Community-based rehabilitation cadres: their motivation for volunteerism

Volunteer workers, or cadres, are critical to the successful implementation of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programmes. To date, relatively little research has examined the importance of motivation in health volunteers in general, and especially CBR workers. This paper reports the major findings of a field study in rural Indonesia. A multimethod design within a broad qualitative research framework which focused on the personal experiences of CBR volunteers was utilized. Descriptive data were obtained from written questionnaires, focus groups and key informant interviews. Research findings indicated that volunteer cadres perform considerable duties and face numerous difficulties in the course of their CBR activities. Incentives also play an important role in determining the motivation and ultimate performance of volunteer cadres. Developing an understanding of what it is like to be a volunteer CBR cadre has important implications for rehabilitationists interested in developing and sustaining CBR programmes and is clearly critical to any evaluation of CBR.