Volunteering and health actions

World Health Day was celebrated on April 7 – a date that is now more important than ever due to the health crisis

This year the World Health Organization dedicates this day to commemorate the work of nursing and midwifery personnel. The objective is to remind world leaders of the essential contribution of these professionals to global health. A fundamental work for the achievement of national and global goals in universal health coverage , maternal and child health, infectious and non-communicable diseases, emergency preparedness and response, patient safety and provision of integrated and people-centered health services .

Well-being and health care is a key objective for the UN and that is why it is included in its Sustainable Development Goals , specifically, in SDG 3 . For its achievement we can all help through volunteering.

Volunteer activities are being vital during this quarantine. Not only important are those that, in person, help promote physical exercise or team dynamics through leisure and entertainment. Now, more than ever, the actions that we can carry out from home contribute to mental health care. For this reason, on the occasion of World Health Day, we focus on volunteering and its function as a promoter of the well-being of the mind. A care that must now be very present, especially in the most vulnerable groups in this situation such as the elderly or people with fewer resources. Both can feel, at times, lonely.

From the Volunteering Area of ​​the European University we encourage you to the virtual accompaniment that arises from different initiatives to offer telephone conversations to the elderly, send letters online or videos to be projected in nursing homes and thus liven up the confinement .

In this way, our contribution to World Health Day focuses on caring for the mental health and well-being of the people within our reach. Cheer up!