EnLAzando

The “EnLAzando” program run since 2020 by France Volontaires with the support of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs aims to strengthen volunteer ecosystems and develop sustainable cooperation between the 6 South American countries in the program and France. The countries involved in the program are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru, and since 2022, Argentina.

The project

Context

Volunteering is recognized by most South American countries as an instrument for development and civic participation. In a continent characterized by major inequalities and social programs that do not sufficiently cover the needs of local populations, volunteering represents a concrete, local response to social and environmental challenges. It takes many forms and represents a powerful tool for personal and professional development that needs to be formalized and promoted.

EnLAzando was launched at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, when civil society organizations had to demonstrate their creativity and resilience in order to adapt. Volunteer organizations played a key role in delivering aid to the most remote and vulnerable populations, working hand-in-hand with the State, businesses and international cooperation.

Today, the program highlights the role of international volunteers in structuring networks of players in South America, supporting advocacy actions to change the legal frameworks that support volunteering in South America, as in the development of partnerships with France. EnLAzando wishes to contribute to the emergence of a new vision of volunteering, no longer considered only as a means to an end, but as an end in itself, asserting a common set of values that help to professionalize, formalize and promote responsible experiences.

Description

EnLAzando’s ambition is to contribute to the strengthening of volunteer ecosystems in South America, notably through capacity building and the structuring of stakeholder networks, the development of a research and action methodology, and a program to mobilize international volunteers. The program also seeks to develop cooperation between South American countries and France, to encourage reciprocity and the sharing of knowledge and skills.

• First program phase : The first phase of the program (2020-2022), focused on support for civil society, identified and supported the structuring of volunteer organizations in 5 countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru.
• Second phase of the program : The second phase of the program, launched in autumn 2022 for a period of 2 years with the support of the Délégation pour la société civile, l’engagement citoyen et la jeunesse (DGM/CIV), aims to enable a change of scale of the project through (i) a geographical extension to a new country : Argentina; (ii) an increase in the number of volunteers mobilized (31 volunteers); (iii) work with public authorities in the target countries to improve public volunteering policies (iv) a broadening of the target players beyond civil society organizations (phase 1) to include all volunteering players (public institutions, universities, etc.).

Objectives

EnLAzando’s main objective is to support the structuring of networks and stakeholders (organizations, volunteers, companies, universities, states, etc.) to build a common vision of volunteering and create the conditions for responsible and supportive volunteering in South America.

The main achievements of Phase 1 include:

• Mapping the volunteer ecosystems of the 5 countries involved in the program.
• The “Voluntades +” training program to build the capacity of volunteer organizations (70 participants from 5 countries in the region).
• The launch of an Innovative Volunteering Initiatives Fund, which financed 16 projects in 5 countries in the region.
• The mobilization of 10 volunteers (VSI and Service Civique) in South-South and South-North dynamics, with Cool’eurs du Monde and the DCC.
• 7 capacity-building workshops, including a MOOC course about virtual volunteering in Peru.
• 3 meetings/Forums at national level (Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay).
• 1 international seminar involving key players form the volunteering sector from 5 countries in the region, as well as France, Argentina and Spain.

The main results expected from Phase 2 are as follows:

• Capacity-building for 100 South American organizations to professionalize volunteering and improve the quality of their actions, through training, exchange workshops and support for innovative initiatives.
• Better integration of volunteering into public policies in target countries through multi-stakeholder advocacy supported by studies and statistics.
• The deployment of 31 volunteers to accompany and support the structuring of volunteer organization networks, via volunteer missions between South American countries, from France to South America, and from South America to France.
• The definition of cooperation frameworks between France and partner countries in the field of international volunteering.

Action levers

The program is built around 3 main levers of action:

Strengthening the capacities of organizations and networks, in particular through:

• The Voluntades + university-certified training program for professionalizing volunteer management and building the capacity of volunteer organizations (online continuous education).
• Exchange and articulation
• The third edition of the “Innovation for Volunteering” Fund, which supports innovative volunteering initiatives.

