Kleoniki Theodoridou is a Masters student studying Msc Risk and Disaster Science at the UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction. She tells us about volunteering with the British Red Cross on the Missing Maps project, which helps those in disaster-prone areas and is relevant to her studies.
Volunteering made me truly understand that you can make a difference to the lives of others, it makes you feel that you are a valued part of a team, and it can boost your skills in your academic and professional life.
Tell us a little about your volunteering.
The British Red Cross in collaboration with the American Red Cross, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap team and Medecins Sans Frontieres have established Missing Maps, which is an important project with an aim to help map many different areas worldwide that have been affected by disasters, so the humanitarian organizations can offer their valuable help and accommodate their needs. I decided to volunteer with the British Red Cross because of my postgraduate studies and my interest in humanitarian relief in disaster-prone areas, in this way to contribute as best as I could to aid those affected areas. As a Missing Mapper Community volunteer, I really enjoyed the fact that this is a flexible role and it has given me the opportunity to volunteer despite the pandemic. Furthermore, Missing Maps is a big community where many volunteers can participate from different parts of the world and through the workshops and the mapping hackathons, we can meet new and exciting individuals with a passion to map and offer their help towards the people and communities that need it the most during difficult times.
How did you find out about the role?
I found out about this position via the UCL Volunteering main page. I was looking for remote volunteering opportunities outside of London due to the pandemic; therefore, I found this amazing offer and applied to volunteer with the British Red Cross Missing Maps Community project.
Why did you want to become a volunteer?
I have always been interested in disaster prevention and humanitarian relief and once I saw the volunteering opportunity with the British Red Cross, I wanted to be a part of this community and contribute to this important task. Apart from that, during the lockdown it was a nice get away from my studies to immerse myself in new ventures, acquire new skills by making an impact, and why not start volunteering online for such a good cause.
What difference do you feel you’ve made by volunteering?
By volunteering, I have contributed to such an important project, where its main purpose is to provide humanitarian aid by mapping the areas that have been through a disaster on a global scale. This is a mission where all of us should engage in and support this kind of initiative, because at the end of the day the more we give, the happier we feel.
What impact has volunteering had on you?
Volunteering made me truly understand that you can make a difference to the lives of others, it makes you feel that you are a valued part of a team, and it can boost your skills in your academic and professional life.
What’s the best thing about volunteering?
Personally, the best thing about volunteering is being a part of such an important cause and making an impact with your actions. By volunteering, not only can you acquire new competencies and improve your organizational and time-management skills, but also you can gain self-confidence undertaking a project or committing to something that is meaningful.
And the most challenging? How did you overcome the challenges?
I did not meet any challenges throughout my volunteering, it was a straightforward process.
Tell us about something memorable that’s happened to you whilst volunteering.
Nothing exceptional to share with you, although I have to say I truly enjoyed volunteering during these difficult times, it encouraged me to contribute even more for such a good and important cause.
Would you recommend volunteering? If so, why?
I would highly recommend volunteering to anyone. For some, it offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around them. For others, it provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge.
Regardless of the motivation, volunteering can be rewarding in many ways, and for me has been an amazing experience being able to do that online.
Personally, the best thing about volunteering is being a part of such an important cause and making an impact with your actions.
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