In 1991, Kyrgyzstan gained independence following 70 years of centralized control. Faced with rapidly declining standards of living, collaboration was needed at the community level to fight poverty and protect the environment. Focused on strengthening traditional forms of volunteerism, called "Ashar", UN Volunteers in 2001 encouraged community members to carry out their own development priorities.

Through the Volunteer Initiative Centre set up by the Soros Foundation and UNV, NGOs recognized and tapped the potential of local volunteers. Following its survey on the demand and supply of volunteers, the centre created a database of students, matching volunteer skills with NGO opportunities. Some volunteers served in a centre for homeless and blind children, while others cleaned up a national park. Alongside UN Volunteers, another group of student volunteers shared market information so that poor farmers would be better positioned to make a living from their produce.

Working closely with the centre, NGOs took advantage of the voluntary services, but also gave something back by holding training sessions to further improve the volunteers' skills. The partnership sparked initiatives among the 200 students attached to the centre. These young people, most of them women, now aspire to form their own volunteer NGO. Reaching beyond Kyrgyzstan's borders, the centre heightened its impact by hosting a regional NGO workshop. Representatives of 10 countries from the region took home the message of volunteer cooperation.

Networking through UNV and IYV activities featured prominently in other countries:

• A team of UN Volunteers in India set up VANGMAY - Volunteer Action Groups, Media, Authors and You - a network of volunteers, social activists, writers, journalists and publishers that come together to discuss more creative ways to promote volunteer action.
• As one of several activities during 2001, Singapore's National Volunteer Centre held its first conference for non-profit organizations and private sector corporations on ways to strengthen volunteer management.
• Nepal's National IYV Committee launched a web site to recognize volunteer achievements and to advertise volunteer opportunities. In a further move to increase networking and information exchange throughout the country, the IYV secretariat created a database of more than 300 volunteer-related organizations.
• In Japan, the Cabinet Office organized 10 IYV symposia in 2001 to generate greater awareness of volunteering and networking opportunities. Japan, which took the lead in 1997 to sponsor the United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a Year dedicated to volunteers, also assisted UNV in helping set up the global network of 125 National IYV Committees worldwide through its support of IYV regional workshops.