A bold new collaboration between the National Volunteer Service (NVS) and the Hela Provincial Administration is poised to bring a wave of skilled volunteers into Hela Province, promising to strengthen essential services and empower communities.
The initiative comes in direct response to the National Executive Council’s Decision 335 of 2025, which directs NVS to recruit 900 volunteers by 2026 and 2,900 by 2027.
Hela is among the first provinces to actively position itself to benefit from this nationwide volunteer expansion.
Under the proposed arrangement, NVS will work closely with the Hela Provincial Administration to identify priority areas where volunteers can make the most impact.
These include rural health service delivery, teacher support in remote schools, agricultural support for smallholder farmers, and community governance programs.
Hela Provincial Administrator Ronny Angu said the partnership represents a strategic step toward addressing long-standing service delivery challenges.
“We know the needs of our people, and we also know that we cannot meet them alone,” he said.
“By partnering with NVS, we are opening the door to a network of skilled, passionate individuals who can help us bridge that gap in communities across Hela.”
Mr Angu emphasized that the program is not just about filling vacancies but about creating a culture of shared responsibility and knowledge exchange.
“Volunteers will work alongside our local teams, transferring skills and building capacity so that the benefits last well beyond their placement. This is about sustainable change,” he added.
The NEC’s directive to expand the volunteer workforce is part of a broader national strategy to strengthen development at the ward level.
NVS has been tasked with scaling up recruitment, training, and deployment to meet the ambitious targets, with a focus on aligning volunteer placements to provincial development plans.
NVS Director Public Relations & Marketing, Ms Julie Raka, praised Hela’s proactive engagement, noting that the province’s leadership has been quick to outline clear priorities and logistical support for incoming volunteers.
“Hela’s readiness to collaborate means we can hit the ground running and this is exactly the kind of provincial partnership
that ensures volunteers are effective and well-supported,” she said.
Hela Provincial Administration – Corporate Services Director Mr Johnson Tiki also expressed optimism about the potential benefits.
He said that in rural districts, where access to basic services can be limited, the arrival of trained volunteers is expected to boost literacy rates, improve health awareness, and introduce modern farming techniques.
The partnership framework under discussion includes joint planning sessions, shared funding responsibilities, and regular progress reviews.
This approach is designed to ensure that volunteer efforts are targeted, measurable, and aligned with both provincial and national development goals.
If finalized, the first group of volunteers could be deployed to Hela as early as the first quarter of 2027.
Their arrival would start a long-term plan to make volunteer work a key part of the province’s growth.
Mr Angu summed up the vision succinctly; “With the right people, the right skills, and the right spirit, we can transform Hela from the ground up.”
The formal agreement is expected to be signed before the end of 2026, setting the stage for what could become one of the most impactful volunteer-driven initiatives in the country.
The visit by NVS to Hela Province is part of its volunteer recruitment drive in the Highlands Region in which they have visited Enga Province, Southern Highlands Province and Hela Province and will be visiting Jiwaka and the other lower Highlands provinces in the coming weeks.