4 days Ago By Post-Courier
Minister for Defence Dr Billy Joseph is calling for partnership with the National Government to fund the National Voluntary Service as it rolls out voluntary basis services to provincial governments. Dr Joseph made this call yesterday during the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Central Provincial Government on Wednesday to bridge gaps in service delivery in the province. He said that this is the first of its kind for the National Volunteer Service to sign a MoA with a provincial government.
“As Minister for Defence who also oversees the National Voluntary Service, I was very disappointed when I first met with the NVS staff because they have existed on record for the past thirty plus years but have only sent out 130 volunteers since,” Dr Joseph said. “Under my leadership now, we are looking to partner with sub-national governments to deliver and fill service delivery gaps out there “We are now looking at the ex-service men, especially in Defence, Police, CS and other technical staff; people who are doing nothing. “We want to use them to deliver critical technical services at the provincial and district level Dr Joseph highlighted that the NVS operates to promote a spirit of sacrifice and service as per the National Voluntary Service Act 1990.
NVS is not an employer, instead they deliver services on a voluntary basis. “The National Voluntary Service Act 1990 actually spells out why the NVS exists. First and foremost is to promote a spirit of sacrifice and service,” he said.
“A lot of skilled Papua New Guineans are doing nothing; hence, we want to put them into areas where needed, and put to use those skills but many want to charge a lot of money. “We are not an employer; we are a voluntary service. People who have the skills and the heart to give back to the people, this is the place for them.
“Our main function is to participate generally in economic development and to provide labour and skills to the community for development projects which is free of charge.” Through the signed MOA with the Central Province government, 16 volunteers will be deployed in the 16 LLGs in the province to identify key income-earning activities in these areas and help build sustainable income avenues for the local people. This will ultimately bridge the gap in service delivery, encourage locals to be self-reliant and serve the needs of the people.
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