Skip to main content
| | |

About AU-VLP

Empowering Africa through volunteerism, one community at a time

Home About Us
Our Purpose

Transforming Africa Through Unity

The Heads of State and Government of the African Union, in decision Assembly / AU / Dec.274 (XVII), recognized youth volunteering as a tool for youth empowerment and a catalyst for the development of youth in the continent. The decision further mandates the African Union Commission (AUC) to promote youth volunteering in Africa.

The African Union Commission (AUC) strongly believes that volunteering does not happen in isolation and therefore requires an enabling environment and strategic collaboration among stakeholders to ensure that volunteering receives greater attention and actively contributes to economic development and social cohesion in Africa.

55
Member States
1.3B+
People Served
2.5K+
Active Volunteers
500+
Projects Completed
Platform Functions

What AU-VLP Does

In this context, the AUC developed in close consultation with the main stakeholders an online volunteering linkage platform (VLP) to provide an overview of volunteering and exchange programs.

Knowledge: Hub

It serves as a knowledge hub providing comprehensive information on volunteering policies, programs, and best practices across Africa.

Information: Gateway

It serves as an information gateway on volunteerism, connecting stakeholders with relevant data and opportunities.

Connection: Network

Connects volunteers and their organizations, fostering collaboration and community building across the continent.

Platform Need

The Need for the Volunteer Linkage Platform

The African landscape of volunteers and exchanges includes wide range of programs, policies, and stakeholders working at different levels (national, regional, continental and international) with little or no coordination.

The Volunteer Linkage Platform (VLP) comes as an instrument that brings together all stakeholders and creates a space for information exchange and data generation that can be leveraged to improve volunteerism in Africa.

Provide an overview of volunteering and youth exchange policies, programmes and statistics searchable by region, country, thematic area and target group

Provide volunteer practitioners and volunteers the opportunity to learn from each other and exchange in the frame of communities of practice

Provide a space for the provision of tools and good practices

Provide volunteer organizations with possibilities to showcase their programs and volunteering efforts

Provide young people on the African continent with the possibility to learn more about the benefits of volunteering and to search for volunteering and exchange opportunities

Marketplace for Volunteer Initiatives

The VLP is conceived as a marketplace for volunteer initiatives and actors on the African continent, providing information and connecting stakeholders across the ecosystem.

Continental Integration

Embedded into the Continental Volunteer Linkage Platform, creating unified standards across Africa.

Continental Vision

The Continental Volunteer Linkage Platform

The Volunteer Linkage Platform is embedded into the Continental Volunteer Linkage Platform, a platform aiming at:

1

Continental Volunteerism Standards

Developing policies on volunteerism through a Continental Volunteerism Standards and guiding principles – to set minimum standards and common understanding for regional, national and community volunteerism in Africa.

2

Online Volunteer Linkage Platform

Creating an online Volunteer linkage platform, a volunteerism mapping and knowledge management online platform as a single access point for volunteerism in Africa.

3

Technical Support & Tools

Facilitating technical support from a pool of tools on volunteerism including the Volunteer Management System (VMS) to regional, national and community-based volunteer initiatives in Africa.

Our Impact

Creating Lasting Change Across Africa

50K+
People Educated
25K+
Lives Improved
15K+
Trees Planted
200+
Communities Reached

Ready to Be Part of Africa's Future?

Whether you're an individual looking to volunteer or an organization seeking passionate contributors, AU-VLP is your gateway to meaningful impact across the continent.

Have questions? We're here to help.

Our Partners

Collaborating for Greater Impact

Government Agencies

Partnering with AU member state governments to align volunteer efforts with national development goals.

NGOs & Civil Society

Collaborating with grassroots organizations to ensure volunteer efforts reach communities that need them most.

Private Sector

Working with businesses to create corporate volunteering programs that benefit both companies and communities.