Egypt: When thinking of a volunteer, what usually comes to mind is a young person working in the field of an emergency zone. The link between the words ‘volunteer’ and ‘desk job’ is--to say the least--not very common. Well, I am one of those volunteers. I have been a national UN Volunteer, at a desk with office hours, in UNICEF Egypt’s Communication for Development (C4D) Section for a little over two years now. Read

Egypt: “I found it a pleasure to see those children having the opportunity to learn, play, express their feelings, and participate in different activities as the others do," says Samar Wahba, UNV Education Specialist with UNICEF Egypt. Samar monitors and evaluates an early childhood development project designed to increase kindergarten and school enrollment and improve the quality of education. Read

Volunteerism is considered a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and a crucial renewable resource for social and environmental problem-solving throughout the world.

General Assembly resolution A/Res/56/38 asked the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to provide technical cooperation in the field of volunteerism to realize its potential as a resource for attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). 

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Cairo, Egypt: In Egypt, as well as the spectacular 'Sailing the Nile' central event, there were a host of other IVD activities tackling different aspects of the Millennium Development Goals with a special emphasis on raising awareness among youth. Read

Cairo, Egypt: The Sailing the Nile for the Millennium Development Goals Campaign 2008 reached its final destination in Cairo on 13 December 2008. The closing event also celebrated International Volunteer Day  and International Human Rights Day. Read

Alexandria, Egypt: The 2008 edition of 'Sailing the Nile for the Millennium Development Goals' combines three different means of transport (feluccas, ICT bus and a train), as opposed to only feluccas. The campaign will continue for two months ending on 13 December, conducting awareness-raising activities promoting volunteerism for the MDGs in seven more governorates across Egypt, namely, Aswan, Qena, Sohag, Assyut, Menia, Beni Suef, Cairo, in addition to the city of Luxor. Read

Cairo, Egypt: Young Egyptians are identifying creative means of engaging themselves in the development process, and activities supported by UNV build on Egypt's existing volunteering and civic participation potential. Read

“Midwife Bahga, I will never forget how I have suffered and still do," said 13-year old Mehad, “I underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) at your hands.”  Addressing an awareness-raising session at a girls’ school, Midwife Bahga confessed, “I did not do this out of ill will, but out of ignorance.”  FGM is a fundamental violation of human rights that causes severe pain, trauma, sexual dysfunction, birth and other health complications.  Around 89% of women in the Sudan are affected by FGM. Read

Working together with the Youth Association for Population and Development in Egypt, UNV volunteers sailed the Nile to empower the people of Egypt to reach the MDGs through volunteer efforts.  The campaign was a joint initiative between United Nations organizations and civil society, national and local government, private sector, media and communities. Read

Cairo, Egypt: The 8 boats participating in a ‘Sailing the Nile’ campaign reached their final destination in Cairo last Thursday. The fleet had sailed down the Nile with stops in eight Egyptian towns to promote the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and MDG projects involving volunteerism. Read