December 5th was International Volunteer Day (IVD) and 2011 is the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of the Volunteer (IVY+10). In recognition of these events, the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) was pleased to recently honor three exceptional volunteers for their work in helping to improve the lives of those living in developing economies at VEGA's Annual Assembly.  

The recipients of the 2011 VEGA Volunteer Impact Service Award are:

Zahra Radjavi
Zahra works as the Emerging Markets Development Advisor Program (EMDAP) Adviser/Business Development Consultant with Petra National Trust (PNT). PNT, the only non-profit Jordanian organization, is solely focused on the protection preservation and conservation of the archaeological, natural, and cultural heritage of Petra and the Petra Region. Zahra led efforts to create and implement sustainable income streams and endowments for PNT including but not limited to: fundraising, new product/service development, and grant writing. Zahra also worked closely with the Director, Board, and staff to contribute her expertise and experience with global NGO best practices to increase the capacity and efficiency of staff in carry out PNT's mission. Read more about Zahra.

Harold "Hal" Handley
A former Senior Vice President with McCormick & Company with 47 years of experience in food product sales, marketing and production, Hal has worked extensively in emerging economies around the world helping agribusinesses develop strategic plans, consulting on organization structure and evaluating product performance. During a recent project in Sri Lanka, Hal conducted exhaustive background research on the Sri Lankan cinnamon industry, which ultimately allowed him to hit the ground running upon arrival in Colombo. During Hal's in-country market assessment, he realized that the new U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act, signed in to law in January 2011, would have significant ramifications for Sri Lankan cinnamon. Although outside the scope of his project, Hal began a campaign to inform the local stakeholders of this new regulation, of which none of them were aware at the time. He sees the potential for this work to make a significant impact on the Sri Lankan national economy and, thereby, the livelihoods of people throughout the country. Read more about Hal.

Judith Moses
Judith has been involved in several Farmer to Farmer USAID Projects, including Capacity Building with Farmer Cooperative in Dladie, Mali, Feeding and Management of Newborn Sheep and Goats in Bamako, Mali, Improved Small Ruminant Milk Production in Dladie, Mali and the AMHARA Goat and Sheep Assessment in Ethiopia. Read more about Judith.