Action research and advocacy:

• Studies and data collection on volunteering (5 national diagnostics and a regional comparative analysis during the first phase of the program, at least 6 studies planned in phase 2).
• Support for advocacy strategies to strengthen public policies related to

Mobilizing volunteers:

• 10 volunteers mobilized in the 1st phase, and 31 planned for the second

Current activities

The year 2023 was rich in innovation and collaboration, enabling the implementation of several of the planned activities.

Capacity-building for volunteerings stakeholders

“Innovation for Volunteering” Fund (FIV)

The launch of the 3^rd edition of the “Innovation for Volunteering” Fund (FIV), which recognizes and finances innovative initiatives in the field of volunteering received a warm welcome. Important vector of cohesion, the FIV mobilized the main players in the sector in the 6 countries involved in the program, to form selection committees and participate in the co-organization of the fund in each country.

Three initiatives per country have been selected, with an additional category reserved for former participants in the Voluntades+ training program, which is also an EnLAzando initiative. In all, 21 projects will be funded to the tune of $4,000 each. In addition to funding, EnLAzando offers, through the FIV, invaluable support in communicating and disseminating the winning initiatives. It also offers increased visibility and the chance to connect with a network of civil society organizations in the six program countries.

In November, these organizations took part in a training session on the implementation and monitoring of their initiative. In December, the agreements were signed, and the funds transferred, thereby giving the green light to the projects, which will be implemented over a 6-month period.

Strengthen networks and cooperation between partner volunteering organizations:

France Volontaires has stepped up its efforts in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru to strengthen the network dynamic by facilitating meetings and workshops between volunteering actors. In Argentina, opportunities for formal cooperation between the two countries are being explored, while in Bolivia, France Volontaires has supported the creation of the first network of volunteering actors in Santa Cruz. Numerous meetings with volunteers have been organized in Colombia to raise awareness of the EnLAzando program and promote collaboration and coordination between volunteering organizations and the National Volunteering System. In Ecuador, agreements have been reached for the participation of the Ecuadorian Volunteering Network (REV) in the program’s various initiatives. Finally, in Peru, the team worked to strengthen its Peruvian partners as “sending structures” and to establish links with host organizations in France. France Volontaires in Peru has also strengthened its collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, that is responsible for national volunteering. At regional level, various virtual exchange workshops have been organized as part of the Voluntades+ diploma program, as well as on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Voluntades+ International Diploma in Volunteering Management:

In July 2023, a partnership agreement was signed between France Volontaires and the PUCE University (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador) for the implementation of the “Voluntades+” International Training Diploma in Volunteer Management and Organizational Strengthening. Three editions are planned during the second phase of EnLAzando: two for new students in 2023 and 2024, and a validation edition for participants in the previous Voluntades+ editions of the first phase of EnLAzando.

On Friday September 15, in Quito (Ecuador, host country of Diplomado Voluntades+), the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, France Volontaires and the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, through the Center for Knowledge Transfer and Social Innovation (CETCIS), held the official launch of Diplomado Voluntades+, from the Residence of the French Ambassador, a launch broadcast via Zoom and Facebook Live for the 6 countries of the EnLAzando Program, in the presence of M. Frédéric Desagneaux, Ambassador of France to Ecuador; Yann Delaunay, General Delegate of France Volontaires; Stefany Páez, National Representative of France Volontaires in Ecuador; Dr. Fernando Ponce León, Rector of PUCE, and Dr. Augusto Barrera, Director of CETCIS.

Voluntades+ is the result of a strategic alliance between international cooperation and academia, which seeks to contribute to promote volunteering in Latin America through social transformation, sustainable development, quality, and innovation. The diploma aims to strengthen the sustainability and capacity of volunteering organizations and contribute to the quality and impact of volunteer action. On September 23, 35 participants selected from the 262 applications received began the virtual courses (14 weeks in total). In February 2024, the fourth edition will start, and in April the fifth edition (validation for former participants).

 

Development of a research and action methodology 

Research Fund for the Strengthening of Volunteering in Latin America

The second focus of the EnLAzando program, the “development of a research and action methodology” has three specific objectives:

• Studies and data collection on
• Promoting partnerships between universities, research centers and strategic players in the volunteering sector.
• Implementation of advocacy actions to improve the legal and political frameworks for volunteering.

