BONN: In Esmeraldas, Ecuador, city development and political will flow together to inspire voluntary action in communities. Esmeraldas, a medium-sized coastal city of 95,000, has an active volunteer movement and a highly motivated mayor, Ernesto Estupinan. Read

Quito, Ecuador: Japanese UN Volunteer Daizen Oda has been formally recognized for his role in a working group that has chosen winners of the Betinho Prize, an award given out annually in Ecuador by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) in the field of information and communication technologies for development. Read

Bonn, Germany: UNVs helped governments put the rights of children and young people onto their agendas. Read

BONN: With the help of international UNV field workers, villagers in Bangladesh make up their own minds on what must be done in their communities. Living directly with the people in rural areas, the 33 UN Volunteers from Sri Lanka, India, Nepal and the Philippines consult with a wide range of youth and other community groups on what is needed, whether it be better health care for all or improved schooling for their children. Read

Bonn, Germany: The Imbakucha-San Pablo Lake basin is home to four villages and no less than 38 different indigenous groups. To on-going inter-ethnic strife, poverty and pollution are serious obstacles to overcome.To address these challenges, a team of National UNVs is joining efforts with CEPCU, a local NGO which has sought for the last six years to establish a framework of co-operation between the local authorities, community-based and international organisations and the Lake's inhabitants. Read