Volunteers in Disaster Relief in Zones of Armed Conflict: The Case of Syrian Refugee Camps in Jordan

Keywords:

civil society organizations, CSOs, economic and social development, first responders’ community, non-governmental organization, Syrian refugees, trusted reporters, volunteering system, volunteerism

Abstract:

Volunteerism plays an essential role in the development of any society. Society’s level of culture and awareness can be rated by measuring the amount and thrust of volunteerism movements. Volunteerism has proven to be essential in emergency management. Individual volunteers and volunteer groups provide a variety of skills and resources that can be used in emergencies. In Jordan, the concept of volunteerism already plays a considerable role in both the economy and in social development. This paper reviews the implementation of current and future trends for volunteerism systems in Syrian refugee camps’ management in Jordan and provides a social analysis of why, or why not, people volunteer in different aspects of society. It suggests a volunteer system for disaster management aiming to enhance mitigation and response capabilities for future disasters.