(L-R) Diane Duhr, President of Omega90; Mireille Cuénot, Omega90 volunteer; Corinne Cahen, Minister of Family and Integration; Martine Mergen, President of the Voluntary Agency; Credit: MFAMIGR

On Monday 5 December 2022, Luxembourg's Volunteer Agency (Agence du bénévolat) organised an event on the occasion of Volunteer Day (Journée du bénévolat) and celebrated its 20th anniversary, in the presence of many volunteers and associated members.

The "Bénévolat" Quality Label was awarded to four associations and the "Volunteer Award of Merit" was awarded to a particularly deserving volunteer during the award ceremony. In order to support the commitment of volunteers in associations, the Agency presented its new platform benevolat.lu for putting volunteers and associations in touch with each other.

Following the launch of the "Bénévolat" Quality Label project in 2018, the first associations to receive the distinction, Daachverband vun de Lëtzebuerger Jugendstrukturen (DLJ), Le Tricentenaire, Médecins du Monde Luxembourg and Omega 90, were awarded the label. The "Bénévolat" Quality Label was launched in order to guarantee volunteers an enriching and recognised experience. The focus of the label is on improving the organisation of associations and on a high level of reception, supervision and support of volunteers. By making volunteering more attractive, the label, awarded for five years, enables associations to distinguish themselves and thus to develop and increase the loyalty of their volunteer resources to support their actions.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the presentation of the 2019 "Volunteer Award of Merit" had to be postponed several times. This year, the prize was finally awarded to Mireille Cuénot of the association Omega 90 for her commitment as a woman in the field of palliative care. This honourary prize pays tribute to all the committed, devoted and inspiring volunteers in Luxembourg who contribute to strengthening social links.

The new platform, benevolat.lu, connects associations mobilising volunteers with interested people and raises awareness of active citizenship. People interested in volunteering can search for a mission near their home, according to their availability and their wishes. Associations can introduce themselves to volunteers, share their news and their offers of missions and manage volunteers' offers of help. Benevolat.lu is committed to actively listening to their needs and to continuously improving the platform.

Luxembourg's Minister for Family Affairs and Integration, Corinne Cahen, said: "Volunteering is essential for living together and cohesion in society".

The Volunteer Agency recently presented its new visual identity and its new projects in support of voluntary work. A multilingual awareness campaign with the slogan "Give your time" to volunteering was launched in early December to invite the general public to give their time and actively contribute to the development of the Grand Duchy. "Volunteers are the driving force of community life and thanks to benevolat.lu, we are facilitating the connection between volunteers and associations by centralising volunteering opportunities and promoting community initiatives", said Martine Mergen, President of the Volunteer Agency.

About the Volunteer Agency

Created in 2002, the Volunteer Agency, with the support of the Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region, has the following objectives:

  • raising awareness about volunteering among society's actors;
  • putting volunteers and associations in touch with each other;
  • helping associations to strengthen the management, recognition and development of their volunteers;
  • supporting commitment through training courses and the organisation of meetings and events.