Do you know that we are afraid of providing help and assistance to traffic accidents victims? Do you know that we all like to be a hero now and then?

Your Excellency Madam Hun Sen, Your Excellencies Ambassadors, Ministers and all Highly respected Guests: It is a great honor to stand in front of you as the Organising Working Group of the International Volunteers Day 2000 and the International Year of Volunteers 2001 has given me the privilege to speak on behalf of them.

Today we are talking about volunteers! In my humble opinion it is the same as heroes. The police officer that is assisting a young child to cross Monivong Boulevard during the busiest periods of the day, is a hero. The person who stands up to make place for an elder person in a crowded bus is a hero. The one who likes to provide some services to the most marginalised persons in the society is a hero. But it is not enough to be willing to be a volunteer or a hero. We need certain conditions before a person can be a volunteer. Conditions the society has to provide to them. Voluntarism is based on respect for each other. It is based on acceptance of each other, just the way you are. Non-disabled or disabled, HIV positive or not infected person, old or young, woman or man, we are all part of this society and we all can be a hero.

To volunteer means also trust and confidence in each other. To volunteer means that we want to do something for another person. And altogether we are a tiny part of this society. Just like one of the bricks in the newly beautifully renovated building you can see there. But every brick in that building is needed. Every person in the society is needed. Therefore that we need to respect every person. This means that we are not feeling ourselves higher than others, just because of our position or job. Based on this respect we can take care for each other. We can start helping each other!

The past four years have shown me that many people in Cambodia have the eager willingness to assist other people. To help people in need. But we have to provide space for them. Space wherein persons are not afraid anymore to provide help to a person of traffic accidents.

People consider themselves as a great hero when they drive through red light. Of course, you can feel yourself a hero, because you just have beaten a stupid traffic light pole. It is something you should be proud on, as anybody (even my dog) can beat a traffic light.

Volunteers can contribute to the reconstruction of the social structure, which was damaged due to so many wars of fighting. But we need to provide them the space in our society. The Organising Working Group provided people the opportunity to join the activities on the occasion of International Volunteers Day 2000 on December 3, 2000. Chapeau (!) to all these volunteers, who were involved with the activities. They did a great job! The Boys Scouts and the Girls Guides, all the CRC and UNV volunteers and students of ISPP, to my opinion they are heroes! They all believed that they could contribute to the creation of a better world. That is why they joined the event. Therefore I like to thank them all for their unpaid but most valuable input.

Since September this year the Working Group has met weekly and evens during the last three weeks twice in their own time. They selected this site for this year's activities.

Mr. Dith Sary, the contractor did a fantastic job to finish the renovation in just one month time. And I like to acknowledge all persons who are responsible for the achievement of this day. I like to honor the most valuable assistance from the CRC and Mrs. Sopheak in particular, the necessary support from the International Federation of the Red Cross and the persistent help from the United Nations Volunteers programme. On behalf of the Working Group I like to mention the financial contributions, which created the situation wherein it was possible to expand the most needed services for children with mental health problems in this centre, the only of its kind in whole Cambodia. These contributions were received from:

Cambodian Red Cross International Federation of the Red Cross

United Nations Volunteers Youth With A Mission

SERVANTS TOPS

UNFPA UNCHS

Lutheran World Services Forum Syd

APSO Anonymous

ISPP Christmas Fare

On behalf of the children and their families who will benefit from these generous gifts, THANK YOU!

The whole Working Group likes to express their highest appreciation to Mr. Chin Kethya, the NUNV, who was a real positive support in every activity undertaken by the Working Group.

But the work is not yet finished. This centre needs a playground; it wants to construct a nice park to relax in and certain measurements need to be undertaken to prevent flooding during the wet season. As the year 2001 has not yet started really, we hope that more financial support will flow in to assist in the realization of the plans of the Hospital. Because what we have done so far is just a small part of it. The Working Group hopes that this was just the first step to a sustainable solution for services to all that need them and therefore hopes that the Ministry of Health will provide its most necessary support.

Your Excellency Madame Hun Sen, Your Excellencies Ambassadors and Ministers, Most Respected Guests, Thank you for your attention.

Billy Barnaart