Why Student Volunteerism Matters in Global Health

Volunteering is considered to be a selfless act, but what makes it more impactful is when it is done even amidst the busy lives that students carry out. (Haefliger & Hug, 2009). The Philippines still has a lot to improve when it comes to the health scene. Therefore, any hand that is willing to reach out without much demand in return becomes valuable for non-profit organization. 

Ready To Be The Remedy

Volunteering bridges deprived communities of the basic services they need, and student volunteers are proof that the choice to participate in such programs is going beyond their role of simply being a student (South et al, 2011). College students tend to be mindful in taking action towards community concerns and social issues. This becomes the perfect opportunity for them to join organizations and outreach programs that could empower their sense of responsibility and citizenship. Student volunteers become equipped with the proper awareness and motivations that cannot usually be experienced within their classrooms. For underdeveloped communities, ABC and the student volunteers may be the remedy for their health concerns or limitations.

The role of student volunteers is to be involved with activities that makes them closer to the community, but also to hone their capabilities and skills that leads them to be enlightened professionals in the future. The idea for student volunteers is not to burden them with the community’s concerns, rather, for them to be involved in alleviating these issues even as students who are still learning (Mishra et al., 2022).

From Theory To Practice

Before becoming professionals, students must first grow inside the classroom. As such, volunteering for NGOs, offers students experiences that cannot be attained within classrooms (Mishra et al., 2022). Volunteering gives students the opportunity to develop their social managerial knowledge and various skills depending on what kind of outreach activities they target. Volunteering for health NGOs, opens encounters for mainly medical-related courses, for students pursuing these, they are given an overview of the possible scenarios they might encounter in their practitioner years.

“Experience is the best teacher.” and that is exactly what encapsulates volunteerism, it is learning while also helping the community with their concerns. Additionally, volunteering is seen as a good character point for future jobs, a student volunteer can put their past activities in their résumé (Turnbull, 2024).

Helping Others Helps You

Beyond numerical achievements, student volunteers also find improvements on their physical, spiritual and emotional state. Engaging in meaningful activities reduces stress and anxiety, which could even help in balancing out the stress felt as a college student (Turnbull, 2024). There is supporting evidence that volunteering brings quality of life, life satisfaction, reduced depression, and purposefulness that improves a person’s psychology. Physically, outreach programs and activities require volunteers to be on-field and mobile. Spiritually, this gives them a sense of connection with the community and their environment (Nichol, et al., 2023). Although volunteering is seen to not demand anything in return, as its whole purpose is to be the help to those who are stuck with lesser conditions in life, it still becomes a reciprocal process because those who partake in it gain unquantifiable benefits that they can use to improve their own lives (Grönlund & Falk, 2019).

The You In Youth

Finally, all data aside, volunteering remains as a personal choice and every individual's motivation for doing so varies. What remains constant, is the goal to aid the healthcare issues of under-resourced communities and to partake in improving the overall health landscape of a place. In the Philippines, ABC is one of the many groups who stepped up to make these changes possible. The youth are encouraged - not forced - to be student volunteers, and take roles of nobility. The younger generations are the hope of the country and student volunteers serve as beacons of progress. Student volunteers prove that helping communities and your fellowmen is not limited to full-fledged professionals, sometimes, it comes from growing but motivated youth.

You can be the spark for betterment, to help by your own volition, without expecting anything in return. After all, goodness is not measured on how much to gain, but by how many people have felt it from you.

References

Grönlund, H., & Falk, H. (2019). Does it Make a Difference? The Effects of Volunteering from the Viewpoint of Recipients – A Literature Review. Diaconia, 10(1), 7–26. https://doi.org/10.13109/diac.2019.10.1.7

Haefliger, U., & Hug, S. (2009). Mean Well to Do Good? Volunteer Motivation Re-

Examined, Swiss National Science Foundation, Grant Nr. 10-117733/1. http://www.unige.ch/ses/spo/static/simonhug/mwtdg/mwtdg.pdf.

Mishra, A., Kumari, R., & Parihar, J. (2022). The influence of community volunteer service on students’ voluntary service and professional development. Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 4(10). https://doi.org/10.53469/jssh.2022.4(10).40

Nichol, B., Wilson, R., Rodrigues, A., & Haighton, C. (2023). Exploring the Effects of Volunteering on the Social, Mental, and Physical Health and Well-being of Volunteers: An Umbrella Review. Voluntas : international journal of voluntary and nonprofit organizations, 1–32. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-023-00573-z

South, J., Kinsella, K., & Branney, P. (2011). Citizens bridging the gap? Interpretations of volunteering roles in two public health projects. Voluntary Sector Review, 2(3), 297-315. Retrieved Sep 2, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1332/204080511X608753

Turnbull, A. (2024, June 27). The importance of student volunteering for universities. Rosterfy. https://www.rosterfy.com/blog/the-importance-of-student-volunteering-for-universities