n some places, IVD will be marked with the launch of a week- or month-long campaign to promote volunteerism and recognize volunteers.

While underscoring volunteer contributions in development, the event will also discuss the role of volunteers in support of the development process of Ethiopia.

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Communities should harness the energy and initiative of the thousands of volunteers who contribute to projects around the world, including critical United Nations activities, senior UN officials said today as they marked the day dedicated to those who give their time and efforts for free to help others. Visit site

From treating AIDS patients to rebuilding confidence for war-scarred villagers to dealing with cattle rustlers, more than 7,500 UNV volunteers fan out around the globe every year, giving their time, hearts and sweat to helping some of world’s most deprived and traumatized people. Visit site

Communities should harness the energy and initiative of the thousands of volunteers who contribute to projects around the world, including critical United Nations activities, senior UN officials said here Friday as they marked the day dedicated to those who give their time and efforts for free to help others. Visit site

A Volunteer Fair will be held on Saturday to celebrate volunteerism in Odisha and worldwide. The event will provide an opportunity to individuals who want to contribute to their community to connect with NGOs needing volunteers to work on different social issues.

This year, volunteers of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Odisha will participate and share their experiences to underline the contributions volunteerism can make to social and economic development. Visit site

She has much experience in HIV/AIDS research and prevention, playing leading roles in helping others battle the disease in her home region of Xinjiang. But none of these had fully prepared Canaria Gaffar for working among HIV-positive colleagues on a daily basis in the past six months.

Gaffar was sent from her hometown of Urumqi to Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, as a member of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.

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AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired People) believes that we cannot overstate the value of the United Nations support and promotion of volunteering among government agencies, non-profit organizations, community groups, and the private sector. Today, societies worldwide are successfully engaging volunteers in a spirit of solidarity for the effort to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Visit site

Globally, volunteerism contributes to many areas of human development and peace-building. Volunteerism can be the ideal link between global and local: volunteers may have experience of doing things in different ways, with different approaches, and commit themselves to transferring this information in a way that is beneficial to the people whom they serve. Visit site

December is National Volunteer Month. Indeed, the contributions of many volunteers to uplift the condition of our disadvantaged sectors deserve recognition. These are the people who do not count the cost, are moved by a strong spirit and motivation to help improve society and who believe they can, in their own small ways, make the world a better place to live in. Visit site

From June to September 2008, four Vietnamese online volunteers from different backgrounds, both in and outside of Viet Nam, contributed to a stunning UNV Viet Nam website which is accessible to both Vietnamese and English readers. Visit site