More than 80 volunteers have been brought on board throughout Burkina Faso so as to work in primary schools. These young Burkinabè have all been trained at the National School for Primary School Teachers. While awaiting the integration test, which enables them to become qualified teachers, they work as volunteers in the context of the Burkina Faso National Volunteers Programme (PNVB). Visit site

Speakers at a day-long workshop in the city Tuesday underscored the need for formulating a national policy integrating all ministries with Youth and Sports as lead ministry for the recognition of volunteers working in different fields in the country, reports BSS. Visit site

An innovative volunteer-based programme mobilising local communities to combat female genital mutilation (FGM) in Sudan has met with a fair amount of success. Implemented by the United Nations Volunteers programme, the United Nations Population Fund and Ahfad University for Women in Sudan, there is evidence that this programme has lead to a change in attitude towards the culture of FGM. Visit site

The government should formulate guidelines to promote volunteerism, which is the best tool to achieve sustainable development, speakers at a national workshop on volunteerism said yesterday. Read

The United Nations will help monitor Viet Nam's population and housing census to be carried out from April 1-15. Thirty staff from the UN's women's, children's and population funds, plus UNV volunteers, will join monitoring activities in 21 province and cities during the census. This was the first time the UN had helped monitor a Viet Nam census. Visit site

The implementation of the 'Youth Social Inclusion for Civic Engagement' project has started at the regional level in Ukraine. The project was launched in September 2008 with the overall objective of supporting youth social inclusion and civic engagement.

The project will develop key social competencies, which are needed for proactive youth involvement in society and decision-making processes, thus providing support to further enhancement of the Government's youth policy in Ukraine.

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Speakers at a workshop yesterday said media can play an important role in promoting volunteerism in the country as a long-term strategy to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The United Nations Volunteers in association with the National Press Club organised the workshop on 'Advocating for the recognition of volunteers as a tool of increasing local participation towards achieving MDGs: Role of the media'.

Speaking as the chief guest, Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad said, “It is possible to turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021 if we join hands irrespective of idealism and beliefs for its development.”

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A project to promote volunteer activities in Vietnam was signed on 18 February between the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and UNV. Visit site

Article written by Mr. Kazuhiko Shimizu, UNV volunteer serving as an External Relations Officer at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Southern Sudan. His assignment is part of the 'Pilot Program for Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding', which is commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and implemented by the Hiroshima Peacebuilders Center (HPC). Visit site

Every year, hundreds of people from UNV are assigned to work for the UN refugee agency. Anicet Adjahossou is a typical example. He worked in the construction sector in West Africa for several years before deciding to try something completely different. Last year, the 32-year-old from Benin joined UNV and was sent to work for UNHCR in Burundi, where 10 UNV volunteers work for the agency. Visit site