“Give us a chance. Some of the seniors have much to offer but don't know how to start, where to go online, and whom to contact. Once we get involved, it is like resurrecting...we find again a purpose for our lives.” Read

Birao, Central African Republic & Abeche, Chad: “Without a doubt my most memorable experience was as (Officer in Charge) during a period of some of the heaviest rains in Abeche. While many slept peacefully and enjoyed the sound of raindrops on their roofs, I was having nightmares thinking about how this was going to affect our operations the next day.” Read

Choma, Zambia: “Zambia’s abundant wetlands remind me of the Philippines,” said Tom. “I take every opportunity to share proven techniques we use in my homeland that can improve farms’ efficiency and increase food production.”

“For example, I suggested rice, a viable crop for Zambia’s wetlands, to the youth group. By digging the irrigation canals deep enough between the crop beds, they can farm fish alongside the rice. Earth excavated from the canals is used to raise the level of other crop beds above water to grow different high value crops.” Read

Timor-Leste: “As a volunteer working directly with the people in the community, I managed to share my knowledge, skills and experiences of several years and was able to make a substantial difference in the food security and livelihoods of poor and disadvantaged people through enhanced food production, improved nutrition and increased income.” Read

Guatemala: “This project particularly interested me for two reasons.  First, it focused on eradicating one of the great problems of our world; hunger and malnutrition.  Second, as a project focused on a Latin American country, it increased my interest in being a part of it.” Read

World Water Day is held each year on 22 March and provides an opportunity to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

The official theme for World Water Day 2012 is Water and Food Security. Volunteerism plays a key role in improving access to water and food security, as it creates an enabling environment for building capacity through the participation of people in communication networks and decision-making processes. Visit site

Côte d'Ivoire: “A strong stance on gender-based violence was taken, in an area were rape has been used as a weapon in the internal armed conflict as well as in the post-conflict environment” Read

The project, ‘Gender Budgeting and Volunteering through Civic Engagement: A Contribution to Democratic Governance and Gender Equality in Latin America’, aims to measure and make more visible women’s volunteer contributions to civic engagement through three case studies in Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador. Read

Sudan: "Sudan made me understand just how crucial it is to support those who are trying to make a change and give a voice to women and girls." Read

Jordan: “We talked with the Directorates of Employment and Development and the municipality.  We had proposals and wanted to know how they could help in the future.  We didn’t want promises and words, we wanted action.  And we can feel that some changes have happened.” Read