Abstract:
Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) volunteers are increasingly being relied
upon to aware people living in the coastal belt of Bangladesh for reducing loss of
lives and assets due to cyclone. This volunteerism is continuing for the last four
decades with several unique challenges specific to availability of adequate equipment
and limited resources for capacity of volunteers’ to play their roles during cyclone.
The purpose of this study is to examine the factors affecting motivation of volunteers.
Another aim was to identify the underlying causes and/or hindering factors that
discourage or demotivates volunteers and finally to find out factors affecting female
volunteers to work as volunteers at the time of disasters.This study uses data from
qualitative interviews with 10 volunteer groups, 5 community groups and 16 key
informants dealing with CPP to explore volunteer motivations. Besides, quantitative
data was also used from an assessment conducted by CPP with support from Save the
Children in 2009.
Findings revealed that most of the volunteers reported having more than one motives
for enrolling them as volunteers. Of the several categories of motivations identified,
those relating to altruistic concerns for others and community, social responsibility,
religious benefits, reputation and hoping to gain community recognition/ honor were
the most frequently mentioned. Volunteers also saw volunteering as an opportunity to
gain knowledge and skills and or to put their own skills to good use. A few of the
volunteers were hoping to gain financial benefits in course of their volunteerism. The
CPP has good understanding of volunteers’ motives but a mismatch between
organizational goals and volunteer motivations, and inadequate funding meant that
volunteers’ most pressing motives were not satisfied. This led to discontentment and
resentment among volunteers.
