Death of Volunteerism, Development in Doldrums in Norton Town of Zimbabwe

A volunteer is an individual who provides services to the community without any stated form of payment or benefit. Since time immemorial volunteerism has existed in Africa, it has existed in one form or another. The role of volunteerism in Norton developmental trajectory cannot be underestimated. Volunteers are vital in the operation of NGOs. Consequently, in Norton a quantum of volunteers exists doing multifarious activities with the ultimate goal being to help the community. A plethora of activities that are being done by volunteers include conducting informational sessions on HIV and AIDS and similar concomitants like STIs, contraceptives, medical male circumcision and gender based violence. However, there has been a death of volunteerism of great proportion. Death of volunteerism manifests through neglect or abandonment of duty, a lethargic approach to duty, cheating and falsification of reports. The tumbling of the local economy and the attendant difficulties is one of the reason that has been proffered to explain the death of volunteerism. This is further aggravated by the fact that volunteers themselves are poor and vulnerable, actually in need of help. The wider community believes that volunteerism is not compatible with socio-economic environment has also worsened the situation. The paper is heavily reliant on qualitative research that was conducted in Norton. Key informant interviews and in-depth interviews were utilised to extricate data on death of volunteerism. Documentary review played an invaluable role in unpacking the concept of volunteerism.