Our volunteer coordinators have shared the challenges they face working from home during Covid-19, but they also appreciate the impact this has on our volunteers.

“The volunteers start the befriending process this without ever having met ourselves or the clients face to face,” says Marketa. “The challenge can be just picking up the phone for the first call! This is mentioned by potential volunteers regularly at training. There are worries that it might be harder to build rapport as there are no clues from body language. We offer many ideas and suggestions on how to build the relationship in the earlier stages but we also offer reassurance in our knowledge that our clients will delight in the contact and indeed look forward to the regular calls. The convenience of telephone befriending for both the volunteer and the client is a massive positive.”

“With the wonders of technology, Marketa and I have now supported 2 groups of volunteers through an on-line training webinar via Zoom. I felt a real sense of community as we sat talking in the virtual world with 10 volunteers who were all sharing their reasons for looking to befriend. However, although we are quick to highlight the wonders of new technology, the now perhaps-out-of-fashion house phone is playing a vital role in keeping people connected,” Shonagh explains.

“The calibre of volunteers is so high, we have been contacted by volunteers from all walks of life who are desperate to play a part in supporting people through this pandemic. People have more time available to them and they are able to carry out telephone befriending from home so it is a great volunteering option.”

“Yeah, many volunteers are joining us to support individuals through this pandemic. We don't know how long Covid-19 will last. Many volunteers have spoken of their desire to continue in the role when things return to 'normal'. This is fantastic news for us as an organisation but most importantly for our clients who value the contact from their befrienders so greatly.”

Would you like to contribute?

If you would like to support The No.1 Befriending Agency to reach more vulnerable people across Scotland, we have set ourselves the target of raising 30k by December 2020. This will ensure we can continue to fund all the important work being undertaken. Donations can be made at the ‘Donate’ page of our website today.