LocationsThe festive event was organized for 600 volunteers of the Aral Sea region, who moved under the motto "Healthy nation, sustainable future"
December 28, 2022
On December 26, 2022, a festive event dedicated to the International Day of Volunteers was held in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Volunteers are an integral part of the UNDP projects in Karakalpakstan. The Joint UNDP, UNFPA, and FAO programme "Unleashing young people's and vulnerable citizens' creativity and innovation by strengthening their adaptive capacity to address economic and food insecurity in the exposed communities of the Aral Sea region" is making a significant contribution to the development of volunteer activities, particularly in the area of health security.
The event was attended by 600 volunteers who have been working in 11 districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan since 2018. The purpose of this event is to increase the motivation of volunteers in the field of healthcare, with the encouragement of those who have distinguished themselves and actively carried out the largest number of preventive work among the population for the prevention of pulmonary, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal diseases, as well as in matters of strengthening the health of mothers and children in the most remote and hard-to-reach areas.
At the beginning of the event, a congratulatory video message from the UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Matilda Dimovska, was demonstrated, and she expressed gratitude to the volunteers for their active participation in charitable activities and in providing medical support to the local population of the Aral Sea region.
Mr. Askarov Akmal Alisherovich, Deputy Minister for Maternity and Childhood Protection at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, and Ms. Roza Mishenova, Chief Nurse of the Ministry of Health, Chairperson of the Nurses' Association of the Republic of Kazakhstan delivered a welcoming speech. They stressed the importance of the UNDP mission and the role that volunteers play in the field of healthcare, strengthening the resilience and health of the population while tirelessly carrying out their activities.
During the event, according to the results of the calculation of the most active volunteer and according to the number of preventive works done among the population, 22 active participants were selected from 11 districts of Karakalpakstan, who were awarded incentive prizes in the form of electronic devices for their future work.
It should be noted that the results of the statistical indicators of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Karakalpakstan demonstrate a significant decrease in the trend of the spread of lung diseases over the period 2019–2021, from 1434 to 1212 (per 100 thousand population). Of course, in this context, it is worth noting the important role of UNDP and the immense work of the volunteers in the Aral Sea region.
In order to prevent diseases and provide timely medical care in vulnerable areas of the Aral Sea region, volunteers for the period 2020–2022 conducted 133,164 information sessions for the purpose of providing preliminary medical advice to patients, including 78,394 sessions on the prevention of pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular diseases as well as maternal and child health and 54,770 sessions on the prevention of COVID-19. Coverage of households with preventive measures is 61,837.
Recall that within the framework of the joint UNDP program, the community "Volunteers of Karakalpakstan" was created for the purpose of providing advisory medical services to the population of 11 districts of Karakalpakstan through the Telegram messenger. Daily, the volunteers share information, exchange experiences, and report the results of meetings with colleagues.
