Study urges revitalizing volunteerism traditions to combat GBV in Indonesia

There is a long history of social-cultural practices in Aceh that encourage volunteerism and are expressed through the traditions of meuseuraya (mutual cooperation between a few people) or gotong royong (mutual aid that is usually identified with the planting and harvesting of rice). A newly available study, “Contributions of Volunteerism to the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence in Aceh” (Partners for Prevention, 2011) documents the history of volunteerism in Aceh from its cultural and religious customs, through the post-conflict and post-tsunami periods to current new behaviors and lifestyles of the younger generation that have resulted from greater mobility and increased familiarity and access to information and communication technology. For the full story, see: http://www.unv.org/en/news-resources/news/doc/study-urges-revitalizing-volunteerism.html