the world through volunteering," the founder says, adding that the team has shared around 280 stories.

In collaboration with iVolunteer, this year's event will focus on 12 social development areas: education, poverty Alleviation, environment, health, HIV-AIDS, gender equality, human rights, disability, youth welfare, elderly welfare, child welfare, and active citizenship.

'Lack of accessibility'

Despite the many areas in which people can contribute, Vats observes that it is still not easy to motivate people to volunteer for social causes. "There is a lack of accessibility, and people do not know where and how to start," she says. 

According to her, it is important to analyse and identify the cause one wants to work for first and then proceed with action. "There is also less inspiration and understanding about being a volunteer, and hence, sharing stories of volunteers and beneficiaries is very important," Vats adds. 

VolFest 2025 is set to begin. Meanwhile, Antara Sarkar continues her 'Sunday School' in Greater Noida with the same batch of students. When Yakshika Vats asked why she was continuing with the same students, now that they were already going to take their board exams, Sarkar said that the goal was not yet done, as the students are yet to be employed, and she would help them in that as well. "It moves me when I think about that, and that is what the power of stories is; where it can move others to take up such initiatives too," she says adding, "Citizens need to believe in citizens."