A few years earlier in 2004, the ECOWAS Commission had initiated the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (EVP) with the support of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV), as part of the ECOWAS Peace and Development Programme (PADEP). The Programme harnesses the skills and expertise of qualified citizens to serve as volunteers and change agents by contributing to the economic and social development of their host communities. It recruits young and dynamic citizens within the community, and deploys them to different areas of need within the region, based on demand, to support the regional integration efforts and participate in the social and national development agenda of their host communities and organisations, while building their own skills and professional competencies. The Pilot phase of the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme was officially launched in Monrovia, Liberia, on March 26, 2010, by the then President of the Commission. Since then, the EVP has deployed about 170 volunteers, comprising Health, Education, Gender and Youth professionals, amongst others to three (03) pilot countries, namely, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, as well as to the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), Ouagadougou.