With this ambition in mind, the call for applications for the Research Fund for Strengthening Volunteerism in Latin America was launched in November 2023 and will be open until January 14, 2024. The fund will finance the development of research and the collection of information that can contribute to a better understanding of volunteering ecosystems in the region. The information gathered should be used to carry out advocacy with authorities in charge in the 6 countries to allow better consideration of volunteering in legal and regulatory frameworks and/or the formulation of public policies in the six South American countries of the EnLAzando program.

 

Mobilizing volunteers

Volunteers of International Solidarity (VSI)

In addition to the 6 professional volunteers under VSI status already mobilized for the implementation of EnLAzando in Latin America, 9 organizations have been selected to develop VSI missions in order to strengthen networks of volunteering stakeholders and support advocacy actions in favor of volunteering. These 12-month missions, starting between November 2023 and January 2024, will support the structuring of networks and the inclusion of volunteering in public policies in the 6 countries.

Volunteering for Latin Americans in France

In June, the call for applications closed successfully, enabling us to identify 15 Civic Service missions and 1 Volunteer for International Solidarity mission for young Latin

Americans in France. The missions have been and will be initiated between September 2023 and January 2024, and will last between 8 and 12 months. The aim of the program is to promote international exchanges and solidarity volunteering, and to strengthen partnerships between French and South American organizations.

Strengthening partnerships and bilateral agreements

During program coordination visits in June, July, October, and December, as well as videoconferences, the France Volontaires CEO, the regional representative and the EnLAzando program teams met with the French embassies in Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia and Bolivia, to discuss the formalization of the reciprocal mobilization of International Volunteers for Exchange and Solidarity (VIES) as a tool for cooperation between countries.

These visits have also strengthened France Volontaires’ ties with over 50 volunteering organizations and networks, sparking great interest from universities, international cooperation agencies and networks of key stakeholders.

Partners

The EnLAzando program articulates its actions between the 6 countries thanks to the support of several partners:

• Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
• French embassies in program countries
• United Nations Volunteers
• Public institutions: Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations – reference ministry for volunteering in Peru; Metropolitan Municipality of Lima and La Paz; Ministry of Security and Chancellery in Argentina; Secretaría Distrital de Ambiente and Corporación Autónoma Régional de Cundinamarca in Colombia; Ministry of Foreign Relations and Human Mobility in Ecuador; Ministry of Foreign Relations in Bolivia
• Volunteer networks: Soy Voluntari@ (Peru), Red Ecuatoriana del Voluntariado (Ecuador), el Sistema Nacional de Voluntariado (SNV) in Colombia, Consejo Nacional de Voluntariado (CONAVO) in Paraguay
• Universities: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya (Peru), Universidades Javerianas de Cali y Bogotá, Universidad Piloto de Colombia, Fundación Universitaria Monserrate (Colombia); Facultad de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad Nacional de Asunción and Instituto Superior de Estudios Humanísticos y Filosóficos San Francisco Javier in Paraguay; universidad católica de Bolivia San Pablo
• Numerous other civil society organizations from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru were also involved in implementing certain components of the project, including Fundación SES (Argentina), Federación de Entidades Vecinalistas del Paraguay (FEDEM) and Fundación Teletón (one of  the representatives of CONAVO, Paraguay), for Ecuador Fundación VASE, Programa de Voluntarios ONU Ecuador, Fundación Telefónica Ecuador, Scouts del Ecuador, Fundación Yura, Cruz Roja Ecuatoriana, Fundación Voluntar, Fundación El Sembrador (representatives of REV, the Ecuadorian Volunteer Network), in Peru PROA, CADEP, Red de Salas de Teatro y Espacios Alternativos del Perú, FENOAAA, La Nueva Semilla and Escuela Para el Desarrollo; in Colombia, CINAT Internacional, AFS Colombia, ColombiaCrece, Comparte por una Vida Colombia, Proyectar Sin Fronteras, Red Nacional de Jóvenes de Ambiente and Tepiapa; in Bolivia, the organizations Hope Worldwide Bolivia, Atd Cuarto Mundo, Colectivo Angirü, ONU voluntarios Bolivia, Kiriku and Uri Gese, Comundo, and CECI.